1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
299 
and for articles of domestic manufacture, musi¬ 
cal instruments, etc., etc., with dairy products 
if desired there. Opposite the main entrance 
would be the official head-quarters ( e ). Around 
the whole woifld be the stock sheds (/, /), and 
if needed two sheds (y, g) might be appropri¬ 
ated for poultry or for farm crops or garden 
vegetables. We would appropriate no room 
for fat giants, living skeletons, pigmies, or such 
stock; these, with all other side-shows ought to 
be accommodated with the whole outside. In 
one of the front buildings (d, d) an upper floor 
should be provided with seats, for the purpose 
of holding Tamers’ meetings during the fair, 
which might be found both useful and enter¬ 
taining. The plan here given is on a scale of half 
an inch to 100 feet, and it admits of indefinite 
expansion according to need or as may be de¬ 
sirable. The wdiole of the buildings and im¬ 
provements here described, with a ten-foot 
close board fence all around, would cost from 
$5 ,000 to $10,000, according to the style in 
which they should be erected. In newly-settled 
-districts, where money is a scarce article, the 
expense might be reduced to $2,500, and yet a 
presentable fair ground be got up, by build¬ 
ing plain, temporary sheds instead of costly 
buildings. 
Diseases of Sheep. 
The sheep, which seems a special prey to 
disease and misfortune, is subject to attacks 
from various parasites. Probably the most in¬ 
jurious of these are those which infest the lungs 
and the liver. The first, called Strongylus 
filaria , is a thread-like worm from two to three 
inches in length, which is found in the bron¬ 
chial tubes and stomach when in a completely 
developed state, and in the lungs and bowels 
when in its embryo condition. In this imper¬ 
fect state it appears as small, hard, chalky 
nodules, which are imbedded on the surface of 
the lungs and the intestines. These nodules 
contain the eggs or the immature worms, which 
when fully developed find their way to the 
stomach and the bronchial tubes. Here they 
breed, and each female produces, as is estimated, 
5,000 eggs or living worms, for it reproduces 
itself in both methods. The eggs are probably 
discharged from the sheep upon the herbage of 
the pasture, where in moist places they remain 
uninjured for a long period, and possess great 
tenacity of life. On being taken into the stom¬ 
ach with the food, they immediately pass into 
the circulation and complete their round of 
existence. The second parasite is known as 
the Distoma hepaticum , or Liver Fluke, and is a 
leech-shaped worm which infests the liver, the 
gall-bladder, and the biliary ducts. A case has 
been observed in which 840 of these parasites 
were taken from the gall-bladder of a sheep. 
Here these parasites increase, the minute eggs 
being discharged in the dung, and after passing 
through a complicated series of changes, in 
which it is supposed they become parasite to 
a molluscous animal, in which condition it and 
its bearer are swallowed by the sheep with the 
herbage to which the bearer becomes attached, 
and the round of existence is completed to 
commence once more. 
These two parasites give rise to the most 
fatal disorders to which sheep are subject. 
The first ( Strongylus ) exists not only in the 
lungs and stomach, but lias been found in the 
intestines. When the stomaeh and the intes¬ 
tines are infested it gives rise to fatal diarrhoea, 
more especially in lambs. When the lungs be¬ 
come its abode it is the cause of the most dis¬ 
tressing cough and bronchial derangement, 
which rapidly brings the suffering animal to an 
end. It is highly probable, however, that vast 
numbers of these parasites may exist in a sheep 
without their presence being suspected. A 
vigorous condition of health may enable the 
animal to resist their ill effects. But let the 
slightest departure from robust health occur 
and trouble follows. The sheep becomes 
rapidly thin, and the best feed and care avail 
nothing. The sufferer totters about, and at each 
exertion is thrown into violent paroxysms of 
coughing. The countenance exhibits the great¬ 
est distress, the nose is pinched up, the back is 
arched, and the feet are drawn together. Acute 
diarrhoea occurs, and often a ravenous appetite 
and thirst impel the animal to swallow both 
solid and liquid filth. After an uncertain lapse 
of time the animal dies, sometimes rigidly con¬ 
vulsed. On opening the body, the lungs and 
bowels will be found covered with the small 
knotted appearances before alluded to. The 
bronchial tubes, and probably the fourth stom¬ 
ach and the bowels, will be found infested with 
the worms, enveloped in froth y matter or mucus. 
The lungs will be found to be much diminished 
in size and w r eight, and of an unnaturally light 
red or creamy color in patches; and a quantity 
of light colored fluid or serum will often be 
found within the cavity of the chest. Such are 
the effects which w r e have observed in cases 
which have occurred in our own flock, and 
similar ones are described as having occurred 
in the experience of others. Dr. Noah Cressy, 
of Middletown, Ct., in his second annual report 
to the Board of Agriculture of that State, de¬ 
scribes in a similar manner cases which have 
come under his notice. 
The remedy for this disease is turpentine, 
which seems to operate most favorably. To our 
own sheep w r e have administered with good 
effect a teaspoonful of turpentine in a teacupful 
of water to lambs, and double this dose to a 
full-grown sheep, each morning for three or four 
days, no feed or water having been given during 
the previous nights. High and dry pastures, 
the best food during winter, as clover hay, lin¬ 
seed cake meal, ground rye, oats, and bran, and 
plenty of salt and sulphur constantly within 
reach, with complete avoidance of wet, low, 
undrained’ pastures, will act as a preventive. 
The parasites have undoubtedly been imported 
hither in English sheep, and it is very certain 
that they are now widely diffused in Canada, 
from whence they have been imported directly 
into our own flocks. 
The second mentioned parasite, the Liver 
Fluke, accompanies the disease well known as 
the rot; as does the lung parasite just described, 
both being often found together in the same 
patient. In a case which recently came under 
our notice, and which we examined carefully, 
both parasites were found in great numbers. 
The symptoms by which the presence of the 
Liver Fluke may be known are as follows: 
The sheep becomes dull and inactive,.remaining 
isolated from the rest of the flock; the sides 
begin to fall in, and emaciation commences; 
the skin becomes of a pale color, with yellow 
or black patches, and the wool easily parts from 
it, becoming very ragged and loose; the eyes 
lose their luster, and become white and pearly; 
i the abdomen enlarges; the spine becomes bent 
upwards, stiff, and prominent; and, most nota¬ 
ble of all, a loose baggy swelling appears under 
the chin, and the nostrils are drawn up, giving 
the sheep a most wo-begone appearance. This 
is the last stage of the disorder, and if no relief 
ia afforded the sheep dies very soon, eating 
almost to the last moment. On opening the 
sheep after death the liver will*be found to have 
a motiled appearance, being covered with livid 
spots, and infested with Flukes; the belly and 
cavity of the chest will be found filled with a 
watery liquid. 
The preventive treatment in this case is simi¬ 
lar to that recommended for the previously 
described one. The remedy we have used very 
effectively in a recent case already referred to 
was as follows: Common salt, 5 ounces; salt¬ 
peter, powdered, ounce; ground ginger, 160 
grains; red oxide of iron, 80 grains. The above 
to be mixed with one quart of boiling water, 
and when it is nearly cool three ounces of 
spirits of turpentine are to be added. This 
mixture must be well shaken up when adminis¬ 
tered. The infected sheep should have no food 
during the night; on the next morning four 
table-spoonfuls should be given to a full-grown 
animal, and half as much to a lamb. No food 
should be given for three hours afterwards. 
This medicine should be repeated in four days, 
with the same precautions, for at least three 
times. The sick animals will require abundant 
care, the best feed, aud a plenty of pure water. 
They should not drink from ponds or streams 
in low ground. 'Well-water will be found the 
safest drink. 
From the large number of letters we have 
received from widely separated places describ¬ 
ing symptoms which show conclusively that 
the sheep therein referred to are suffering from 
these parasitical diseases, we are assured that 
they have become widely distributed, and we 
have the best reason to know that native sheep 
are already affected. The parasites have then 
become naturalized with us, and if we would 
avoid the wide-spread fatality amongst the flocks 
which periodically occurs on account of them 
in England and Australia, it is absolutely neces¬ 
sary that we take measures to prevent their 
spread and .to procure their destruction. To 
carefully avoid low, damp pastures; to burn 
over the grass in such places on which sheep 
have pastured, instead of cutting it for hay; to 
furnish constant supplies of salt, which is re¬ 
markably effective against them; to keep our 
flocks in robust health; to avoid over-heating 
by too close shelter in winter; and also to avoid 
permitting the sheep to remain upon an accu¬ 
mulated bed of fermenting manure at any time; 
and to watch for the first exhibition of the 
disease, the approach of which is remarkably 
insidious, and then to administer teaspoonful 
doses of turpentine daily—these will in a great 
measure, if not wholly, prevent trouble from 
these parasites, and aid in their eradication. 
The Cattle Supply. —Circumstances are 
evidently tending towards a large decrease of 
the Texan cattle production. The rapid settle¬ 
ment of Texan lands is greatly interfering with 
the range for stock, and we are credibly in¬ 
formed that in consequence of the lessened 
range and supply of grass the stock is falling 
off in produce and weight. The result must 
certainly be to redmee the competition which 
Texan cattle have hitherto held with our native 
and grade cattle, to the benefit of the latter. 
The cattle business must gradually grow into 
the hands of farmers instead ofi the ranchmen , 
and beef stock will become an all-important 
element of general forming in connection with 
grain growing. This will happily lead to the 
greater perfection of our agriculture. 
