Foot-rot in Sheep. 
741 
the animals are on soft land the feet should be constantly- 
trimmed, so that they are always neat and with no overhanging 
portions of hoof to prevent a healthy circulation of blood ; also 
to avoid chafing on any portion of the foot. 
"When the disease actually shows itself, more care is neces- 
sary to get the foot free from rough portions of hoof, and to pare 
the claws so that all diseased parts may be accessible to the 
caustic. It is, indeed, most essential that every trace of the dis- 
ease should be reached by the application, otherwise the hoof 
will grow round the untouched spot, which will continue to in- 
crease in size, and, finding the lower portion of the foot too hard, 
will gradually extend upwards and burst out at the top of the 
hoof, in which position it will be a long and laborious work to 
cure it. If sheep are carefully dressed twice, a cure may be 
relied upon ; but it is tedious, unpleasant, and expensive labour. 
Unfortunately, too, it is often not thoroughly done, and, as a 
result, the disease lingers about for some time. It is a mistake 
to use a very strong caustic, as the hoof is thereby made too 
hard, and grows in a bad shape. 
The kind of foot-rot I have been speaking about is the most 
common, but there is another form which is not looked upon as 
contagious. AVhether this is in reality a separate disease it is 
difficult, in the face of much conflicting evidence, to decide. It 
certainly takes a somewhat different form, though it can be 
cured by the same treatment as the common kind. More skill 
is required, however, in paring the hoof, for the disease almost 
invariably works up the inside of the hoof and breaks out at the 
coronet, and is then spoken of by shepherds as the worst kind. 
As it is most common on soils which are most favourable to the 
usual disorder, it would appear that the lair must have a direct 
influence on its development. 
3. Mr. David Buttar. 
In the course of a letter addressed to Mr. J. Bowen-Jones, 
Mr. Buttar communicates the following instructions for dealing 
with foot-rot : — Pass the whole flock twice during the year 
through a solution of arsenic, which is thus prepared : — Boil 
2 lb. of arsenic with 2 lb. of potash (pearl ash) in 1 gallon of 
water over a slow fire for half an hour. Keep stirring, and at 
any signs of boiling over pour in a little cold water ; then 
add 5 gallons of cold water. Put this solution to the depth of 
1 in. to 1^ in (just sufficient to cover the hoofs of the sheep) in 
a strong, well-made, water-tight trough, 12 ft. long by 18 in. 
wide, and about 6 in. deep, with narrow strips of wood nailed 
