172 
Report on Liver-Rot. 
ewes which were sent from home for eight weeks to the ram. 
Since then the disease has spread, and in 1880 one hundred were 
attacked, have died, or been got rid of. The ewes and other 
sheep, which for two months were kept on the stubbles, have 
hitherto remained sound ; those which during August, Sep- 
tember, and part of October were on the pastures have largely 
failed, and probably are all unsound. Amongst them the 
longest survivors are a score which during one month were 
kept upon the stubbles. This removal from the infested grass 
appears to have stayed the progress of the disease for six or 
eight weeks. In illustration of the manner in which sheep may 
pick up the parasites Mr. Cook and Mr. Littler told me t-hat 
Mr. Shipman, of Stathin, purchased 40 sheep at Grantham from 
a sound farm. Twenty of them were sent direct home, and did 
well ; the remainder lay one night in some flooded meadows 
near Loughborough, and in four months were all dead. Another 
case coming under Mr. Cook's cognizance shows how short 
a sojourn on infected land sometimes suffices to produce rot. 
A lot of sheep bought at Grantham, and driven to Melton, in 
a few months all died rotten ; whilst one of the lot which had 
been lame, and was brought home in a cart, had nothing amiss 
with it. 
William Shipman, of Hose, is a judicious and liberal manager ; 
his flock numbers 180 ; about half are ewes ; in the late autumn 
of 1879 he lost 25 ; he kept the others well, and got rid of most 
without much sacrifice ; a few held over became again attacked 
in October 1880, and are worthless. A lot of ewes bought in 
during spring he has had on dry land at Branston, and will have 
them home to lamb, keeping them liberally ; but, in such times, 
unwilling to run risks, will finish them off. Thomas Hukerby, 
of Hose, usually has 80 ewes, lost none in 1879, but they began 
to fail during the autumn of 1880, and now forty-one are dead, 
and few of the others are likely to live to bring forth their 
lambs. The land is not subject to floods, but it is not drained, 
and holds the water that freely falls upon it. JoJin Stokes, 
Hose, occupies 36 acres, with 18 acres belonging to himself, 
is a careful man, and a heavy stocker ; part of his land is 
subject to floods. He lost a few home-bred sheep in 1878, 
replaced them in May 1879 with sheep from sound land, began 
to lose these in November ; has besides had six yearlings in 
1879, and nine since, die unmistakably from rot. His total 
losses reach 250/. 
Mr. William Shipman, of Harby, has sound and unsound 
land, but the latter has recently been reduced in amount by 
draining. On his suspicious land at Hose he ran 60 ewes 
until September 16th, 1880, when they were sent stubbling ; 
