Tlie Rot in Sheep. 
157 
power. Indeed no better medicinal compound for tliis j)urpose 
can be employed than the one named by us when speaking of 
the treatment of the disease. The daily use of this will not only 
arrest the last metamor])hosis of the cercarice, but destroy the 
early hatched distomata, and thus remove tlie cause of the malady. 
The rules for the exhibition of the medicated food must, how- 
ever, be modified, as the object soun^lit is somewhat different. 
It is almost impossible to reckon upon the time the compound 
may have to be employed, and therefore care should be taken that 
no ill effects follow its long-continued use. In a wet year, like 
18G0, it may be found requisite to commence its use early in June, 
if not in May, and to continue it to the end of October. Under 
such circumstances, however, if a moderate quantity only is daily 
allowed, no possible harm can arise from the medical agents. 
To meet a difficulty of this kind we would, however, alter the 
proportion of the medicine to that of the nitrogenised food, by 
adding to the two bushels of linseed-cake and pea-meal two more 
bushels of corn. We should prefer one of crushed oats and another 
of crushed maize, to both being of the same kind. Either is good 
food for sheep, but a mixture of them is better. The relative 
proportion of the salt and of the other ingredients is thus reduced 
one-half, thereby enabling the agriculturist to vary the amount of 
the medicine according to circumstances, but always securing 
the exhibition of some of it by giving from half a pint to a pint 
daily of the food-compound, divided or not into two feeds. Pro- 
vision also is thus made for the nutrition of the animals when the 
grasses have lost much of their quality, as they invariably have 
when surcharged with moisture. 
A difficulty frequently exists in getting sheep to eat " manger 
food," especially if mixed with hay-chaff, when the animals are 
on the pastures during the summer, but this is not insur- 
mountable. Every farm yields at this period of the year some 
green food, such as tares, clover, Italian rye-grass, &c., a small 
quantity of which can be daily cut into chaff, with a propor- 
tion of hay, for mixing with the other food. Judicious manage- 
ment will surmount every little obstacle, and the result be an 
ample reward for the care and attention which has been bestowed. 
If the system be properly carried out we should have little 
fear of the occurrence of rot, even in the most unpropitious 
seasons or on land proverbially bad for sheep. 
It will be seen that the quantity of salt we have named is 
much below that which is ordinarily used. No doubt a larger 
amount may be safely employed, but in our opinion its prophy- 
lactic power depends more on its long-continued use than on 
• the largeness of its quantity for a time. A change of weather 
may call for its complete withdrawal, but, on the contrary, it 
