308 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
the grass seed may he sown alone; but in most 
cases it is safer to provide a shading crop, like the 
turnips, besides a good return for the preparation 
of the soil is at once obtained in a valuable crop of 
roots for feeding the stock in autumn or early winter. 
The Sheep Rot, or Liver Fluke. 
The wet season of 1879, in England, has been fol¬ 
lowed by an unusually fatal out-break of the “Rot ” 
among sheep. At five other dates during the pres¬ 
ent century, wet seasons have preceded visitations 
of this very destructive disease, namely: in 1808, 
1817, 1824,1830, and 1853. The association in time 
of the prevalence of the “Rot,” with a season of 
unusual rain, is enough to suggest that there may 
be some direct relation between the two. Through 
investigations of such naturalists as Dr. Cobbold, 
Von Siebold, and others, the precise nature of the 
Sheep Rot has been discovered, and the relation be¬ 
tween the wet season, and the unusual abundance of 
the disease established. The “ Rot ” is caused by a 
parasitic animal known as Distoma hepaticum, which 
takes up its abode iu the ducts in, and leading to, 
the liver, and hence popularly called Liver Fluke. 
The Fluke is a sucking worm resembling the leech.. 
of a flat, oval shape, thick and rounded at one end, 
and provided with a sucker or mouth. The full- 
grown parasites are shown, separated from the 
liver, in fig. 1, and small ones, but partly grown, are 
represented in fig. 2. These little animals are quite 
highly organized, being provided with a digestive 
apparatus, and a branched intestinal canal, fig. 3, 
and a system of veins and blood vessels, shown in 
fig. 4. The life-history of this parasite, about which 
in former years there was much conjecture, and 
even dispute, is now thoroughly uhderstood. The 
mature Fluke, as found in the sheep’s liver, is the 
end of a series of transformations, which we will 
trace from the egg of the perfect Fluke, through 
its changes, around to the full grown Fluke again. 
.The egg, after leaving the Fluke, finds its way into 
the intestines of the sheep, and is expelled with its 
excrement. If the egg falls upon 
dry soil, and no water reaches it, it 
soon perishes; if, however, the egg- 
meets with sufficient moisture, it 
soon hatches into a small embryo, 
which is propelled by minute hair¬ 
like appendages. In a short time 
legs are provided, and the young Fluke becomes a 
crawling “worm.” In this form it gains entrance 
to the body of some snail, and begins its parasitic 
life. Within the flesh of the snail, 
the Fluke becomes encysted, or en¬ 
closed in a kind of sac, in which state 
buds are formed, which, breaking 
away, leave the snail, and become 
like small tadpoles, moving about by- 
means of their long slender tails. 
These again enter the snails and be¬ 
come parasitic, and afterwards en¬ 
cysted for the second time. In this 
pupa, or resting state,the Fluke is con¬ 
veyed from the grasses, upon which 
the sheep feeds, into the stomach of 
Fig- 3- the sheep, and once there, the final 
leech-like state of the parasite is quickly assumed, 
and finding its way into the gall ducts of the liver, 
it reaches its last state, and does its most destruc¬ 
tive work. With this sketch of the development 
of the Fluke, it is easy to understand the relation 
between a wet season, and the prevalence of the 
“Rot” in the season following. The hatching of 
Fig. 2. 
the egg of the Fluke is dependent upon the pres¬ 
ence of a considerable amount of moisture when 
it is passed from the sheep and falls to the ground. 
The young Fluke afterwards must enter the snail, 
but the snail lives only in water, or in very moist 
localities. In wet seasons, the number of such 
localities is extended, the number of eggs that 
hatch is greatly increased, as is the number of 
snails, bearing the parasite in its first stages. The 
Fluke often occurs in sheep, without 
its presence being suspected. It is only 
when it is sufficiently abundant to pro¬ 
duce “Rot,” that attention is called to 
it. In the first stages of the disease, there 
is an increased appetite, and a tendency 
to fatten. This has been taken advan¬ 
tage of by the English feeders, who it is 
said have purposely “ Rotted ” their 
sheep, in hastening them on to the 
shambles. This unnatural excitement 
of the first stages of the disease, is soon 
followed by a falling away in condition ; 
the color of the eye, instead of its usual 
becomes tallowy in appearance, the 
skin becomes wet, and the wool loose. As the dis¬ 
ease advances, dropsy develops, and a watery 
tumor appears below the lower jaw ; the whole 
system becomes deranged, and in a short time the 
sheep is the pitiable object shown in figure 5. 
This engraving of a sheep in the last stages of 
“ Rot,” as well as those of the Fluke, are borrowed 
from that excellent and practical work, Stevvart’s 
“Shepherd’s Manual.” When an animal reaches 
this condition, the end soon follows, and the sheep 
dies in a state of rottenness throughout. 
Eemedy .—Whenever the Flukes have found their 
way into the liver of the sheep in any considerable 
numbers, there is no practical way of removing 
them—death must shortly follow. Sheep may live, 
and even thrive when infested with Flukes to a 
slight extent: but the shepherd should always be 
on his guard against them. In the present case, 
Fig. 5.— SHEEP AFFECTED WITH FLUKE. 
the ounce of prevention is worth far more than the 
pound of cure, and therefore the flocks should be 
kept from feeding upon low lands, and never al¬ 
lowed to drink from pools of stagnant water sur¬ 
rounded by dense vegetation, as in such places the 
fluke-bearing snails abound. The Liver Rot is in 
one sense very much a question of drainage.—A 
recent article in the “ Agricultural Gazette ” (Lon¬ 
don) on this subject states that the “tender Merino 
sheep first falls a victim, while the Lincolns, or 
still stronger cross-bred, stand the best.” The 
Fluke has prevailed to some extent in this country; 
there has been a recent outbreak of it in Oregon, 
and we should profit by the lesson of the very seri¬ 
ous loss abroad, and strive to keep our flocks from 
the pest, especially in seasons of, and those follow¬ 
ing, unusual rains, by guarding them from feeding 
in low lands where the infested snails may abound. 
Curing Fodder Corn.— The chief drawback 
with fodder corn is the difficulty of properly curing 
such a heavy crop of succulent green herbage. 
When it is remembered that 30 tons per acre has 
been reached, the problem of curing is seen to be 
an important one. The French system of ensilage 
may in time come to the rescue and provide a 
method of preservation that retains the fodder in 
its green state ; but the introduction of such a 
system must be slow, and until then the old method 
of dry preservation must be practiced. The put¬ 
ting together of large quantities of half-cured stalks 
must be abandoned, as it has been the greatest 
source of loss to those who have grown fodder 
corn. The mow should be thoroughly ventilated 
Fig. 4. 
brightness, 
by shafts passing up through its center, and when 
the fodder is put in stacks, they should be of small 
size, holding but a few tons,and better still, provided 
with a shaft, made of a few boards, in the middle. 
Hints and Helps for Farmers. 
A Chicken Coop.—M r. L. Prentice, Leavenworth 
Co., Kansas, sends a sketch and description of a 
chicken coop, which is given iu figure 1. The frame 
is made of pine. Three of the sills are one inch 
thick and three inches wide, the front one being 
one inch square, and let into the lower corners of 
the side sills. The ridge pole is one inch square, 
and the rafters are made of lath. The frame is 
covered with common cotton domestic, put on with 
small tacks. Five yards of domestic will cover 
four coops, and last two or three years if housed 
when not in use. Such a covering excludes the 
rain, snow, and wind, yet the sunlight passes 
through, giving warmth and light. Mr. L. writes : 
“ We have never lost a chicken from a rain or snow 
storm while iu these coops, and we use no other. 
A group of them resembles a camp-meeting ground. 
When necessary to close up the coop, as at night, 
we set up a board in front, or set two or more to¬ 
gether, thus closing each other.” 
-Mr. L. W. Gray- 
13 
Hen’s Nests from Barrels. 
son, Jefferson Co., 
Miss., sends his plan 
of making nests from 
barrels as follows: 
Saw the barrel in 
halves through the 
line, A, A, figure 2, and 
then nail the hoops on 
to the staves securely. 
Saw the hoops through 
the line, B, B , and each 
part, when provided 
with a bottom, C, and 
cleats, D, D, to keep 
it in place, makes a 
substantial waterproof & cutting the barrel. 
nest that can be fastened to a post or the side of a 
building. The nest complete, is shown in figure 3, 
and is attached to the base of a post. 
Barn-Yards.—For good reasons the barn-yard 
is one of the most important features of a farm, 
and its proper keeping should be constantly iu 
mind. The manure here saved or lost, in a great 
measure, determines the success or failure of all 
other farm operations. The chief points to be ob¬ 
served are cleanliness and healthfulness of the ani¬ 
mals there confined, and the saving of all the ma- 
