,%"" ^*' •-^ r-. cy 0- 'O v^> ■J- "' -Or "h ,^iS- r f5. 'r^ ", -t "' % s^- "* v\V •^<: t. OO .0^ o ,v -* A vO O. '^, "^ '■^o.o' ^•' ■^. .^^"^ ■A' .,\^^' "^^.-. -0' ^ o'f- xO°^, .V .0^ r ^ v^ ^ "> '^ o^ .^^0, ^^ ^^ -^ •xv^^' ''^^- ^O ,-^^^ ,^^ '^^^ ,0 o o\^- ci-. .#■ . . , ^ 3 0^ 'ci- - \ .-y' o ir A^^'-^p. ^' - v^^ x'^-' ''/ '^, V-*" o. o. .A- ■V -1^ o>' ■xv^ V .P ^0 O, - — -_7% .^^ '"'^^ -^^ '- ,0 o^ o>' ^'^ ^. :> ■- .x:^'% '- o « . ■* .A -O ^' . ^ ^ '■ « .0^ ^-V^ r_,. <« ^ treatiIe ON ^— lyiJt.RINOS AND OTHER SHEEP, WITH PLATES. RECENTLY PUBLISHED AT PARIS, BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNMENT, COMPILED BY Mr. TE SSI ER, INSPECTOR OF T H E RAMB UILLE T ESTJBLISHMEJVT AND OTHERS, IN FRANCE. ^^ C OJ^TAIAi'IjyG THE METHOD OF FORMING GOOD FLOCKS, OF INCREASING THEM, And of treating them properly both token healthy and •when diseased^ FOLLOWED By documents, extracts, and short explaiiatory notes, not contained lit the original, nuhich ivere deemed necessary to make this important fCOork complete, and to render it more instructive to the Agricul- turalists of the United States. tRANSLAtED FROM "THE FRENCH, AND DEDICATED TO THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES OF THE UNITED STATES CQUtlNUOQVE GREGES VILLIS MOLLIBUS ALBOS. — Vil'g. Georg. PRIJ^TED AT THE ECONOMICAL SCHOOL OFFICE, NEW-YORK. 18H. /V T34 CONTENTS. 'lu' Preliminary notice page 3 Of the different breeds of sheep, and particularly of Merinos »? Flocks of a single cross . - - - . - 10 Progressive flocks (troupeaux de progression) - - 13 Fidl blooded flocks ------- 16 Management of flocks - 23 Conditions on wluch a flock is put out on shares, and what is to be expected from this contract - - 25 First scheme of a cheptel - . ^ ... 28 Second scheme -------- 34 Third scheme - . - 37 Of copulation - 38 Of gestation and yeaning - . . - - _ 43 Of weaning . . 4Y Of docking -----... ij^jjd Of castration ------- 43 Of cutting off the horns ----- 50 Of marking sheep -----,_ 5J Of sheep-houses - - - - ^ . . 52 Of foddering -------- 57 Dcscripiion of the machine for cutting roots - - 63 Of folds and folding - • - - - - 64 CONTENTS, Of pasturing Merinos - • - . - - ~ 67 Of the precautions necessary when sheep travel - 70 Of shearing - 74 Of the fleeces a7id wool ... ^ - - 78 Of toashing the wool -.-....81 Gilbert method 83 Method recommended by Mr. Giron de Buzaringues - 85 Spanish method - ibid Method communicated by a manufacturer of Montjoie 87 Washing at the manufactory ----- 88 Of selling sheep .-.---- 90 Means of knowing the age of a sheep - - - 91 Teeth of sheep at different ages . - - - 93 General remarks upon the diseases of sheep - - 94 Of the sheep pox ; in french called Claveaii - ♦ S6 Of the scab or itch - - 101 Of tetters -.,-...- 107 Black muzzle 108 Thrush (chancre) - Vfid Lameness or disorders of the foot - - - - 109 T!^e spider or diseased udder - - - - 112 The anthrax or Carbuncle , , . - - 113 The Rot 114 Diarrhœa or looseness - 117 The genestade or broom-disorder - - - - 118 The wood-disease (maladie de bois J - • - -119 xICE. ;ome a Manufacturing as well as ^ ^u,i iiatio. s perceived how great an injury she sustained by benig dependent upon foreigners for all the fine wool which she employed, and it was well understood how great would be the advantages which she must derive from the production of it within herself This subject occupied the serious attention of Colbert, whom nothing esca[)ed which might tend to the advantage and greatness of his country. — He projected a change in the system which prevailed. Suc- ceeding ministers attempted, whitout efl'ect, to put his design in execution. It was not until the year 1766 that Daniel- Charles de Trudaine, an able minister, employed the surest means of succeeding, and of thus-' freeing the kingdom from the tribute which it paid to procure fine vi^ool. After his death, his place was supplied by his son, who followed the plan laid down by him. Daniel- Chaises de Trudaine, had addressed himself, not to cultivators of land, whom narrow views and prejudices are too apt to deter from adopting whatever they have not seen practised by their forefathers, but to Dauhenton, an able naturalist, who instantly perceived the possibility of what was proposed, and proved it by satisfactory expe^'iments. In 1782, having acquired information sufficient to be useful to others, Daubenton published a volume entitled Instruction pour les bergers et les propriétaires des troupeaux: it was written in the form of question and answer. This work, being within the reach of every capacity had great success. SeverfS treatises on sheep had already appeared ; but no person had before composed an elementary work, containing plain direc- tions, and proving that by attention and zeal great profits might be derived irom the propagation and improvement of the breed of sheep. The author himself, in 1794, gave an abridgment of his book, having reduced it to half its original size. In 1802 the entire work of Daubenton was reprinted, at the expense of the government, under the direction of Mr. Huzard, a member of the Institute, who added very useful notes to it. Dauhenton^s work was very interesting, as he shev^'^ed that, by coupling sheep chosen from the finest French breeds, there was a certainty of improving them ; but it became insuf- *5 ficient when it was Kn^ , that • like to ensue by substituting Spa . _»!, persons even thought that all co. i sh|(j(jp should l way from the flocks, and none &> tied but merinos, tions were wanted with respect to he mode of raising and tendmg tiiese animals. There was» at that time a board of agricultui-e, which, having been part 6f one of the executive commissions, was attached to the interior department. This board deemed it necessary to compose a work exhibiting the most proper means of securing the propagation of Spanish sheep. The compilation of it was entmsted to Gilbert, one of the members of tlie board, and a professor in the veterinary school of Alfort, a man of an ardent mind and animated by an eager desire for the welfare of his country. All that he wrote, before being printed, was submitted to the judgment of his colleagues, and discussed in their meetings. The first edition was printed in 1797, and a second in 1799 ; both of the same size with the larger work of Daubenton. This work was equally well received by the public with that of Daubenton; as it afforded instruction to those who were desirous of pro- curing merinos and of propagating the breed. These two editions, which the government caused to be dis- tributed gratis, being expended, the minister of the interior induced Mr. Tessier, a member of the Institute, a cele- brated agriculturalist, and inspector of the Rambouillet and other establishments in France, to publish a new edition of the work, in which the knowledge obtained since the pub- lishing of the former editions might be imparted to the pro- prietors of flocks and to such as were desirous of rearing them. This task was not free from difficulty ; and it required a man of Mr. Tessier's abilities to perform it properly. Such is the work which the editors hasten to present to the aariculturalists of this country. It is followed by documents, extracts and short explanatory notes, not contained in the ori- ginal, which were deemed necessary to render this important work more instructive to the agriculturalists of the United States. The method pursued by Mr. Tessier, as be himself remarks, is agreeable to the very nature of things. " After some remarks upon the principal breeds of sheep," says he " I explain the charactcristicks of one of them, viz. of "the breed of true merinos, the particular object of this work ; I mention the use which may be made of them to form flock* of a mixed or of a full breed, and show how the greatest ad. vantages may be derived from them. All these articles might be considered as a lirst part. " In what follows, I give details on copulation, yeaning, the attentions requisite in sheltering sheep, on their food, the man- ner of pastiu'ing them and of conducting them in journeys, also on what relates to shearing, to the fleeces, the wool, the clean- ing of the wool*, the trade which is made of them, and the sale of the animals, I should call the articles which treat of the above objects the second part. " I then enter into a detail of the diseases to which merinos, like other sheep, are subject ; of the modes of treatment, and especially the methods of prevention. This part is at least as large as either of the others. It appeared to me so useful to give agriculturalists information on this important point, that I have endeavoui'ed to omit nothing which is essential for them to know. " I have added, at the end of the work, an article relating to shepherds, a class of mm without v^^hose care and skill it is impossible to have good flocks. I have even shown the me- thod of training dogs of a proper kind, in order to facilitate the leading of sheep to pastui'e and during a journc}'. " Throughout this treatise, I have endeavoured to unite perspicuity and simplicity ; qualities which are peculiarl3' proper in works of this kind. If I have attained this end. or if I have made a near approach to it, I shall have satisfied the desire which I feel of meeting the views of the Minister by whom I have been entrusted with the performance of this work." The judicious reader will be convinced by the perusal of JVir. Tcssier-s work that its learned author has fully attained the end which he had in view. His treatise is complete ; and we do not doubt that it will entitle him to the thanks of the agriculturalists of every country. * In French this is called dcsmintaftc. To reduce Paris Long Measure to English. The Paris royal foot of 12 inches = 12.7977 ^ The inch = 1.0659 The line, or twelfth of an inch = .0888 The twelfth of a line — .0074 English inches. JVeiv French Measures Weight. ENGLISH GRAINS. Milligramme = .0154 Centigramme = .1544 Decigramme = 1.5444 AVERDUPOIS. Gramme = 15.4440 Poun. Oun. Dram. Decagramme = 154.4402 = 5.65 Hecatogramme = 1544.4023 = 3 8. 5 Kilogramme = 15444.0234 = 2 3 5 Myriogramme = 154440.2344 = 22 1 2 TREATISE ON SHEEP, By Mr. TESSIER. OF THE DIFFEREJVT BREEDS OF SHEEP, AJSTD PAR- TICULARLY OF MERIA'OS. AMONG the animals which inimtnate, sheep form a very interesting class ; which class is divided into several dis- tinct races ; the number of which may be reduced to seven ; viz : — 1. The African Race. It is without horns, of a tall make with an upright forehead, a head that projects a great deai, and short hair : under its tlu'oat it has a dewlap, and on its neck a mane, in which grow tufts of wool which successively fall in order to make room for others. — Three sheep of this kind have been kept at Rambouillet.* 2. The Arabian Race. It is found at the Cape of Goot^- Hope, in the country of the Hottentots, also in Egypt, whence the French army brought several to France. Its tail is thick , broad and heavy, but is terminated by a p&rt no larger than an ordinary sheep''s tail ; in this respect, this race difl'ers from all the following. Some of these sheep are to be seen in tht gardens of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, and at the Veterinary School of Alfort. 3. The Race of Crete or Candia. Its wool is undulated, its horns are straight and incircled by a spiral groove ; it is called Sterpsiceros. 4. The Indian Race, imported by the Dutch into Europe. It is remarkable for its height and for the length of its body. The ewe produces, every year, several lambs. The Dutch placed them in the Texel and in Flanders : so that the sheep of this race are called. Sheep of the Texel, Flemish iSheep. * I attempted, by means of these animals, to ascertain in how many generations, by crossing Spanish sheep with an African ram, tlie wool becomes hair, thus making an experiment the inverse of that of Dau- he^ton. Mine, however, could not be completed. [2] 5. The Race of the Feroe islands, Iceland and Noiway. — It is very small, wild and lives in the midst of snows ; its fleece has silken filaments, others resembling hair, and others «f the quality of common wool. 6. The Indigenous Race of France, which may be divided into several varieties. It is not tall like the Flemish breed, nor diminutive like that of the north, but between the two, and has ordinary wool. Habit teaches to distinguish all its vari- eties ; for instance, the Roussillomie, the Bei^ichonne, the Ardennaise, the Beauceronne, the Normande, &c. all of which have distinguisiiing marks, 7. The Merînè^ Race, known by the name of Spanish sheep. It is the most esteeihed because it possesses properties which render it superior to the others ; of this race in particular, I purpose to treat in the following work, although the instruc- tions which shall be given may be equally applied to other sheep. A persuasion prevails in France that the Merinos came originally from Africa ; no satisfactory proofs however, can be idven of the truth of this opinion. All that we know is, that they have a long time existed in Spain, We have imported them from that kingdom. The merino is a distinct breed among sheep ; as in the class of dogs, the Danish dog, the greyhound, the shag-dog, the lap-dog, &c. and, in the same manner as among dogs, the cross-breeds may afford individuals more or less approaching to the species, but never the species itself. Its size, in Spnin, when compared with other breeds, is neither the largest nor the smallest, but middling. From the extremity of the forefoot to the withers, it measures from 20 to 25 inches; in its greatest circumference, 3 feet and some in- ches; from the top to the head to the origin of the tail about 3 feet; so that its circumference is nearly the same as its length, when alive, it weighs from 30 to 40 kilogrammes; in equal bulks, it weighs more than most sheep of the common breeds; the rams are larger than the ewes. '&^ In France, all these dimensions increase, according to the distance of time from the period of importation of these sheep, and in proportion to the care bestowed upon them and the (juality of their food: a hoggit of eight months weighed 40 kilogrammes, and a too-toothed teg, 72 kilogrammes and a £91 half; both raised in the pays de Caux, a department of the lower Seine. The shape of the merino is rather round ; its face is broad and not uprigiit; its bacic is not arched ; its body is broad; its legs are sliort : some have dewlaps like that on the neck of a stag ; some have their cheeks, the lower pait of their mider jaw and their forehead entirely covered with wool, which sometimes ex- tends to the eyes; some also have folds upon their shoulders, feiieir buttocks and neck. The males have large hanging testicles, separated by a lon- gitudinal crease very strongly marked ; they have thick broad horns, twisted in a spiral form and of great length: I have seen horns of this description which measured across from the extremity of one to that of the other, 20 inches ; the length of each, measured along its windings, was 2 feet. All have not horns: those which are without them do not form a distinct species, for expei-imcnts made during several years at Ram- bouillet and Perpignan, have taught us that if rams without horns produce rams without horns they also produce such as have horns, for which reason, the want of them should be considered merely a lusiis naturae. Mr. OU'wicr, who superintends the imperial establishment of the eastern Pyrenees, says that rams without horns may with ceitainty be obtained, if, during several generations, rams which have none be put to ewes the issue of rams in the same situation. I do not warrant this assertion ; experience alone must decide. Some ewes alse have horns, but they are small. The wool of the merino is what principally distinguishes it; this wool is very fine, abundant, soft to the touch, very greasy, thick, somewhat sj)iral, clastic, not so long as that of the com- mon breeds, and of a dirty and brownish white, occasioned by the dust and filth which adheres to it. The whole body of the animal is covered with wool, except the arm pits, the flat part of the thighs and a part of the fiice. The young ones, especially those of the second year, have it to the extre- mity of their feet. The skin beneath the wool of such as are healthy is of a rose-colour. It often happens that in sheep newly imjiorted, one may perceive among the filaments of the wool, particularly on tiie cheeks, the top-knot, the buttocks and thighs, shining hairs of a bright gray, which are called Jarj^e, or dog^shair: in France, careful proprietors cause these hairs to disappear, by preventing the copulation of such males or females as have them. This hair must not be confounded with that srtrt of down wliich often appears on new dropped B [10] lambs even of the finest breed ; when they are two or three months old, this down disappears and is succeeded by fine wool ; those which had the most of it are commonly the best sheep. By means of the above characteri sticks, it is easy to distin- guish a merino from a common sheep: but there is no way of distingTiishing it from a mongrel of the fourth or fifth generation ; the exterior resemblance is so perfect, that a person vv^ho wishes to be assured of a creatiu'e's being full-blooded must not trust to inspection alone. The merino ewe may live twenty years, and even longer.-^ Such longevity is rare ; many reach fifteen years, and con- tinue to bear young all the time. The ewe commonly pro- duces a lamb each year; sometimes she yields two at once; the ram might, with care, be employed an equal numbers of y Mrs, but there is more advantage in making use of none but tiiose which are young. If merino rams be castrated while quite young, and if they be fed in good pastures, their meat becomes excellent, and dif- fers from other mutton only in being not quite so brown. — T lese animals are also capable of being made very fat and of producing good tallow. These facts where disputed upon the first introduction of merinos into France*, but they have since been established by experience. Flocks of a single cross. Crossing tlie breed, was the first method which presented it- self to improve the wool of our sheep ; Dauhenton started the idea and proved its utility ; this mode was simple, easy, expe- ditious and economical. The existing flocks were not destroy- ed ; on the contrary, they were preserved and made use of, and they uere improved ; all that was done, was to employ rams in covering that bore fine wool, in place of those whose wool was coarse At first, people chose the best they could find in their neighbourhood ; afterwards they went fai'ther, without how- ever goinff out of France ; at Icngh the government stepped in to the aid of private exertion, which it favoured by the introduc- tion of flocks of merinos, and especially by that of Rambouillet, * The butchers at first rejected even the mixed breed, in order to get them cheaper ; now they buy them without hesitation, and at a gre '.ter price than they give for common sheep, if they buy them when their wool is long. [11] which was ahnost the first nursery, or at least the most produc- tive, whence were taken those precious germes wiucn have given Ufe to our rural affairs. I shall not mention the obstacles which were to be overcome before we could arrive at our present state of improvement, the difficulties which were presented by prejudice, habii, prcpos- session against every innovation, personal interest and Uisnoii- esty. As the evil becomes more distant, it should be torgotten, and the succeeding benefits alone attended to. When a great change is to be brought about, one must expect to meet with imj^ediments. The first improvers, on seeing the good effects of their cross- ings, which produced finer rams than taose of the native breeds, were induced to employ them for covering, through motives of economy and because they hoped in this way, to be making continual improvement. Several generations were thus bene- fitted ; but what had been almost a matt jr of necessity in tiie beginning, on account of the scarcity of merino rams, which were not sufiieiently numerous to answer tlie demand for them, has eventually become a real evil ; a belief prevailed that ut the fifth, fourth, or third mixture, according to the breeds, rams issued from cross-breeds might be regarded as full-blooded, as true merinos ; they were made use of and sold according!} . — This opinion, which appeared plausible in the infancy ot impro- vement, but which it would he unpardonable to maintain now, •spread itself with great rapidity ; it was entertained by Dau- htnton and Gilbert : the former said it was of little importance from what country rams came, provided their wool was liner than that of the ewes which were to be crossed ; the latter, actuated chiefly by the desire of seeing our coarse w«ol disap- pear, paid little regard to the disadvantages resuiting from putting ewes with rams of a mixf d breed. The error took deeper root from the authority of these two able men. It gain- ed still farther credit by the beauty of the wool produced by the breeds which had been several times crossed, and !iy the resem- blance of their form to that of merinos. It would have been better to suffer the improvement to advance more slowly than to endeavour to accelerate it by a method calculated in reality to retard it. It was therefore necessary to attack this opinion, and to oppose the proprietors of mixed breeds, in order to prevent farmers, upon Vv'hom they imposed, from buying their rams. The result has been, that the former, in conséquence of their too great haste to become gainers, have no longer any confidence reposed in them, and that many persons have begun anew to cross their breeds by procuring full blooded rams froiri places where tjiey are to be had with certainty. [12] It is known that, in the animal kingdom, the influence of the males upon tne otfspring is generally Vv vy great ; it is particu- luily remarkable m the breed of merinos. Although in the union ol the two sexes the male and the female both contribute to t/ie formation oi the loetus, yet the hrst generations possess, in a more striking manner, the characteristicks of the male. — If it be wished to continue a remarkably good breed, cure v. ust be taken to choose, for copulation, no rams but such as possess the qualities which it is wished to perjietuate ; by em|>loying mongrel rams to cross common ew es, a breed will be obtained which, after becoming much more beautiful than that of the original ewes, will remain some time stationary, and will then degenerate ; the influence of these dams, though long coun- teracted, will sooner or later be visible, and degeneration will be the consequence of it, because the rams produced by these crossings have in their blood a germe of maternal base7iess which will by degrees display itself. It is certain that offspring frequently, indeed commonly, re- semble their progenitors more than their parents. The num- ber of merino rams at present in France is so considerable as to render it inexcusable to prefer mongrel rams to them ; whatever their price may be, it is far below the profits which they afford ; it is known that a single male is sufficient for ma- ny females. In order to make a good cross-breed, a sufficient number of merino rams must be chosen: in Spain, the proportion gene- rally is one ram to fifteen ews ; in France, three to a hundred. The quality and number of the young which they produce, prove that more are not requisite. VVhen in this proportion, they do not fatigue themselves and they may be preserved a long while. A.s to the ewes, the best must be taken from that domestic breed to which the preference is given : the wool of all the different breeds may be brought to the highest perfec- tion ; but some require a shorter and some a longer time*. The breed of Roussillon is that, among the French breeds, which attains perfection in the fewest nundier of generations ; in the third, its wool is as fine as that of merinos. I place in the second rank the breeds of Berry, Solange and Ardennes. — Their wool is thin, and the fleeces of the cross-breeds obtained * In order to determine in how many generations and in how many years the wool of the different French breeds miglit be changed into very fine wool, experiments were set on foot by the Commission of Ag- riculture, first in Raincy park ; they were continued at Sceaux, then at the menagerie of Versailles ; they have since been removed to the vet- erinary school of Alfort, where they are still contimied. £13] from them are not so heavy as those of several breeds whose wool is coarser ; they are small, which is another disadvantage. Whatever economical calculations one makes, whatever breed of ews one chooses, one should always, in beguming a cross, take tlie finest and healthiest individuals, from three to four years old. It a person desires to cross tlie breed of that part of the country in which he lives, and chooses sheep from among the tlocks in his neighborhood, he has tlie advantage of being sure that tlie creatures conceal no latent disease, because he is already acquainted with them. It is not uncommon in one generation, to have young sheep equal or nearly equal in beauty to their merino sires, not only as to the fineness ot their wool, but also as to the shape of their body. This however, is only an exception which does not destroy the rule. The great mass of lambs produced in this first cross, has only a certain degree of fineness, which increases in each succeeding generation, and its shape does not become perfect until the mixture has been repeated for several generations. Care should be taken to castrate all the males of the mixed breed before they are able to get young, and to put the females to full-blooded rams. I repeat it, that without this care, the improvement of the breed will be retarded, I before observed that this method of improving the breed of sheep, by means of crosses, was simple, easy, expeditious and cheap. It has now been seen how simple and easy it is, since all that is requisite, is to procure some merino rams, and among the native breeds to choose the handsomest and best ewes. The expedition and cheapness of this method may easily be shown. In fact, the benefit begins the first year, on ac- count of the increased value of the lambs ; to this profit must be added, tiie following year, that of the wool of the antenois.* Tiiis twofold gain becomes afterwards still greater, by the con- tinual improvement in the quality of the sheep and of the wool. The acquisition of a few merino rams and of a flock of one of the native breeds, is not above the means of the poorest far- mers. Progressive Flocks. (Troupeaux de progression.) I supposed, in the preceeding article, that the proprietor of a flock of commom ewes, bought only some merino rams, to * In their second year, the animals are called Ajifenoia by the French. [14 ï make a cross by uniting them with the ewes. In this way how- ever, though great advantages result from it, he can nave oniy a mixed breed ; thirteen years must elapse bei'ore all his ewes are of the fitth generation, which time is necessary, if all the ewes with which he began the cross were of a breed which bore very coarse wool ; only eleven or nine years are required if he em- ploys breeds which already have a degree of fineness. At the end of this time, he doubtless enjoys a profit ; i)ut ins stuck 'S not yet become very valuable, because the price of the mixed breed is much below that of merinos. He is obliged, duraig that time, to renew his rams two or three times, for which lie must \\ày dear, if he is at a distance from full-blooded Hocks. — A more lucrative method would be, to form a progressive es- tablishment, that should enable him to take his rams from his own stock, and to form gradually an entire tiock of merinos. — This method, of which I am about to speak, has been perfect- ly well explained by Mr. Morel de Vindé, a correspondent of the Institute, in a tract upon the means of rendering general in France iiocks of merinos. The operation is as follows. Suppose a farmer has three hundred ews of a common breed ; let him buy, in order to cross them, a suîhcient number of merino rams, and at the same time some females of that fine breed, suppose twelve or eight or even four. The capital re- quired for this latter purchase will not exceed the price of the rams which he would be obliged to ])rocure, in order to keep up his stock, if he foUou ed the above described method of simply crossing the breed. By employing the mode here re- commended, his flock, during the first years will be composed of two classes, 1. of male and female merinos, produced by the full-blooded rams and ews ; 2 of males and females of a mixed breed, issued from the union of merino and common sheep. His first care must be, without fail, to castrate all the males of a mixed breed, in order to sell them as wethers; he must for some time keep the females of the common and mixed breeds, and get rid of them gradually, beginning with the com- mon breed and the mixed breed of the first degree, in propor- tion to the increase of the full-blooded breed. From among the rams pi-oduccd by the full-blooded ewes and a full blooded ram, let him choose the finest for covering, and dispose of the rest, either by selling them in the state of rams, or by making wethers of them. When the number of his female merinos amounts to three hundred, there is no longer to be found in his flock any slieep of a mixed breed In order to ol>tain this result, eleven years will be requisite, if the proprietor begins with twelve merino sheep; twelve, if ) be refoi'med each year. S o EXPLANATION OF THIS TABLE s I s 1. The reforms, the sale of the lambs, S and the amount of the flock at the end of ^ each year, are easy to be found ; because t, all that is necessary is to cast one's eye S on the respective columns. ^ 12. A s to the amount of the flock at the «j end of each year, it is composed in the S following manner : of the lambs of the ^ present year ; of the thaives ; of the ewes v> l,44t>.| of three years old and upwards. Exam- S 1,616. 900 910. 1,07 1,218. 1,631. 2,077. pie, taken at the end of the ninth year : ^ 2,077 animals ; viz. 10 lambs of the 5th. s degree; 168 lambs of the 4th; moreover, S 40 thaives of the same; 12 ewes three years ^ old of the same degree. For the 3d. 392 S lambs; moreover, 164 thaives; IS-S ewes V three years old ; 76 four years old ; 32 ^ five years old ; deducting 20 reformed. — S For the 2d. degree, 258 lambs ; moreover S 154 thaives ; 160 ewes three years old ; JJ 160, four years old ; 150, five }ears old ; S 126, six} ears old ; deducting 82 reformed. S The whole stock of the first degree ^ being extinct, it cannot here be taken S into account. ? S ■^ TABLE shervifio" the Propagation of a flock of 500 Exves of a common race, crossed by Spafiish JRams, during nine years, supposing one fifth of the Exves to be reformed each year, and deduction being made each year of a fifth of the Lambs for losses and accidents. AMOUNTS 3 S ! ^ I 3 1 100. 200. 90 155. 102 204. 121 226. 131 262. 278 236. 148 297. 175 368. 1,145 1,93b. EXPLANATIOTSr OP THIS TABLE. 900 910. 1,073. 1,219. 1,446 1,616. 1,218. 1,631. 2,077. 1. Tlic reforms, the sale of the lambs, S and the amount of the flock at the end of j each year, are easy to lie foiintl ; because t, all tliat is necessary is to cast one's eye S on the respective columns. ? 2. As to the amount of the flock at the », end of each year, it is composed in the S following manner : of the lambs of the ^ present year ; of the thaives ; of the ewes s of three ycais old and upwards. Exam- S pie, taken at the end of the ninth year : ^ 2,077 animals ; viz. 10 lambs of the 5th. s degree; 16« laml)s of the4th; moreover, J» 40thaivesofthesamc; 12ewesthreeyears The whole stock of the first degree îj being extinct, it cannot here be taken S into account. S \ [15] with ten ; thirteen, if with eight; fourteen, if with six; and fifteen, if with four. In case a great mortality should prevail and carry oft a large number of full-blooded ewes, which rarely happens in flocks that are well attended, it will be necessary to wait one or two years more, to complete the number of three hundred ewes. We have frequently advised the purchasers of merino rams, when they came for them from a great distance, to take also some ewes of the same race, in order to enable themselves to recruit from their own flocks, and thus to be spared from the trouble of journeys lor the purpose of replenishing their stock ; this was but anticipating the useful views of Mr. Mord de Vindé. By following this method of imjirovement, one may obtain, with a small capital, a very valuable flock and with no gi-eater pains than would be required for one of a different race ; it will be handsome, productive and healthy, in proportion to the care taken by the proprietor to feed and tend it properly and to choose for covering the finest and healthiest rams. It may perhaps be asked how it is possible accurately to distinguish the diflerent generations. Nothing is more easy, if such marks be made use of as cannot be obliterated. For instance : The ordinary sheep, without any mark. The first generation, a hole in the right ear. Second generation, a hole in the left ear. Third generation, a hole in each ear. Fourth generation, without any mark ; for, by that time, all the ordinary s'neep have disappeared. Fifth generation, a hole in the right ear : there are none of the first generation remaining. Sixth generation, a hole in the left ear; none of the second generation remain. Seventh generation, a hole in each ear ; none of the third generation remain. Eighth generation, without any mark; none of the fourth generation remain : and so on for any number of generations. Instead of holes, slits may be made in the ears, and varied in ditferf^nt ways ; the holes are made with a punch. What- ever mark is employed, it ought to be made soon after the birth of the lambs, that no doubt may exist of the dams to which they belong. 116} It is to be wished that farmers who are able to purchase a few merino rams and evvcs would prefer flocks of the nature we have just described to those in which the common breed is merely crossed ; and too much cannot be said to persuade them to apply, for merino rams and ewes, to the establishments formed by the government, or to individuals whose flocks are known to be of a very pure blood. Their success depends upon this precaution. Fnll-hlooded Flocks. A flock of sheep composed entirely of the full-blooded race is a stock far more valuable than one of either of the kinds above described ; whenever such a one can be procured, it ought to be done without hesitation. The abundance and quality of the wool, and the intrinsic value of the animals, whatever be the dimunit!{m of their price, are powerful and encouraging mo- tives : in no way can money be more advantageously vested, provided the flock be well taken care of by its owner, or com- mitted to the charge of some honest and attentive farmer who will not neglect it. The circumstances in which France has been placed, have singularly favoured this species of establishment. The desire of proprietors of land to augment their fortune or to repair its losses, the dimunition of the interest of money, the low price of corn for several years past, lastly the high price of merinos re- sulting from a general sense of the advantages which they af- ford, idl these things have excited a desire to have flocks of this breed and to prolit by their means. That has taken place which always takes place when a branch of industry prospers ; on perceiving the gains resulting from the sale of merinos, rich merchants, and associations ot ]irivate individuals, sent agents into Spain, to bring thence nne-wooled sheep into France. Tlie choice made by these agents v^^as rarely sueh as it ought to have been ; instead ot making their {mrchases from the flocks distinguished by the beauty of their race and the fineness of their wool, they had re- ftourse, for the most })art to smuggling traders who furnished them with animals of an inferior breed : it would however have been very difiicult to procure these aiiiruals in any other way as the great proprietors of flocks in Spain would not sell, for exportation, aîiy of their spare shccj), and as tlie laws of the country prohibiting them from being sent abroad were very strictly executed. Befoi-e explaining tii<^ disadvantages of these furtive acquisitions, I sirall merition the diiVcrcnt kinds of sheep [17] found in Spain, and of the migration of those which twice a year change tlieir pastures ; these notices may perhaps be useful to undeceive those who think that the sheep which come from that kmgdom are ail of the same quaUty. There are in Sfmin two principal kinds of sheep, Trans- humantes * and Estantes : the Transhumantes are divided into the races of Leon, Segovia and of Soria : the Estantes are so called because they do not migrate ; a [lart of them contain a mixture of the blood of the transhumante, and consequently have fine wool ; the rest are a base breed and carry coarse wool ; these latter are called Churras. The trans, humantes pass the summer in the northern mountains and in winter return to the plains of the south. On a map of Sjiain may be traced the routes followed by the sheep which migrate. The leonese breeds, of which is com- posed the Cavagne (great flock) of Negrete, which is the most distinguished, after having been stationed during the winter near Merida in the province of Estremadura, on the left bank of the Guadiana, begin their march about the 15th of April, in divisions of from two to three thousand, they pass the Tagus at Almarez, and direct their course to Villa Castin, Trescasas, Alfaro, I'Espinar and other esquileos (houses for shearing), to be there shorn. After this operation is performed, each division sets forward towards the kingdom of Leon, to be distributed, in flocks of five hundred, among the pastures of bervera, near Aquilar del Campo. In this march, the flocks follow each other without any confusion ; some remain upon the Sierra, a mountain which separates old from new Castile. The Sorian breeds remain during winter on the confines of Estramadura, of Andalusia and of New Castile. These flocks begin to move about the end of April, pass the Tagus at Tala- vera de la Reyna and at Puente del Azobispo, and proceed towards Madrid ; thence they go to Soria, from which place a part enter the neighbouring mountains, and the rest cross the Ebro, to reach the pastui'es of Navarre and of the Pyrenees. The most esteemed of the estante breeds remain on the sides of the passes of Guadararna and Somo Sierra, and in the environs of the esquileos which are near Segovia. Of all the breeds of sheep, those of Leon are without doubt superior to the rest, in shape, and in the quantity and quality of * This word, without doubt, is derived from trans and hunms ; and signifies, what leaves one tract of country to go to another. c' [18] their wool ; and among these breeds of Leon certain shades of dii'terence are found wiiich give to some a superiority over the others. The difference is very sensible between the leonese and sorian breeds, although the proprietors of the latter are careful to take their rams from the former. The price of sorian is always a. third or a fourth below that of the leonese wool ; it has even been remarked that the sale of the sorian wool has diminished since the mixed breeds have been multiplied in France ; our best wool from the^e breeds greatly resembles the sorian wool. I am indebted for these details to Mr. Poyféré de Cere, whd has iHii"sued his inquiries in Spain with equal zeal and intelligence. From what has been said, it plainly appears how much a person who wishes to form a flock of the finest kind ought to be on his guard against those who sell sheep imported from Spain as being of the highest breed. It is from the races of Leon, either by immediate importa- tions or by propagation from those importations, that the animals have been drawn which compose the establishments of the Governmint ; viz. that of Rambouillet, of Malmaison (Seine- et Oise,) of Perpignan (Pyrenecs-orientales,) of Aries (Bouches- du Rhone,) of Saint- Genet-Cham pagnelle near Clermont- Ferrand (Puy de Dome,) of Saint-Georges-de-Ronains near Villefranche (Rhone,) of Obcr-Emmuel near Freves (Sarre,) of chateau de Palan near Aix-Ui- Chapelle (Roer,) of chateau de Clermont near Nantes (Loire inférieure,) of Cere near Mont de- Marsan (Landes). This circumstance alone, if tlierc were no other motive, ought to inspire the public with full confidence injthese establish- ments and in the animals which are there purchased. The same thing may be said of those which belong to individuals who have been careful to form their flocks of none but linc- wooled sheep which they have jirocured cither from the best Spanish flooks or from the establishments belonging to Govern- ment, and which consequently may be safely depended upon. All that have been smuggled into the country, have been procured from either th(; estante breeds, or from the sorian race, at the time when the flocks were in Navarre, and as near as possible to France. Any one may easily be convinced of this, if he ^viil reHect upon tiie uncertainty which there was of suc- Qess after penetrating farther into Spain, the difficulties attending i [19] the purchase of them, the almost insurmomitablc obstacles which would have been presented by the revenue oiiiccrs, ^nd the price which it would have been necessary to pa\ for the animals. Besides having been taken from inferior breeds they have been driven by forced journeys, not only during the pas- sage through the Pyrenees, but even after entering the Frontiers of France, with a view of increasing the profits and diminishing the expence. On their way they have been scarcely allowed time to take suflicient nourishment ; a part of them have died the first and second years, and the remainder have had nothing but abortions ; it is only by culling out individuals, by excellent and abundant food, and by purchasing fine rams in the flocks of the breed of Leon, that French proprietors who had procured sorian or estante sheep, have at length become able to offer handsome flocks to public view. It appears from the above remarks, that all sheep which come from Spain are not of the same quality. At «ome future period perhaps in France these different breeds, after having intermingled and after undergoing some changes from the mode of treating them, may form a distinct and peculiar race which may in some sort be considered as national. My only- object, in what I have now said, is to shew that two different breeds of merinos are found in Spain, and have thence been exported, and that one of these is preferable to the other. The error therefore which is run into when a flock is formed of sorian or estante sheep, is in some measure reparable. T!iey may be meliorated, as I have said, bj' rams of the best breed ; but this will not be the case if rams of a mixed breed be em- jjloyed : however ]iure the females may be to which they are aUied, a degeneration is justly to be feared. When we reflect on the fault of those who, f)y chance or through a mistaken economy, buy shcc)) from flocks originally ill composed, without examination or inquiry, we can only pity them and regret their want of care. I have dwelled upon this matter, on account of its great importance and because of the retardment whish is in this way generally given to the improvement of the breeds : I thought that it would be rendering a service to agriculturalists to give them all the light possible on this subject. A flock of merinos, to be in full perfection, should be com- posed of rams and ewes of from three to five years old ; this is the age at which tliey are chosen when they are bought in Spain : if taken younger^ they would with difiticulty perform the [ 20 3 journey ; at a more advanced age, the advantages resulting iroin tnem would not be surhciently lasting to detray the expences incurred. At the sales made from the diiïerent esta- blishments belonging to government, many purcha^ers reject the old ewes ; while others perfcr them, because their wool is finer ; they are more likely to produce line lambs ; they are better mothers. The young rams are prelered to the old, because they have more vigour. In both sexes the power of propagating commences before the age of three years, and con- tinues a long time. If the ability to breed began late and continued but a short time, the profits of the proprietor would be too trifling. It is difficult to purchase a sufficient number of sheep of the proper age when one is forming a flock. Neither the Spaniards nor the proprietors of merinos in France sell them so well sorted. If they did so, they would injure their stock, and would have remaining none but inferior animals of which they could never dispose. For the most part, the old ewes alone are oft'ered for sale. Some persons are in the habit of dividing the ages, and of offering to purchasers a fifth or a fourth constisting of animals of the second year, and of other ages, up to six years ; in this w ay an equality is maintained in their flocks, and they never have more than a small number of old sheep. There is no country in Europe in which the merinos do not succeed. They have been tried in all parts of France, in the south, in the north, in the east and in the west, in the plains, in the vailles, on the hills, even on lofty mountains, near the sea, in situations exposed to all the violence of the winds, and in such as are sheltered from them.* Nowhere, if properly attend- ed to, do they softer or degenerate ; some have even been known to preserve their form and their original characteristicks, after having been purposely abandoned in islands during several years. We cannot have among us flocks as large as those which they have in Spain, except in places whei'c there are extensive pastures. We already possess a great number of merinos divided into man}- small flocks, and we shall in time possess still more. They are most easily reared in well cultivated grounds, because food for their support may be there procured at all times. * The local situations of several establishments belonging to govern- ment afford examples. Those of Perpignan, Arles and Mont-de-Marson are in the South ; those of Treves and Aix-la-Chapelle, in the north ; that of Clermont is near Puj^-de-Dome, and in an elevated country ; that of Nantes is not far from the sea and on an eminence, &c. The Rocks in these establishments do veiy well. [213 Generally speaking, wherever common sheep can be kept, merinos may be kept equally well ; and instead of a Hock which is worth but little, the advantage is obtained of possessing one which is very valuable. Sheep of a small size should be prefered where the pastures are scanty, the soil dry, and fodder scarce; or a smaller num- ber should be kept. In hilly grounds, or such as, though level, are dry, chalky, or sandy, there is no doubt of their success, provided they can find sufficient nourishment. When the land is divided into hills and vailles, they ought to do still better because they may be led to ditïerent parts accord- ing to the weather or the season. Very wet lands, in which common sheep die with the rot, or are fattened and changed yearly, do not answer for merinos. — Yet it may be remarked that the sheep-grounds of Rambouillet are of a clayey soil, that there are woods, ponds and other pieces of water, and that the animals are consequently exposed to fogs and moistui'e ; some few spots only are higher than the general level ; but constant care and attention and good nourishment during the winter, have vanquished the natural disadvantages of the situation. In cases of this natiu'e, the water must be drained off, and meadows formed, capable of affording abundant food to the flocks ; when well fed, they are less subject to the rot. There is a very numerous description of men, to be met with particularly among farmers, who reject without examination or reflection whatever is new, or not known to them, or announced by persons who have never followed the plough. Distrust is not in itself blamcable, it is frequently a safeguard ; but it ought not to be carrried too far. Many objections were at tirst made to the introduction of merinos into France, which objections are now all done away, and these animals have alrcady-lieen propa- gated there very extensively ; for the force of truth has prevail- ed, and the advantages which they have been proved to afford have opened the eyes of many proprietors of Hocks, who at first confidently maintained that they could not succeed. I will mention but two of these objections. It was said that they would degenerate ; because they would no longer enjoy the food and climate of Spain, and because it was supposed neces- sary to remove then yearly from place to place. This opinion is unfounded ; an experience of twenty three years, afforded {t2 ] by the establishment of Rambouillet, proves that in France the merino wool preserves all its fineness, tliat jts Itngth is increas- ed, and that the fleeces are larger ; they live very \\ ell u})on the grasses produced by the soil of France ; their health does not require that they should romove from place to place ; in Si^aiii they migrate like some species of birds, for the purpose of iiiid- ing something to live upon ; in summer they would die of hunger in the parched plains, and in winter it would be in^pos- sible for them to live upon the mountains covered with snow. It is therefore through necessity that they remove from place to place; being in this way plentifully fed, they acquire a hcalth- lulness which has an effect upon their wool ; but if well fed with- out travelling, the effect is the same. They accomodate them- selves with great facility to a new climate ; the race, and not the country whence it comes, is the onl}' thing to be considered. — It remains the same in whatever part of the globe it is trans- ported. The young of the first imported merinos resembled their parents ; and the successive generations have not differed from each other : it is proved that, unless it be adulterated, this race will continue the same as when first brought from Spain. Many instances might be produced ; it will be sufficient to mention that the Rambouillet flock, imported in 1786, has, in twenty three years, lost none of the qualities which it had on its arrival from Spain. The wool is equally fine ;* the form of the animal is well preserved, una has become more marked than it was : the size is augmented ; tlie fleeces are heavier, and the animal is more fleshy. The merinos, instead of dege- nerating, are rather improved ; which is not surprising, upon the principle that animals thrive as they proceed northward. — ' The care of laner of lambs which they can jiroduce in the course of the year ; it is usual for them not to seperate all the rams from the ewes at the close of the rut, but to keep one at least among them, that those which are late in heat may take him at the end of the season. The lambs which are produced by these last copulations, and which in French arc called ta)'do7is or tardill- OJ75, arc easily reared, if care be taken of them and of their mothers ; only they should not be permitted to propagate * As in countries where they are nourished dui-ing the winter almost eutii'ely with corn in sheuvis. [40] within a year after the usual time ; all depends upon the im- portance which IS attached to the multiplication oi lambs. in in Many farmers leave their rams the whole year round i the midst of their ewes; for the rams being no more i.. number than are necessary for covering, they think it too expensive to keep them separate. The consequence is that, the heat of the females being excited by the presence of the males, lambs are produced at almost all seasons : it would be better if the rams, after having been a sufficient time with the ewes, could be put in a Hock of wethers. It \^ ould perhaps not be a bad speculation to establish in some part of the country a sort of boarding place, at which, for a reasonable price, rams might be received and taken care oi during the time they arc not used. The clioice of covering rams is a matter of importance ; I have shown how mucii inlluence they have upon the young breed. — The best may be distinguished by the following marks. A line merino ram has a very lively eye, a regular and free gait, short cars, rough horns, a broad nape, short neck, round shoulders, a broad chest, full buttocks, large testicles long and pendent, fine wool, tufted, abundant, and homogeneous, that is, nearly the same upon all parts of the body. A large size is desirable ; yet a ram that is not so tall, but stout and well made, is preferable to one that has only height. Goodness of make is the quality most to be desired. The sounrlness of the animal's health may be ascertained by examining the veins of the eye near the lachrymal glands. In full health, these veins are of a. clear red ; this sign however, is not always to be depended upon. One may be more assured of the rams not being sick, if he does not shrink when the hand is pressed hard upon his rump, or if he struggles vigorously when held by one of his hind legs. The vermilion colour of the gums, tiie lips not being relaxed, the adhesion of the wool to the skin, are also indications of health. The ram is able, at a year old, to engender; but it is better to wait until he is three, or at least two years old : if strong and healthy, he may be employed eight or ten years An ewe, to be good, should have a large body, round but tocks, a broad back, a large bag, long teats, thin legs, a thick tail, fine wool, and, in short, should as nearly as possible possess the properties which distinguish a fine ram. She might be impregnated while yet a lamb; but good management requires that '^iie be not suftcred to takr fhc rain bf^fore the age of [413 three years, or at least of two, provided she has been well reared and is vigorous. It has been observed that old ewes yield the finest lambs and are the best nurses. Every other manner of employing male and female merinos in propagation, is contrary to the laws of animal economy and to the meUoration of the breed. The qualities which I have just mentioned are not to be found in all the rams nor in all the ewes of a lull-blooded tlock. — As very few rams are wanted, it is easy te select the best. As to ewes, it is not so necessary that they should be of the first rate, in order to yield fine lambs ; it is suihcient to give them well chosen rams of their own race, and that their wool be fine. — Some ewes have very fine lambs, at one time, and such as are inferior, at another : but these are exceptions which do not militate against the general rule that t:ie finest individuals in each sex should be chosen for propagation. Vigour, in both, is of much importance : by unremitted attention to these things, a fine breed may constantly be kept up. A ram deficient in one testicle and an ewe with but one teat, would be as capable of generating as those which are perfect in those parts: yet, in order to avoid all risque, it would be better to prevent them from copulating. Rams with both testicles entire have been found incapa!)le of generating, with- out any apparent cause of this incapacity ; these instances are extremely rare. Some blemishes in the mothers are not communicated to their young ; an ewe that has bnt one eye, especially if this has been caused by disease or accident, produces a lamb with two perfect eyes : the same thing happens in the case of a lame ewe. It would be wrong to reject them. Some lambs huv^e reddish, others have black spots : the former disappear as the wool grows ; the black are more durable, they appear to be in felie skin. Some are entirely black, or rather of soot colour, although their parents were not so. In the course of twenty years, this has happened five times at Rambouillet, although the fiock has never had communication with any other; being kept separate, in a park surrounded by walls, where no strange beast is suffered to enter. The ewes which were of that colour jiroduced lambs quite white. To what can this extraordinary circumstance be attributed! I am at a loss to determine: the general unwillingness, however ,to purchase animals thus stained cannot be blamed: it is better to err on the side of caution than of negligence. Caution has been carried so far as to reject F [ 42} rams which have black marks upon their tongues and in their muutUs, which often happens. However antient the opinion may be, that they produce black himbs, I am not the less inchned thmk it iU founded : Gilbert has proved the contrary. When the ewes of a flock begin to be in heat, while the number of those which in that stiite is small, only a part of the rams should be put among them ; more should be added as the heat of the ewes increases, and they should be removed gradually as it diminishes. A single ram is able to impregnate a considerable number of lemales, in a short time. Instances are nicntioned which can hardly be believed. One should not however trust to this possibihty. In France, one ram is commonly allowed for fifty ewes: The Spaniards go as far as four to a hundred.—' By putting three to a hundred females, as I do in my flock, the rams are not worn down, they last a long while, and fine lambs are obtained from them. Some proprietors, through all the rutting season, leave the fams and the ewes together only during the night, and separate them in the morning : this management implies that the heat of the ewes is less in the day than at night, which is by no xneans certain : by adopting it, there is danger that this heat may cease or be diminished. It is excited by the constant presence of the rams ; who take advantage of it at the most favourable moment. Others divide into two equal parts the v^hole number of rams destined to serve, and empioy at first only one half, which tb.ey withdraw at the end of some days, and supply their place by the other half ; when these have remained the same length of time, they are taken away, and succeeded by the former half, and thus alternately. By this method, the rams have intervals of rest which renew their vigour. Another advantage results from it, which is that they are less apt to fight with each other ; it is known that their battles sometimes occasion losses even among the ewes when they chance to get between two angiy rams. Besides, when they are very numerous, some through jealousy, overthrow others while in the act of cop- ulation, which they thus render fruitless. Inmost counh'ies, it is usual to give the rams, sometime before the covering season, a more tlian ordinaiy quantity of food, an(l to continue it two or three week? afterwards, in order to strengthen them and repair their waste. This pre- [43] caution is useless^ if they be constantly supplied with sufficient nourishment. Daring the rutting seasons, a separate flock should be formed of tiie young females vvmch are intended to be kept fromtiie male until they are mjre tit to receive him. In order to save ex- pense, tvvo neighbouring farmers miglit agree to keep tiieif young females togetncr during tlie season. If any young females are found pregnant, their lambs should be taken from tiiera as soon as dropped, and put to their ottier ewes or to goats, or fed with cow's milk. Experience has prov- ed that, as gestation causes less fatigue than nursing, those fema- les vvhieli have been impregnated too young are not at all stunted inthviir growth, if their lambs be taken from them as soon u§ dropped. Of Gestation and Yeaning. It is commonly supposed that the ewe carries her young five, months, or a hundred and fifty days ; this is not always the case, some lambs are dropped earlier and others later. I have ob- served in my flock, that when the rams had been with the ewes from the first of July to the first of September, more than a tenth of the lainbs were dropped before the end of December: the first lamb was born on the 25th of November, th it is to say on the hundred and fourty seventh day; all the other ewes, four excepted, brought forth their young in the month of December which proves that they were in good health when they took the ram. It is said that the time is in some instances extended to a hundred and sixty days. In order to know precisely the two extremes and the true average time of gestation, accurate exoeriments would be necessary, which are not easy to be made, on account of the great number of females in a flock, and because a ram may cover the same ewe more than once. All the ewes in a flock do not conceive, and many miscarry. In fl )cks which are well kept and well tended, the number of lambs about equals that of the ewes which have taken the ram, because there are twin births more than enough to com- pensate for the abortions and the lambs which die. I know one flock in which, during five years, a clear average of fiv^e hundred and seventeen lambs has been obtained from four hun- dred and thirty eight ewes. It sometimes happens that, not- withstinrling every care, there is a certain number of ewes which do not bear young : in a flock, belonging to a person in the neighbourhood of Paris, consisting of a hundred and ninety [ 44 } one eweSj nineteen had no lambs ; seven of them were old, and the other twelve young : the summer had been very rainy, and the flock had been folded in almost every kind of weather. This circumstance, the proprietor supposed, might have occa- sioned the failure. Abortion may be occasioned by several different causes ; some of w hich are natural and others accidental. The natural, W;ich seem to me never to have been taken into consideration, arc the temperament and particular constitution of the females. A vigorous female, may miscarry because the blood tends in too great quantities and with too much violence, tovi'ards the vessels of the matrix, and loosens the placenta ; one that is feeble, because she does not furnish blood enough for the sup- port of the foetus The placenta may be separated from the matrix, as iruits from trees, either when the juices are supplied too abundantly and with too much force, or when they are not aft'orded in sutFicient quantities. These two causes may be counteracted by bleeding the animal that is too strong and san- guine, or by giving it less food, and by strengthening the one that is of a contrary habit. Several accidental causes produce abortion. The following are the principal : acute or chronic diseases ; a forced or long journey ; violent or sudden movements ; food, in too great or in too small quantities or that is spoiled ; bad weather ; blows U]3on the belly, the sides or the reins ; certain herbs which af- fect the matrix ; fright ; a sheep-house whose doors are narrow and whose posts are sharp-cornered. The mere detail of these causes, shows that they may almost all be avoided ; and is suf- ficient to indicate the precautions which should be employed. I shall say nothing concerning the influence which some authors have supposed the imaginations of pregnant ewes to have upon their young. I will not do so much injustice to the good sense of my readers as to suspect that they can regTet my passing this subject over in silence. It is advisable to give an extraordinary quantity of food to the pregnant ewes a month or t\vo before they yean, that the foetus may be enabled then to grow rapidly without injuring the health of the mother. About yeaning time, those which are great with young should be separated, during the night, from the others ; they may easily bo flistinguished by the state of their bellies and of their udders: the best pastures should be for the pregnant ewes. [45] When a female is neai* bringing forth, the natural parts swelï^ watery humours tlow from the orifice of the womb, and the udtier is tilled with milk. These symptoms, which are faint at hrst, become stronger as the time of yeaning approaches ; then, if the season be severe, the creatures should be kept housed. The young are generally brought forth without any diffi- culty ; nature alone operates, and art is useless. Sometimes, however, on account of the position and size of the fœtus or the condition of the mother, the young are produced with great labour, and aid is requisite, according to the nature of the cii*- cumstances. See the article Shepherd. The ewes which give suck should be treated in the same man- ner as those wh'ch are in the last months of theii* pregnancy ; that is, they should be well fed, that their milk may be of a good quality and in sufficient quantii;y. Some ewes produce twins. An attentive proprietor remarks these females, with the view of retaining them a long time in his flock ; they are profitable ; they are not sooner exhausted than others, and many of them rear both their young ones very well. I have known one which lived twenty years, bore every year, and often had two lambs at a time. If the mother of twins is too weak to nurse them both, one is to be left with her, and the other killed or suckled by a cow or a goat, or by an ewe which has just lost its lamb. If an ewe has two lambs neither of which will suck any female except its mother, one of them must be fed, by means of a sucking bottle, with very thin pap made of wheat flour, water and a little cow's milk warmed, Althought twin births are not usual, yet they are by n© means ra.-e. lam confident that in a flock of three hundred and seventy one bearing ewes there have been twenty two twin births, which is more than a seventeenth. It is strange that a belief should ever have been entertained of its being improper to let lambs suck the first milk of their mothers, as being injurious ; in countries where this opinion prevails, the shepherd presses the udder with his fingers and w^astes the milk upon the ground. This is a manifest error, for it is known tliat the first milk of females of every species is always adapted to the feeble condition of their young, and that it is destined by nature to evacuate the mecojilum, that is, the excrements contained in the stomach and intestines. [46] If one attentively observes what passes in a sheep-house du ring the season of yeaning, it may be seen that the new-drop- ped iambs crowd togetlier and get into those places which are most sheltered from the cold: they are directed by nature alone ; lambs have often died in sheep houses, for want of sufficient warmth. A stdl greater number would have perished, if the ewes had dropped them in the open air or only under sheds. — The stronger ones might have survived, but the weaker would have died ; in a better stituation and with more care, they would have been reared and have thriven, thus increasing the profits of che proprietor, who gains in proportion to the number of lambs which he has. These remarks serve to shew that the houses for sheep , if they yean in winter, should be of a mild temperature ; without, however, being very warm; so that they may be compatible with the health both of the ewes and of their lambs. When treating of houses for sheep. I shall explain the manner in which they ought to be constructed in order to obtain this end. If ewes arc milked while they give suck, it is done at the expense of the lambs ; they are dei)rived of a part of the milk which belongs to them, by which they suffer much injury. This practice, which prevails in the south, where none but sheep's and goat's milk is used, seems there to hinder the propagation of merinos; the evil, however, may be counteracted by giving more food to the ewes, by not beginning to milk them until they have given suck three or four months, by not continuing more than tlirec months to take their milk, and by ceasing to do so as soon as they are in heat. Some lambs will eat at the age of three weeks. While their dams are in the fields, food should be given to them, suited to their tender ag'e and to the condition of their teeth, such as grain pounded or ground, and tender grass. That tlicy may gain strength, they should, from time to time, be let ont near the house, during the day, when the weather is fine. Their gambols in the open air give them an appetite and make their limbs grow. The proprietors of large flocks do well in keepijig apart, for some time after the season of yeaning, the young females which have not b<^rne. The young lambs, by sucking them insteid of their mothers, would fatigue them and prevent them from growing. In general, if one can afford theexpense, it is bet- f 47 ] ter to have a shepherd extraordinary, to tend dimng the whole year the ewes-lambs and thaives. Of Weaning. If the himbs were suddenly weaned, there would be a risque •f causing a dangerous disease among the mothers, from a repletion of their udders ; and the lambs tiiemselves would sutler much from the sudden privation of a nourishment which they are fond of and to which they are accustomed ; it is therefore necessary that the v^ caning, for the sake of both the mothers and their young ones, be performed gradually. At first, the lambs should not be suffered to suck during the whole day and the whole night ; then, the)' should be indulged during the night only ; then, they should be separated from their mothers at night, and i)ut with them only once or twice in the eourse of t le day ; and, at lengti', they should be separated from them altogetiier : they forget each other, and the milk dries away insensibly. When the lambs are dropped late, that is, near the season in which the grass appears in the fields, they may be weaned at the age of two months; if they come early, in December or January, for instance, the weaning should be deferred. In this case, it should not be before they are four or five months old, according to their strength and the abundance of food which thsy can find in the pastures. As they are not all dropped at the same time, more than a month sometimes elapsing between the first and last, it is necess-ary to wean them successively. If the male lambs were to remain with their dams and with female lambs after they are able to generate, which happens at the age of five or six months, there would be a risque of the young females getting with lamb ; their products would be but very feeble ; the 3'oung rams would enervate themselves ; and the voung females would no longer be of service. By separa- ting them betimes, all these disadvantages are avoided. Of DocJdng. It was not customary in France to dock sheep ; but since the introduction of merinos this pratice has been adopted, -in imitation of the Spaniards, by the proprietors of flocks of that race. Sev'eral considerations render it adviseable : 1. in many countries, at certain seasons, sheep that live upon young grass are subject to a lax, by which their tails become very foul, and in their turn dirty tiie wool on the thighs ; 2. soft earth would also adhere to them ; 3. the udder of the females, distended by [48] the milk when they give suck> would become tender and painful if struck by a tail loaded witli dirt. It has been said that cutting off the tail strengthens the reins; tor the tiuth of which assertion I will not vouch. Ewes upon whom ti)is operation has been performed while young, take the niale better, and lamb without getting the umbilical cord entangled : these reasons are suhicient to recommend this practice. The tails of lambs should be cut off at the age of one or two months. The shepherd takes them one after another between his legs ; with his knife he cuts the tail off at three or lour inches from its origin : it would be dangerous to cut nearer, as lambs have sometimes died in consequence of it. li tlie parts of females were too much uncovered, certain species of tiies might deposit tlieir eggs there, and breed worms, as I have myself remarked. When the operation is performed, the animal is let loose without any application upon the wound, which bleeds a little and quickly heals up. Of Castration. Before the multiplication of merinos, it was not usual to castrate a male lamb on account of any defect, he was employ- ed like others in generating ; since the number has increased, the proprietors of line flocks castrate only those lambs which are unpromising, or for which they do not expect to get a reasonable price. It has already become an object of specula- tion to form flocks of full blooded merino wethers : they are bought during the first or second year of their age ; they may be fed at less expence than ewes ; they are kept four or five years for the sake of their manure and of their fleeces, which are very heavy ; with a trifling expense, they may be fattened and sold for nearly as much as their original cost. Proprietors or farmers whose grounds are too wet to admit of rearing lambs, would find it advantageous to procure merino wcthei-s, and to sell them as soon as fat. At some future day the markets will be filled by them, as they have hitherto been by common weth- ers : they arc already to be seen there in considerable numbers. Rams may be castrated at any age ; if they be castiated while lambs, it shouhl he done from three weeks old to six months : the sooner this operation is performed, the less they suffer and the less is the risque of losing them. It should be done before they are .weaned ; the milk of their mothers serves both to nourish them and to assuage their pain. They are commonly castrated at the age of three weeks or a month^ when the testicles have descended into the scrotum. [49] The best method of castrating is, entirely to take away the testicles. An incision is made in the lower part ot the scrotum ; the testicles are separately drawn out ; the operator seizes them one after tlie other in his teeth, and bites them off ; and he twists the cord, which yields and may be drawn with ease. — Some people rub the scrotum afterwards with hog's lard ; others merely close the wound. The flesh of an animal deprived of these organs, before they have served for the secretion of seed, is very hne and delicate. This method would not answer for rams of three or four years old ; they could hardly endure it. They must be twisted or ivJiippecL* The first of these two opei'atioivs consists in seizing the testicles and twisting them so hard as to render them incapable of secreting the seminal liquor. As they are .supposed to be twisted twice I'ound, the operation is in French called hislourner. The testicles are made to ascend ; a tie is made below them, to prevent them from descending, and at the end of few days the ligature is removed. The seconut his tlock, which was at Montbait, in stables, where they were guarrled from the cold. His opinion however, so great is the influence of a man of merit, was the occasion of sheep-houses being neglected when tiie establishment of Rambouilet was formed : but the tlock had scarcely arrived from Sj)ain before the fault \^ as perceived. It was found necessary, at the entreaty of the Spanish shepherds themselves who had conducted the flock, to put the ciinnuds in barns or other places of shelter. Houses have within two years been erected. They are of no use for sheep that migrate, which, living always in a temperate climate, seldom suffer from cold, and in summer are prevented from feeling the heats of that season by the elevation of t!ie mountains on which they feed. The case is different with those which remain in one place the whole year round, and are consequently exposed to the vicis- situdes of cold, rain and heat. These require some places of shelter, that is to say. sheep-houses. So that the question which, through the influence of Daiibaiton's opinion, remained some time undecided, appears to me to be no longer dubious. — This however has been ascertained with certainty, that low, narrow houses, almost hermetically closed, of which so many are to be found, are injurious to the health of sheep; and that in this, as in every thing else, extremes should be avoided. It is immaterial whether the walls of a sheep-house be made of stone, of mud, of reeds or of wood ; every one may employ such materials as can be most conveniently procured, or which are least costly or most durable. In some parts of the country, it is usual to make the roofs too low, the air passes over the building without going through it: houses of this construction are not wholesome. A sheep-house, to be good, must be stituated upon a dry soil, secure against rain and sno\t, sufliciently extensive and high to permit the air within to bei frequently clumged, and provi- ded with means of rendering it temperate. t 53] It is not always easy to find a dry soil ; hut it may be ren- dered so by taking the clay or njould li'om tlie surface^ and putting, in its stead, gravel, sand or iron dross. The extent of a house must be accomodated to the number and kind of sheep which arc to be pkiced there : the one designed for ewes that are mothers must be larger, on account of their lambs, than that for large-horned rams; and this latter, larger than the one for wethers which have only small horns, and ewes that bear no lambs. A still smaller space is sufficient, if only young laml)s are to be housed : what is most essentia! is, that all the sheep be able to rest there, eat all at one time, and move about with ease. The dimensions of a sheep house should be so calculated as to allow 10 square feet for an ewe and her lamb ; 8 feet for a ram or a wether, or an ewe that has no lamb, and 6 feet for a lamb ; the mean of which three measures is 8 square feet. The height must not be below 12 feet, provided much dung- be not suffered to accumulate, otherwise the height should be 16 feet to the ceilins'. •»• Ceilings in a sheep house are convenient for holding fodder and grain for the sheep. The fodder is put into the racks through holes made at intervals above ; and the grain, through hoppers ; so that the trouble and loss of frequent transportation are avoided. Houses which have only walls and a roof, and those which are made of ill-joined boards, have no need of windows ; in one case, the doors, and in the other, the interstices between the boards, are sufficient to admit a drauglit of air. But those which are ceiled must ahsolutely have windows ; which should be made on every side, if the house stands detached from other buildings ; so that they may be opened or shut on diftcrent sides, according to the weather and the season. Some people advise small apertures to be made in the lower part of the walls, to serve as ventilators. This preeausion cannot but be useful : it clears awav from the bottom o^"the stables those noxious vapours which would injure the health of the sheep. The windows may be made of any size ; if they be made small, their number must bè increasîvî. Tîie manner of stopping them, when necî^ssarv, is very simple : a bunch of straw is suflicient. In winter, the north and the east windows must be closed, and in summer those towards the west and the south, during the day ; but all should be left open during the night,if the flock be housed. [64] If, through economy, it be wished to employ a bouse already built but which is low, vents should be made in it ; and they cost but little, ifmade of pine boards or other cheap materials ; of which long trunks are to be constructed, so as to open, at one end, through the ceiling, and, at the other, through the roof of the lott above. By giving an inclination to these trunks, they may be prevented from reaching the top of the roof, and made to come out only 8 or 10 feet above the eaves. A general rule is, that upon entering a sheep-house, one should perceive neither cold, nor heat, nor a strong smell of ammoniac. It would be botter to have separate buildings for the different sheep than to admit them all under one roof, as is the case in many countries, where thcv think it sufficient to divide the building into compartments by means of wicker-work. The quantity of air spoiled by the respii-ation of a great number of animals is less easily renewed. The neighbourhood of the males and females disturbs the tranquillity of all; the rams become heated by smelling or hearing the ewes ; the young lambs, before they are completely weaned, call for their mothers a long time : these are disadvantages. At least, it is expedient to have one or two infirmaries, in which to put the sick sheep. It is a good precaution to furnish with bars of iron and with grates the stable windov\ s that look from the farm ; in this way, wolves are hindered from getting in, roguish shepherds from secretly selling and handing out Iambs, and ill-disposed persons from throwing in burningcoals,or drugs injurious to the animals. T!ie doors of the houses should be 5 feet wide, two-leaved, and cut transversely nearer the top than bottom : this breadth is not too great, because sheen always crowd one another when they enter, especially when they know that they are to be foddered. The shepher, must be beaten, chopped or pounded. Bran would be of no use if deprived entirely of meal, because it is the meal alone that nourishes. The masses or cakes that remain after the making of oil are renderd fit for use * See the Annales de l'Agriculture Française, t. XXVil, p. 5 et 272, t, XXVIII, p. 129 et 272. f 61 ] by mixing them with water and giving the mixture to the sheep to drink. Although I have mentioned many substances proper for the feeding of slieep, yet 1 may probably have omitted some ; but I have mentioned the greater number. Tnere are few countries which do not cultivate some ot them in such quantities as to afford an adequate supply. Good economy requires, m general, that each year that kind of fodder be em[)loyed which can be procured at the clieapest rate. For instance, if wheat be more abundant and cheaper than oats or pease, wheat mu^.t be given to the sheep ; where little grain is raised, but abundance of gi'ass or roots, their food must consist chietly of hay or roots. When several kinds of food can be procured, it is right to give them alternately to the sheep at different meals in the course of the same day ; the qualities of one kind aid or com- pensate those of another. At certain hours of the day, dry fodder should be given, and at others, roots or grain. If there be any danger that the roots may decay, the winter should be begun with them, mixing however some dry food with them, for alone they would not be sufficiently nutritious. It is difficult to determine accurately the proper quantity of food which should be given to a sheep ; it would be necessary, in order to form aiiv certain rule, to know how much it eats in the open fields. Diubcnton supposes the quantity so eaten to be eight pounds of grass, which, according to him, are reduced to two when dried ; but it seems improbable that an animal which bites off at once buta small portion of very short grass, although it feed during a great part of the day, can sup})ly its stomach with so great a quantity. Daiibcnton^s estimate does not appear to me to be exact. Besides, the diminution of weight wliich the grass sufters when converted into hay depends upon tlic degree of its dryness ; the grass that grows on a moist soil loses more than that of an elevated spot: atten- tion should likewise be given to the quality of dry fodder, which varies as it contains more or fewer nutritious particles. A wether, and even a ram, does not require so much food as an ewe that is with lamb or that gives suck ; the full-grown animals consume more than the young ones: nothing then can be fixed without taking some one country and one race by which to form a standard. Let us suppose a farm at 50 or 60 leagues to the south of Paris, which is aliout the centre of France: in sudh a situation, at the season when there is no more pasture, a merino ewe that is with lamb or nursing may very well be nourished within doors upon 2 pounds of hay, [ 62] together with one pound of a mixtare of grain and fine bran, or two pounds of Jemsalem-articiioices or ota^r roots ; for a portion of dried fodder and grain is equivalent to a double quantity of roots. A lamb should have but half this allowance. One pound of leaves should be reckoned no more than a half-pound of hay. Care should be taken to place in the stable sliallow tubs of water, for the sheep to drink in. If the season is very wet, and the sheep go every day to the fields, they should have no drink in the stable ; they get more than is necessary in the grass upon which they feed : when the weather is frosty or dry, they should drink in the stable, expecially if they have dry food. Tiie water which remains over night should be changed every morning. Any water seems to answer for sheep, that from ponds as well as that from rivers, or springs, or wells : the last is preferable to that of a pond in which are putrescent matters. In many countries, it is deemed necessary to give salt to sheep. It is certain that these animals, as well as many others, are fond of it : if we may judge by this natural appetite, it seems proper not to deprive them of it. Gilbert directs half an ounce per day for each individual to be given m a little oats or bran, without saying whether it should be given at all times and in every place : a greater quantity might purge them,* and even this is a large dose. They may be made to take it in various ways : it may be given without any prepara- tion ; it may be mixed with the feed ; or it may be tied in a linen cloth and suspended for the sheep to lick ; it is often dissolved in water and sprinkled upon the fodder ; a good practice, particularly if the fodder be not very relishing. Many proprietors give no salt to their flocks, f which notwithstanding, have no diseases. It may be indispensably necessary in very wet countries. \î Baiibenton may be believed, dry fodder, a long time continued, occasions sheep to waste away. Although this assertion may be doubted, it seems proper to mix, as much as possible, watery aliments with those which are dry, and to turn the sheep out to pasture as soon as the grass shoots. * Sheep have been known to be attacked by long and troublesome loosenesses in consequence of having taken too mnch salt ; which has induced the belief that sea-water is poisonous to them, while in fact it is injurious only when taken in too great quantity. j- I may instance my own, which have always been healthy, though I have ne\cr given them any salt. PLATE IL Page 63. [63] One thing cannot be too much recommended, which is, to place the huy in the racks while the sheep are out of tlie house ; by this precaution, the dust does not fall upon the fleeces. When sheep of difterent ages are housed together, the strongest place themselves first at the racks, and keep the others aw ay, which languish for want of nourishment. It is therefore adviseable to have separate stables for the full-grown sheep and for the lambs, or not to feed the latter until the old ones are gone to the fields. Description of the Machine for cutting roots, "^ PLATE II. a a. — The hopper into which the roots are thrown : the upper part of it is 2 feet 6 inches long and 2 feet wide, the lower part within is 6 inches by 7 ; and it is 2 feet high. The hind part of it rests in a notch made in the cross-piece of wood 0, which is supported by two upright pieces. On the front part are two rabbets g g, g g, which fit two grooves in the moveable piece b.fig. 1, 2, 3. Fig. 1, 2, 3. b, b, 6, — is a block which may be set farther from or nearer to the nut c,fg. 3, according to the size of the pieces into which it is intended to cut the roots ; it is fixed by means of the wedge X, fig. 1, which is driven below the frame A; k k k, into the hole z,fig. 3, nîade in the lower part. The upper part of this block is 9 inches broad, 6 inches long, and 10 inches high. It is armed, on the side towards the hopper, with two iron blades h h, fig. 3, 7 inches long, sharp, and projecting 1 inch 6 lines. Fig. 2,3, 4. c, c, c. is a nut, made of a wooden cylinder, 9 inches long, and furnished at each end, with a circle of iron v v,fig. 3 & 4; its diametor, at the extremcties, is 4 inches without taking in the thickness of the iron circle ; and, in the middle part, 6 inches. Nearly its whole length is armed with iron blades, ten iiv number. They are fixed in the wood, which is cut in ridge.^ [64] iîi such a way as to strengthen them and to prevent one side of tiicni from projecting beyond the wood more than 6 hnes, whde the other side, which is concave, lias 1 inch 6 lines clear of tiie wood. Each blade is 7 inches long; they correspond with the blades h h of the block. Through the nut iiins an iron axis of one inch square, round- ,ed in the two parts only where it rests upon the frame k k, and held at the extremity of these two parts by irons fixed by means of nuts n, n^jig 1 & 3. — At one extremity is fixed an iron crank the arm of which is 15 inches long. Its handle is of wood, and about a foot long. The hopper a, the movable block 6, and the nut c, are sup- ported by the frame kk kk which is 9 feet long and 3 feet high. The two principal pieces of this frame, which are the upper horizontal ones, are 7 inches apart from each other, that the block h and the nut c may play betwen them. A tub or a basket is placed under the frame, to catch the roots as they are cut. One man, in a few hours, can cut with this machine as much as is requisite for a large flock ; it may be rendered still more connnodious and simple. In the environs of PariSj, it costs but 72 franks. Of Folds and Folding. When sheep have passed the severe season in well-aired houses ; they may, if it be convenient, (for this transition is not necessary) be placed for some time, during the nights, under sheds that are something between houses and folds : they may there acquire hardiness sufficient to endure the fold. This name is given to an inclosure intentcd to contain a flock of sheep in the open air and without covering. Folds are of two kinds, one domestic and the other of the fields. The former is made in or near a farm-yard, and is an inclosure formed of hurdles or nets, in which the flock is placed cv(n-y night. Care is taken to cover the ground with litter. — If the weather be too rainy, the sheep are cai-ricd again to the shcep-housC; and not ]>ut in the fold until the sky becomes serene. A two fold consideration demands that attention should he. alven to folding in the fields: ii not onlv contributes to the t 65 ] Health of the flock, but it furnishes the ground with a good manure. Some persons have tliought that folds are hijurious to sheep; that they suffered much in tliem, and that the manure from the houses was better than that from the folds. The former of these assertions is true only when sufficient precau- tions are not taken. Free air is salutary for all sheep, provided they be protected from heavy and long rains, great heats and the severe cold: these things are not always attended to. Much of the discredit which has fallen upon folding is to be attributed to the laziness and negligence of many shepherds who are averse to trouble, and absent themselves at times when their piesence is requisite. In order to make the folding of sheep answer a good purpose, it should not be begun before the approach of mild weather. The tlock should be kept in the shade during the heat of the day in summer. At the approach of storms it should be put under shelter ; and the folding should be discontinued in the autumn soon enough to avoid the rains and cold. In this way, sheep may be preserved from colds, to which they are very subject, from obstinate running at the nose, anJ from several other disorders which are caused bj checked perspiration. One of the great advantages of folding, is its saving the labour of carrying dung to distant grounds ; and the manure is just as good as that from the sheep-house. — Folding sh')uld not be begun before there is abundance of food in the fields ; sheep, when they lie in the open air, have a great appetite. The folding must be hastened or retarded, according to the nature of the country : one farmer may be able to continue it no more t'.ian three months in the year ; another, four or five, &c. The consideration of the fodder necessary to be consumed has also some weight in determining how long the sheep should be housed. Some farmers, through a mistaken idea of saving time, instead of breaking down the clods of new-ploughed fields where they make their fold, leave them whole, by which means the sheep are incommoded and even hurt. Others make it in moist grounds, without taking care to choose the season in which they are least so. All these circumstances contribute to the ill effects which folding sometimes has upon sheep. Sheep th.it are folded are in danger from violent winds, from h lil and H-om wolVes. The winds are guarded against by securing well the hurdles or nets of the fold. Unless the hail come snd Icnly in the night, it is avoided by hous-ng the sheep. There are several means of protecting sheep from the I [66 J cunning and voraciousness of wolves.* The most usual are the courage and vigilance of dogs ; the shepherds should also go away from the woods at the approach of night, fold their sheep early, and fix the hurdles firmly. They are commonly armed with guns or piltols, and fire them whenever they hear a noise. This precaution is of no great effect, for the wolves often carry off sheep before the shepherds awake. In many countries it is usual to tie bells about the necks of several of the sheep ; this practice has, for the most part, no other tendency than to encourage the indolence of the shepherds, who, thinking it will enable them to find their flocks again, are apt to go away and leave them. It may however be of some use ; when the sheep are disturbed by the approchofa wolf, the noise of the bells gives notice of it. A farmer has thought of a method which f)romises to be successful : to the end of a long stick is tied a tin antern, 10 inches high and 6 inches wide, containing a lamp ; the glasses are of different colours, red, blue, yellow, &c. The shepherd can, without opening it, pour oil into the lamp, by means of a little funnel attached to it, and which is provided with a hinged covering ; the upper opening is shut, to prevent the rain from entering. This lantern is also ofuse,indark nights, to light the shepherd in changing his fold. It is tied to a hurdle on the side opposite to that near which the hut stands ; the lamp burning all night consumes but little oil.f The wolves are frightened away by the colours. Other means have been proposed, whifch it is useless to mention, as those which I have already pointed out are sufficient. They are mistaken who suppose that folding improves the wool : that of sheep wliich always pass the night in the sheep- houses is equally fine. It contributes to their health, and for that reason increases their fleece, but does not render the wool finer. Daiihenton sees no inconvenience in folding sheep during the winter ; it is however attended with great inconveniences. At that season the sheep find little or no food in the fields ; as soon as they feel the cold, they crowd together in clusters to keep themselves warm ; which proves that they suffer, and that it is better to make them lie in the house during that season. Besides, sheep are not wefl folded when they do not place themselves at some distance from one another. * In one year, after rewards offered to those who should destroy wolves, cither by snares, or by arms, 5351 were killed. t In the environs of Paris, this lamp is supposed to consume each night no more than two-pence worth of oil. [ 67 ] Of Pasturing Merinos. \ The time during which flocks are to be led out to pasture, depends upon the cUniate : in some })arts. it ciiniiot be mure than four or five months at most ; for instance, among moun- tains which remain a long time covered with snow and are exposed to severe old : in other places, it may be seven or eight months, on account of the shortness of the wmter. The methods of pasturing sheep are not the same every where; in some places they are pastured upon heaths ; in others, upon untilled or wild lands ; sometimes they are permitted to run upon fallow grounds, upon meadows during the after-grass, and upon fields that have been reaped until the time when they are ploughed ; many husbandmen sow grain for their flocks, such as rye, barley, oats, vetches, pease, lupines and other plants, which they suffer them to crop while young. To these differences in the manner of pasturing sheep wc may add two others, viz. in the quahty of the grass, which is not equally nutritive, and in tlie extent of the pasture grounds. In the south, upon mountains and calcareous soils, any weight of vegetables contains more nutritious particles than an equal weight growing in the north in vallies and clayed soils. Some proprietors have many fields, others have but few, and among the latter some of superior intelligence obtain better crops from their tillage. It is often asked how many sheep may be supported per arpent* From what has been said it may be perceived that this question is not easy to answer. If, to relieve us from this diificulty, we have recourse to the ancient rural laws, it may be seen that an act of the parliament of Burgundy allows for each arpeM one ewe and her lamb, and that an ordinance of the parliament of Paris restricts the number to one animal ; though doubtless it also meant an ewe with her lamb, which is always comprehended. As the lamb consumes but half as much as its mother, the laws may be said to have allowed a sheep and a half to an arpent. It was supposed that a greatei* proportion than this could not be kept upon a farm ; tliis reasoning was founded upon the then prevailing system of husbandry ; it is known that this system was to divide the farm into three portions, one of which was * The French word arpent is retained, becanse the translator does not know how nearly it answers to the english acre, by wliich it is genei'ally rendered.' [68] ïeft fallow every third year, during which it was not sown, but ploughed three or four times, and in the intervals it rested, and the grass sprung up ; another produced wheat or rye, which was sown in autumn, to be reaped in the following summer ; in the third, grain was sown in the spring, that it might ripen in the summer. Tims it appears that in the territory within the jurisdiction of these two parliaments, the proprietor of three hundred arpents had the right to keep a flock of four hundred and fifty wethers, or of three hundred ewes yielding three hundred lambs. The conversion of a part of the fallow grounds into meadows, by making it practicable to support a greater number of sheep, })revents any precise calculation from being made, 1st. because these meadows may be more or less extensive ; 2d. because they vary in their fertility, both in diiVerent countries and in différent years ; 3d. because the} are partially quitted for other pastures, according to the need of the animals. Farmers, knowing their own resources, must determine for themselves the numbers of sheep which they can keep upon their farms. It may however be observed, that it is better to have a number less than the soil is capable of sustaining, during the spring, summer and autumn, than to have a greater number, unless the proprietor is wilHng to fodder them longer than usual. Some seasons are so dry, that in the months of Jane and July, recourse must be had to foddering, to prevent the animals from suffering. Merinos feed upon all vegetables that suit the common breeds of sheep. I have thought, while following my flock in the fields, that the Spanish sheep ate several sorts of plants which the otiiers rejected, and my observation has been confirmed by the shepherds at Rambouillet. The flocks should not he let out of the stable while it rains, except in the great heats of summer, when the rain is light and not likely to continue long ; under these circumstances the rain is not injurious to them ; the dew is at that season even service- able to them, because by moistening and making tender the grass that is too dry, it renders it more palatable to them, quenches their thirst and couniributes to nourish them. At every other season, care should be taken not to lead them to wet pastures, before the sun has dispersed the dew. Artificial meadows, luzerne, and particularly clover, are most dangerous. The least imprudence on the part of a shepherd may destroy the sheep, unless they are speedily succoured. See the article, Sudden sweU'mg of the paunch. [G9Î When the farm on which merinos arc kept has some part^î elevated and dry, and others low and cool, the sheep should be pastured on the former during the bad season, especially while the weather is damp ; and on the latter, only after a continu- ance of dry weather, in the middle of the day, and for a ïew minutes only. From time immemorial, a great number of shepherds, propri- etors of their tlocks, have been m the habit of quitting, after the vintage, the Pyrénées and ci-devant Béarn, of traversing Landi's and coming to winter among the vineyards about Bourdeaux, on the left bank of the Garonne : these flocks live upon vino leaves and wdd herbs. This practice is productive of some inconveniences, for the earth gets heaped up, the vines are rubbed, and the props are thrown down ; but this mode of feeding is wholesome, and aftbrds good nourishment to the sheep at a time when they greatly require it. Proprietors sometimes reserve, as pasture for their sheep, a part of the first growth of their artificial meadows. It would be as dangerous as extravangant to sufter them to remain there long P rude tjce requires that they be made to pass through quickly, at different times ; or that the extent of ground be marked out each day on which they may brov^ se without injuring themselves. Prudence also demands that in the spring the flocks be suffered to feed but sparingly in rich pastures, at first particularly, and not without previously giving them some food in the stable, so as to moderate their fatal greediness. If rains and dews be attended with ill consequences, so also on the other 'land, are drought and heat. The soft and loose texture of a sheep's body renders the animal liable to disease pro luce d by moisture imbibed ; which proves that it should al- ways be guarded fro?ii whatever gives too much humidity to the blood. It would seem, according to this principle, that dryness and heat are always favourable to sheep. Yet, when extreme, they are very injurious and often fatal to them. The sun shining directly upon their heads, which are constantly held down towards the ground, expands the humours within the skull, and occasions apoplexies, which are more common in open countries than in others: it is of course necessary to place flocks under trees, or in the shade of walls or in houses, during the heat of the day. I will here repeat a remark which I made with regard to feeding in the house, the lambs should be led out to pasture with their mothers, until they have acquired strength; they [70] would run the risque of finding little to eat, or only coarse grass, because their mothers, being more active and eager, would always go before them and consume the best and tenderest grass. Inattentive or slothful shepherds, when they are at a distance from water in summer, often neglect to water their flocks ; the sheep, in consequence, sufter much, and digest imperfectly their dry food, which is also often covered with dust. If they be conducted to the margin of a river, stream or pool, without hurrying them, those which are thirsty drink no more than is necessary for them. It is only in wet weather that care need be taken to prevent them for drinking too much. Of the precautions necessary when sheep travel. Sheep that migrate, when they go to the mountains which afford their summer pastures, make every year long journies ; the distance they go each day and their resting places are fixed. Such flocks are not the subject of our present inquiry, but such as are bought in one country and transported to an. other. If sheep be observed while at pasture, it will be seen that they are continually in motion, except during great heats. It follows that they may easily be conducted to gi'eat distances. Many importations of merinos from spain have speedily ar- rived at their places of destination. Those which came to Mr, Poyferé de Cere were but fifty four days in travelling from Cari*avias (near Soma Sierra, in Spain, 18 leagues from Ma- drid) to Rambouillet, thirty three of which were spent in going from Mont de-Marsan to Rambouillet, a distance of 220 leagues : apart of the flock which got separated, arrived in thirty one days at a farm belonging to government, situated three leagues from Treves, which is distant from Rambouillet 115 leagues, after having travelled more than 300 leagues through very bad weather. These animals are therefore able to perform great journies ; yet some precautions are necessary, to prevent them from being too much fatigued. If the flock is numerous, one man is not sufficient to conduct it on a journey ; two, and sometimes more, are necessary : one walks in the front, and the others in the rear ; the first, by means of a little bread, makes some of the sheep follow him. — A do£T might serve instead of apart of the men, and would be useful in passing through cultivated lands and plants in growth : the dog should be active, but not disposed to bite or wony the [71] sheep. The shepherds of the south of France carry only a stick ; they throw btones at the sheep, and in this way some- times hurt them, they also whistle to them ; they commonly teach a wether to obey their voice, and it becomes the leader of the fiock. I believe this method, except in some cases, prefer- able to the use of dogs, which favour the indolence and careles- iiess of the shepherd, and do much hurt, by crippling the sheep and causing abortions. It is difficult to make a small number of sheep travel, two or three for instance : being accustomed to go in flocks, they ran among any which they perceive as they go along. It is better to transport them in a cart ; they should there be kept on their feet, by placing before them a little fodder : when carried in this manner, they can bear a long journey. They have been car- ried in stage-coaches, and even in a sort of cages, care being taken to prevent them from struggling and bruising themselves ; and have arrived in very good order at their places of destina- tion. When they travel on foot, they should not be made to go more than five leagues a day. It is advisable, if they are to go far, to begin with three or four leagues, in order to accustom them by degrees to the journey ; after a few days, they increase their pace of their own accord ; in bad w eather, or when they are fatigiaed, they should be made to stop and rest fora while in convenient places. On their way, they feed along the roads in which grass gi'ows, or in the fields that are not sown ; and the consequent delay is beneficial to them, for they should never be hurried. Care should be taken to let them drink when they travel in dry weather, if they meet with brooks or a river or a watei'ing-place of which the water' appears to be good. Every morning, before setting out, the conductor should re- view all his flock, and count it, to see if none of the sheep are missing : he should examine the feet of such as appear lame, and take out the stones or hardened mud, which often occasion them to limp ; he is to view the condition of each animal, to dress such as have any eruption or other disorder, and then t» proceed on his journey. By following the high roads, there is less danger of getting lost ; but as one is there liable to meet carriages ^vhich may hurt the sheep, or other flocks which may communicate to them a contagious disorder^ it is safer to take by-roads, if good guides- can be procured. [72] In the spring and autumn, which are the most favourable seasons, sheep may travel at any time of the day r in summer, they shoukl move only early in the morning and in the evening ; the extreme heat of the sun is thus avoided, by permitting the flock to rest in the shade in the middle of the day ; it is also right to shelter it during violent rains. When the road is paved or stony, the sheep should be made to go along the sides ; for unless the ground there be soft and adhesive, their feet will suf- fer less than if they went in the middle where it is hard. On arriving at the place of rest for the night, it is better to place the flock in horse-stables or in empty barns than in sheep- houses, for fear of contagious disorders. If the weather permit- ted, it would be better to leave the flock in a yard ; but there is danger of thefts, exchanges or accidents, which it is prudent to guard against. A nightly guard would be the safest, but it would be very fatiguing for the conductors, unies they were nu- merous. It often happens that flocks have nothing, or too little, to cat upon the roads ; sometimes they find no water ; in the evening, these wants must be compensated by provender, fodder and water : a rack may soon be made of ladders a little inclined ; if it be necessary to lay the fodder on the gi'ound, the place should first be cleaned. In a flock composed of rams and of sheep, if the number of rams be considerable, two companies must be formed, and made to go separately : tne rams precede, because if they follow- ed the ewes, they would be too much fatigued. It has been remarked that in long journies, more rams perish than ewes. If the number of rams be too small to form a separate flock, and if on account of the season it be wished to prevent the males from covering the females, a piece of linen reaching to the ground is tied to the rams, placed so as to prevent copulation. The great price of merinos renders both the purchasers and the venders attentive, the former, to have the animals delivered to them in good condition, the latter, to prevent the conductors from chano;ing or parting with them on the road, and then pretending that they died. These frauds may be prevented by employing the most honest and vigilant men that can be procured ; by requiring of them not to arrive at the place of destination before a certain day ; by marking the sheep when thev set out; by requiring the skins of those that die, and certijicates of their deaths from constituted authorities, and moreover receipt- from the purchasers. [73] The age at which sheep travel best, is between two and six years: when younger, they are less able to bear the latignes of the journey; when oMer, they require to be treated with more tenderness. The most favourable season for travelling is the autumn, because the temperature of the air is then mild, there is grass alopg the roads, and the females, if pregnant, are not so far advanced as to be hurt by travelling. The flock wiiieh went from Carra vias to Treves stopped only twelve days upon the road; seven at Mont-de-Marsan, and five at Rambouillet. In the south of France it was exposed to great heats and much dust; and in the north, to heavy rains. Many ewes, it is true, miscarried; of four hundred, only two died. An ewe, whose foot was broken at Tours, went on with the rest to tlie neigh- bourhood of Paris ; in this condition she travelled 50 leagues without any ill consequences ; when the creature arrived at her place of destination, her foot was dressed, and she recovered.— I mention these facts to show with how much facility merinos may be transported to great distances when prudently con- ducted. It would perhaps be better not to suffer ewes to take tlie ram when they are going on a journey. In general, lambs that ai-e dropped when their dams are fatigued, are weakly and do not thrive so well; but the profits resulting from those which survive are too great to admit of such a privation : besides, though the feeble are lost, good nourishr.ient is given to the others, and sometliing is gained the first year. Prudence requires that, when a flock comes from a distance, it be made to feed as nearly as possible in the same manner that it did in the country from which it came ; and it should be accustomed gradually to a new diet, if such be expedient: every sudden change is injurious. Merinos coming from Swin, where they have lived upon nothing but fresh grass, do not know how to eat dry fodder at a rack. If they have some sheep mixed with them that have been accustomed to it, they soon learn to imitate them ; besides, hunger and instinct alone are able in- structors. After sheep have made a long journey, especially in summer, it is proper to wash and rub them one by one. It should be done in fine weather, that they may dry the sooner. T lis ope- ration frees them from dust, and preserves them from the scab. Care should also be taken not to put them immediately with other sheep, lest they should have caught some contagious disease by the way ; six weeks at least should elapse before they are put with others. Iv [74] Of Shearing. Shearing is the shepherd's harvest ; it was formerly attended every where with a sort of ceremony ; it has become a matter of still greater importance since the introduction of merinos, because the profits have more than doubled. It i.s from the yearly fleeces of his flocks that the proprietor is recompensed for the trouble and expense which they occasion him. Some sheep, especially among the common breeds, lose a part of their fleece before shearing time, in consequence of either sickness or weakness caused by insufficient nourishment. — Merinos are rarely in the latter case, because they are not suffered to want : it sometimes happens, however, that locks of their wool are pulled out, when they are permitted by inattentive shepherds to feed among bushes. Daubenton was mistaken when he pretended to point out the time at which the young wool displaces the old, and otïered this as a sure sign of the necessity of shearing : the fact is not so ; he has been misled by the growth of young wool, which does indeed take place when any part of the old has fallen out, from whatever cause. Sheep do not in this respect resemble horses, which have a winter and a summer coat, and therefore change their hair every year. The wool of a merino, unless the animal be sick or ill-conditioned, constantly grows. It may keep its •jfiecce several years, which will increase in weight and length ; it is the same wool which continues to grow each year : after some time, it becomes so troublesome t) the sheep, on account of the dust and insects which it harbours, that they begin to rub themselves, and thus to lose their wool. As a proof that it is the same wool which continues to grow, it may be observed that when a sheep is not shorn while a lamb, its wool, the second year, is not so line as it would have been if shorn twelve months before. In general, the time for shearing is when warm weather aporoaehes ; the animals then suffer from the weight of their fleece ; they should therefore be relieved from it. The time of shearing, of course, cannot be the same in all climates ; it may also depend upon other circumstances. When theymigrate, it is proper to shear them immediately before they set out for the mountains. A proprietor who wishes to transporta flock from one part of France to another distant part, should use the same precaution, in order to enable it to walk \vith more ease. If any sheep should have the scab to such a degree as to require the whole body to be dressed; it would be necessary to shear them sooner. [75] In the south of France, shearing time comes about the middle ofiNiay ; and in the north, at the end of June ; for the rams and ewes, temperate weather is ehosen. In countries where tlie lambs are dropped in December and January, they are siiorn the hrst year. Some proprietors have them sliorn be- fore tile ewes, that the young \v oolmay have time to grow betore they are made to lie out in the fold, which is commonly done three weeks alter their mothers. This interval is permitted w ith the view of letting their wool gain strength, and that they may not be exposed too young to the inclemency of the air. It is a matter of doubt whether lambs should be shorn the first year of their lives, or whether the shearing should be deferred to their second year. Some agriculturalists have maintained that by leaving their wool on, they would be preserv- ed from the staggers ; others, that the quantity of vt'ool is thus increased. The former assertion is a mistake ; and so also is the second, il coniidence is to be placed in experiments made at Rambouillet and in the department of Aveyron.* The animals are not preserved from the staggers by leaving their fleece on them eighteen months, and the quantity of wool is not increased : but, on the other hand, the wool is finer when taken young, and the lam.bs are freed from licef and ticks,| which, in some countries, are very troublesome to them. The instruments used for shearing are shears or scissors of various sizes and forms. Two customs prevail ; one generally, and the other in some of the departments : the former is to shut up the sheep in a close place, one or two days before they are shorn ; the second is to wash t'lem, for the purpose of getting out the coarssest of the filth with which the wool is loaded. The custom of sweating sheep that are to be shorn,§ favours the shearer, renders the oi)eration easier to the animals, and gives to the wool more grease, which is advantageous in washing ; it is also supposed to increase the weight, but this augmentation is trifling. If the proprietor of the sheep stops here, the manufacturer of the wool has no reason to complain§§. This sweating should not be carried to an extreme in sheep that are vigorous and sanguine, * They are to be found in VoV,. VIII, XVI and XXXVIII of the ^n- nalea de l'agriculture française. f P diculus ovis. ± .'Icarus. § I'his practice prevails in spain as well as in France. §§ In Roussillon, after inaking the slicep sweat, they make them run in the dust, wh^li, falling upon the ficeces, increases the weight of them. This is a dishonest practice of which the manufacturers justly corapiaim [76] aor in those that are hiclined to cachexy ; there would be a ristiue ol" loskig a great number of them ; some, because the , force of the muscular action and of the circulation of the blood would be increased ; others, because they would be exhausted by a too violent effort. By choosing warm weather for the time of sliearing, there is less need of making the sheep sweat. If it be nocessar} to shear while the air is yet cold, care should be taken, after the operation, to put the animals in some temperate place during several days. In many countries it is customary, before shearing, to wash the fleeces on the backs of the sheep. To do it well, the sheep are exposed one afier another, to a fall of water from the flood- gate ot a mill, or a dam in a river or brook ; two men hold the animul with one hand, and with the other rub the wool, and clear it oï its filth, wliich the stream carries away. It should be (lone in tine weather, that the sheep may dry quickly. The principal advantage of this practice results from the diminution of weight which it occasions, and the consequent saving of ex- pense in freight ; another advantage to the proprietor is that the fleeces being thus rendered all equally clean, the merchants who buy them have no longer any pretext for lowering the price. This washing does not serve, as has been supposed, to render the wool finer. Daubenton has advised it, because it was practised in the country where he lived, but he was ignorant of the disadvantages attending it. It cannot be em- ployed except in places near the water : it gives a great deal of trouble and does not diminish the succeeding operation, eidier in the laundries, or at the manufacturer's. Besides, long and thin wool may lie washed upon the back of the animal, but not tufted wool, like that of merinos, without great difficulty. As to its eftect upon the animals, if practised upon such as arc sanguine, it may be conducive to their health, but it would be improper for suchas have a d'sposition to the rot. However, in Germany, especially in Saxony, this manner of washing is generally practised. The proprietor of a flock should be present when it is sheared : he can then judge whether the animals are in good condition, or whether any of them are diseased, for the latter are shorn with I?ss ease than the former ; he also sees the quality of the wool, and knows beforehand what ehang'.s in his flock are necessary. He does not suffer to be left, through negligence, among the fleeces any portions that have been affected by scab, nor any jar, nor long hairs, and, above ail, no filth. The place on which the shearing is performed should always be clean ; too much attention cannot be paid to this. {77 1 ' The fleeces are tied in bunches, by means of straw, or bits oi rush, or packthread ; these last two things are best, because they weigh so Uttle that no allowance need be made tor them when the wool is n eighed. It is better to se})arate the wool of the belly, oi the head, of the thighs and the feet, which is in- ferior to that on the rest of the body ; but merchants ought, in consequence to pay dearer for the fleece. Care should be taken not to expose sheep, immediately after shearing, to cold rains nor to hail, which might occasion the death of many. Daubenton advises, in shearing, to lay the animal upon a table which has several holes near its edges, and, by means of a rope passed through these holes, to fix the fore-legs in one place and the hind-legs in another, and if it be a ram, to tic him by one of his horns also : in this way tlie shearer may be seated. He thinks this method least painful to the animal, and most easy for the operator. He is greatly mistaken : when the animal is thus streatehed out it is not more at ease than if its foui* feet were tied together ; and the shearer seated and leaning over a table, is much more futigiied than if he were on his feet : his move- ments are not free and easy, and he shears fewer sheep in a day. A man who stands, is, it is true, obliged to stoop ; but, like the reaper, he soon becomes accustomed to it. The a- nimal remains tied but a short time, half an hour at most: as soon as the wool is taken from the body, its feet are loosened. A good shearer should cut the w^ool as near as possible to the skin, without leaving ridges and without XAounding the a nimal. An expert man may shear from forty to lifty sheep a day. I have known some nîcn who could shear as nrany as seventy ; but they were sheep of the common breed ; merinos require a ccnsidera])ly longer time, as they carry heavy and thick tleeces ; from twenty to twenty four is as great a number as Can well be shorn in a day, if they be ewes ; and from fif- teen to twenty, if they be rams. Notwithstanding all the care that can be taken, the sheep sometimes receive wounds in consequence of their struggles ; pulverised charcoal, or dust from a smith's forge, or pounded slate, should be immediately applied : sores are thus prevented, and the flies are kept oft'. Hitherto the proprietors of flocks in France, have been in the habit of selling their merino wool unwashed ; and some merchants have made it a practice to w;ish if before they dispos- ed of it to the ditTerent manu'actories ; but the greater jnut of the wool has been prepared entirely b}- the nranufactarers themselves. [78] The wool should be kept in a place which is neither damp nor dry. In a damp place it would grow heavier, to the disadvantage of the purchaser ; in too dry a place, it would lose part of its weight, which would be unfavourable to the vender.* To keep it well, it should be placed in a lower room that is exposed to the north, and cool, 3 or 4 feet from the giound, and not touching the walls. No dust should enter this place, other- wise the wool must be covered with linen. Of the Fleeces and WooL The fleeces of merino rams which come from Spain weigh at most, unwashed, 8 pounds, and those of the ewe^, 5 pounds ; and in France we obtain from rams of that race as much as 18 pounds, and from ewes as much as 12 pounds,t this is the maximum. The usual weight, for ewes, is from 7 to 8 pounds, and for rams, from 8 to 10 pounds. What is the reason of the difference between the weight of the fleeces of merinos in Spain and in France ? It is because in Spain sheep live only upon what they find in the fields; sometimes they find very little there : besides, as they are of a smaller size, they must carry less wool. In France, the deficiency of pasture is always amply supplied in the stable. The w eight of wool does not depend upon its thickness alone, but also upon its length : in this latter respect we have gained much ; our wool has become more fit for the manufacture of casimirs. All parts of a fleece are not alike ; it may be distinguished into wool of four different qualities; the first grows upon the shoulders and the back, from tlie neck to about half a foot from the tail, including a third part of the body ; the second covers the sides, and extends from the thighs to the shoulders, ap^ proaching to the neck ; the third grows about the neck and covers tlie buttocks ; the fourth covers, 1. from the fore part of the neck to the extremities of the feet, comprehending a part of the shoulders, 2. the two Iiind-legs to the hoofs : in Spain this fourth sort is calknl cay da, and in France basse laine. The more -qual in quality tlie wool is on all parts of the body, the greater is the value of the animal which carries it. * In a parcel of wool weighing 758 pounds, I have remarked a dimi- nution of 4 })ounds from the 15th of June to the 15th of September, that is to say, in three months, during the summer. f An ewe sold at Rambouillet has been known to give a fleece of 35 pounds. [ 79 ] Experiments which we have made in the gairlen of the Museum of natural history, by covering with linen-cloth, during a year, the bodies of some wethers, have proved that wool, when protected from the air, grows finer and whiter : the dif- ference is very sensible. But it remains to be determined whether the expense of covering' them does not more than counterbalance the increased value of the w ool ; any person may easily make the calculation. The wool of dead or sick sheep should be put by itself, as being less fit for manufacturing than that of healthy animals. — I suspect it is more liable to be attacked by vermin ; Mr. Roard* has |)roved by experiment that in dying it does not take colours so well.f Of three kinds of wool w^hich I gave him, one from healthy sheep, another from sick sheep, and a third from dead sheep, the first took a deep die from the different coulours with which it was tried ; the second took them faintly ; and the third more faintly still. It follows, that proprietors of sheep should be careful not to mix these different kinds of wool, and that manufacturers would do well to show peculiar favour towards those who do not deceive them. I also think that the wool of sheep killed in the slaughther-houses, wliich is taken off bv m'^ans of lime, is much inferior to that of sheep shorn while th-^y are alive. It wants that oily matter which nourishes it durin'î the animal's life, and which continues in the wool if it hi shorn while the sheeii is in full health ; which is not asto- nishing, since the sairn; thing may be observed with regard to hair. Lime also renders the wool hard. W'th a view of obtaining fleeces both fine and long, sheep at Ra Tibou'lletJ have been sulïei-"d to go without she;iring, two, three, four and five years. T'lese animals bore their burden without aoo'^arini: to be mi-h incom no led bv it ; only they could not cet uo again if they hanpene 1 to fall unon their sides, especially during the third year, for they carried a weight of from t ventv four to thirtv pounds. A. "ter three years, the wool beiintitv continued to decrease ; none of them fell sick after their fleeces were taken off The manvifaeturers, every vear, purchase, with eagerness and at a great price, these noble fleeces ; it is not yet known to what * He has charge of the dying department in the imperial manu- facture of the. Gobelins, anl is an able chymist. t See the details of tliese experiments in the XXII vol. of the An- nales de l'agriculture frari^aise. t I believe this experiment was first thought of by Gilbert, it has since been adopted and continued by my colleague M. Huzard and myself. [80] use they apply them. I advise proprietors who wish to try this method, to do it with wethers rather than ewes, because the length of tlic wool is troublesome to ewes when they give suck. Dauhcnton, in order to distinguish the different degrees of fineness in wool, makes use of a micrometer. But this instru- ment, though it affords the surest method, is troublesome for farmers, who do not know how to make use of it. Habit teaches them to distinguish the different kinds of wool, by simply com- paring them together, or by laying them upon paper or black cloth. Anotlîer observation, for which I am indebted to Mr. Roard^ is that the wool of different breeds does not all take die equally well ; merino wool takes the deepest colour. Wool may be kept longer if the yoke remain in it, than if it be washed ; this oily sui)stance keeps off a long time the insects which are apt to attack it. B}'^ placing it in the manner which I have before described, it will be still less exposed to vermin. Wool is liable to be destroyed by several kind*= of moths or caterpillars {tinea peUioneUa^ tinea topezella, tinea vestinella, tinea sarcitcUa) ; the butteiilies which profluce them flutter about places in which wool or woolen goods are kept, from the months of April to the the months of October; that is, almost from spring to winter, with some variation, according as the season is more or less warm. D;u-ing all that time, they deposit upon the wool little eggs which can scarsely be per- ceived ; from these eggs are produced the caterpillars ; they are hatched in October, November and December; they grow slowly at first, and become stiif when the weather is very cold. In Marchand April they g'ow more; at that period they cut off many filaments with which to nourish and cover them- selves. They afterwards form a sort of sheath in which they gradually envelop themselves; when they are entirely sheat'ied, they are in the chrysalis state ; at the end of three weeks, they change to butterflies. 'S)^ There are three ways of discovering when wool is attacked by insects : at first, butterflies of a bright yellowish colour, and three lines in length, are seen flitting about it; afterwards, are found upon the wool little dry, angular grains, which appear grey if the wool is white, and blackish if it is black: lastly, along the walls and ceiling are perceived sheaths of a line in diameter. [81] and four or five in length, a little swelled in the middle, and and widened at the extremities. It is difficult to guard effectually against these insects. The furriers beat with rods', several times during the summer, the fm* and wool which they have in their stores : the woolen- drapers are careful to brush their cloths frequently ; but these preventives would be inctfectual, if it where requisite to keep large quantities of wool ; I know of no other than to place it as I have directed, taking care to kill all the butterflies which arc found upon the walls, and to search for and sweep down the sheaths. The penetrating substances which have been pro- posed are of no use. Of Washing the Wool. The v^'ool, before it can be used, must be freed from a great proportion of that oily matter (in French called suint) with which it is impregnated, and be cleansed from all the filth which ad- heres to it. As the wool of merinos contains more grease than that of common breeds, and as it is shorter and more curled, it is usually dirtier, so much so that a flock of merinos may be dis- tinguished at a distance by this mark alone. Common wool is more easily cleared of its grease than the fine kinds; nothing more is requisite than to wash it in water which is a little warmed by fire or by being exposed to the heat of the atmosphere. If the sheep-houses are kept clean by frequently changing the litter, if the sheep are not led through the dust, and if their folds are not upon a dusty soil, the fleeces are more profitable to the merchant or manufacturer who purchases them, because they loose less in \n ashing. It is desirable that the proprietors of merinos attend habitually to the cleanliness of the ileeces, and particularly at the time of shearing, by preventing any dung from getting among the wool, of which manufacturers sometimes justly complain. And this should be attended to not only from considerations of probity, but also that the manufacturers may have no pretext for beating down the price of the wool. But notwithstanding all the care of the proprietors, the fleeces become more or less dirty, and con- sequently lose more or less in weight, according to the nature of the soil on which the sheep arc kept ; so that it is best to wash the wool and put it nearly in the condition in which it is when sold by the Spaniards, or at least to clear it of the greatest part of its filth. Many people endeavour to imitate the Spaniards: and, as is always the case when a first attempt is made at a process which L [8Z} is not understood, the wool was but imperfectly washed and ckiiied oi its grease. The manufacturers complained of it ; they said it was ih. washed, knotty and brown ; they preferred buying it in the state in which it was when taken from the animal : in which they were right ; for Mr. Roard has remarked that when wool is imperfectly washed it cannot be properly cleaned by a second operation. Latterly, people have in many places been more successful, notwithstanding what the munufacturers say, who, for the most part, being guided by interest, pretend to see no difference between what is well or what is ill done. It must, however, be confessed that many people in France do not yet wash it will. If we can es- tablish laundries, we shall be able to offer for sale wool like that which comes from Spain : all haggling between the ovvners of flocks and manufacturers will be prevented ; the wool will be sold according to its quality: the expense of carriage, as has been already observed, will be saved, and no pretext will be left for purchasing at a low price. This is still wanting to complete OUI- improvements, and to enable us to arrive at thé end propo- sed in introducing merinos into France. Above twenty years ago, I procured information in Spain upon this subject ; I am also indebted for information to Mr. Poyftré de Cere, who has given me the plan of a laundry drawn by himself upon the spot. In France, wool cannot be well washed except between the time of shearing and the end of Otober, because time is necessary to dry it. The first operation is, to part the different qualities, that they may be washed separately ; practice teaches to distinguish the various sorts. After this, the wool is spread upon hui'dles, tossed about and beaten with rods, in order to clear it as much as possible from dust and other dirt ; all the dung, pitch, &c. must be picked out by hand ; it is then combed with a little instrument that has short curved teeth set far apart ; this opera- tion must precede every mode of washing. I shall first give Qilhcrt's method of waslung wool, with the more confidence, as I found that it was followed in a famous manufactory at Louviers ; the workmen maj' perhaps have concealed a part of their process from me ; yet it is certain that the method I am about to explain answers very well. I shall afterwards describe the method of washing on a great scale, brought by Mr Pot/fere de Cere from Spain, with tlie descrip- tion and plan of the line laundry at Alfaro. [83] Gilberts method. " Tlie fleeces are put into tubs or casks or any other vessels of a capicity suited to the quantity of wool to be washed. Wiien they are filled with wool gently pressed down, but not tram- pled, water warmed to 30 or 40 degrees (of Reaumui', equal to 67 1-2 or 90 of Farenheit) is to be poured in gradually, till it covers the wool. The next morning, or at the end of twenty- four hours, the washing is to be begun ; the soaking should not continue less than 18 hours. In order to avoid trouble, the tubs should be placed as near as possible to the place where the washing is performed. The water in which the wool is soaked becomes filled with grease ;* it is this water which is most necessary in the washing ; and care should be taken not to waste it ; some of it is to be poured into caldrons, and heated to 5o or 60 (112 1-2 or 135) degrees ; a heat below 50 (112 1-2) degrees would not be sufficient ; if above 60 (135.) it would crisp the wool, and render it hard and brittle. The proper temperature may be determined without the aid of a ther- mometer ; it should be just that at which the hands cannot be held in the water without scalding them. " When the water is at this temperature, some wool is put into the caldron : the less is put in at a time, the more completely is the end answered. A smooth stick or rather a smooth wooden fork, should be employed to stir the wool, which should be continually lifted up, in order to open it and render it more permeable ; if it were turned over, it would twist, and thus im- pede the subsequent operations. After having been immersed three or four minutes, it is to be taken out either with the hands or with the fork ; it is put into a basket, which is held a short time over the caldron, to drain and to save the greasy water : as the water in the caldron diminishes, it must be replenished : if it becomes muddy, the caldron must be entirely emptied, and fresh water from the tubs poured in. The water is warm enough if the wool washes well ; before taking it out of the caldron, it should be tried from time to time. It would be well if the place where this operation is performed was under cover ; this cannot always be the case, for which reason fine weather should be chosen. When the wool is taken out of the caldrons, it is to be carried near the place where it is to be washed ; baskets are made use of for this purpose. It is nota matter of inditference what kind of water is used ; the best is that which washes linen well, in which vegetables are soon cooked, which makes good soap-suds, and which is very good * This grease, according to the experiments of Mr. Fauqtielin,is partly composed of a soap whose base is potass. [ 84 ] to drink ; running water is better than stagnant water ; well- water is the worst ; it no other can be procured, it should be previously drawn and exposed to the ah' several days, or it should be boiled. " To wash vi^ool effectually in running water, two open- wrought baskets should be placed in the stream, one higher up than the other ; care being taken that the water does not rise to the top ot the baskets, lest the wool be carried away : the washing is done in the lower basket, and the wool when washed is thrown into the one which is higher up ; it there takes its last degree of purity. Care should be taken not to rub the wool ; it is sufficient to move it about rapidly in the water and to open it as much as possible with rake ; it should be drawn continually from one part of the basket to another. As soon as the wool opens freely and floats on the surface like a cloud, and the water of the first basket becomes clear, it is taken out to dry. *' When the washing is performed in water that does not flow, baskets with two handles at the sides are made use of, and are plunged repeatedly into the water until it ceases to be fouled by the wool," Gilbert directs a press to be used in order to squeeze the water out of the wool, or a compression produced by two strong men twisting a cloth into which the wool is put. This method, which does no injury to the wool, accelerates the drying of it, and is convenient when the season is far advanced ; a single fine day is afterwards sufficient. A spot of short thick grass should be chosen on which to dry the wool, unless there be a building constructed for the purpose : the place must first be cleaned and swept, so that no filth may adhere to the wool ; it would be better to dry it upon hurdles or upon flint-stones. According to Gilbert, nierino wool well washed and well âried loses two fifths of the weight which it had before Washing ;* and according to our own observations, it loses three fifths or fifty four per cent. In all the manufactories, a last washing is given to wool brought from Spain, which never comes thoroughly washed ; it loses in this last operation from fifteen to twenty per cent.— * It was probably v/ool very little dirtied, and perhaps washed upon the animars back. [85} To the water in wliich the wool is soaked, urine and potash are added : according to Gilbert, these additions are useless. If the wool be soaked in warm water for eighteen or twenty four hours, it preserves its flexibility and elasticity ; and it is whiter than that which comes from Spain. Method recommended by M)\ Girou de Buzaringuts. A proprietor in the department of Aveyron, who has succeed- ed well in cleaning his merino wool, says that he soaked it twenty four hours in cold water, to obtain the grease. I think that warm water would be preferable. Mr. Girou ue Buzar'm- gues advises, properly I think, to spread the fleeces and to {)lace them in the tabs, with the outside of the fleeces uppermost, est the pressure of the water, if they were placed otherwise, should render them impermeable. When, for the purpose of obtaining greasy water, he employs coarse wool, which is always dirtier, he strains the water. On these three points he dirters from Gilbert, whose method, on the whole, he follows. The methods recommended by Gilbert and Mr. Girou may be practised by any body. Every one may wash his ov\ n wool, if he follows the directions given : it is only necessai-y to proportion the apparatus and water to the quantity of the w ool to be washed. Spanish method. In Spain, where numerous flocks belong to great proprietors, buildings have been erected for the purpose of washing wool, in which are at once united economy of time and expense, and where the wool is cleansed sufficiently for the subsequtnt operations which it is to undergo in the manufactories. This was a subject worthy of inquiry. Mr. de Poyféré de Cere has aft'orded us every requisite information, by giving us an exact description of one of their fine laun'^ries, of which he took a drawing upon the spot ; it is that of Alfaro, where the va^ooI of the Paular, Montarco, Turbietta, and other famous flacks, is can-ied every year to be prepared, at a small expense, and ailerwards sold to foreigners. The united waters of the Eresma and of other streams which have their source in the mountains which separate Old from New Castille. flow towards Segovia, and thence into reservoirs or basins at Alfaro, [86] '* These reservoirs, says Mr. de Poî//éré, contain above one îiundred and fifty eight thousand nine hundred antl four cubic feet of \vater ; an innnense resource, supplied by a constant xstream, which serves to aftord a temporary supply to the laun- dry, if at any tim ethe stream becomes muddy and unfit for use. " The ^^'atcr being admitted into the laundry and the wool having been picked by hand and separated into first, second, third qualities, and refuse, it is placed under a shed near to the vats. " The vats are filled to two thirds of their depth with hot water, by means of a cock communicating with a boiler. This water may be tempered at pleasure with cold water. A man is stationed to regulate it, which he does by putting his leg into each vat and ordering hot or cold v^^ater to be added as he sees proper, until the degTC of heat is such that he can endure it without being scalded. He then gives the signal for immersing the wool ; the length of the immersion is regulated by the time requisite for emptying the second and third vats before return- ing to the first. " A man descends into one of the vats, takes out a certain quantity of wool, and put it mto wicker baskets. *^ Children, holding fast by lines, gç.i upon the wool in the baskets, and tread it with their feet, to press out the greasy water with which it is charged : this uater escapes through the drains of the grated- work on which the baskets are placed, into a cistern, and empties itself out ot the laundry. " The wool thus pressed is emptied out upon a grated work. Three children take it up, divide it, and deposit it on the margin ofoneof thelavers. Aman (this is the principal hand,) placed upon a flight of steps, takes the wool, handful by handful, di- vides it again, and lets it fall into a canal. " Two men are placed in a laver, resting their hands on a cross-piece, which is firmly fixed, who move their right and left log alternatively, so as to drive back the water and separate the flocks of wool. The depth of the water in the laver is froni 11 to 12 inches. " Fourmen placed in the canal of the laver, restingtheir hands upon the sides of it, repeat the motions of the two men station- ed in the basin. [87] " Four otîier men, also standing- in the canal, gather up the wool as it is cairied along by the current of water : they make it up into bundles, without wringing or tuistrng it, press out the water, and throw the wool upon the floor. A child takes it and deposits it on a shelving drainer. After passing through severa! hands, it is finally placed in a heap on the top of the drainer. The wool is sufiered to remain here during four and twenty hours. At the expiration of which time, it is carried to a neigh- bouring meadow, which has been raked and even swept with care, and there spread out in small parcels until it is quite drj ^ which commonly requires three or four days. The wool which escapes the four men placed in the canal is carried by the stream into a wooden cage, whose bottom and sides are covered with a net that has very small meshes. — Three men stationed in this cage stir about the w^ool with their feet ; and as they gather it u}), they make it into small bundles which they press out with their hands, and uhich they throw upon the floor, where two children receive it in small baskets, squeeze it, and carry it to the great heap at the top of the drainer. Such is the operation of washing practised in Spain for wooî of the highest rc[)utation. At Alfaro, the work begins at three o'clock in the morning and does not end till night. In one workiiîg day, which is about sixteen hours, three hundred French quintals (antient measure) of wool are washed.* Method communicated hy a Manufacturer of Montjoie. A manufacturer of Montjoie, in the department of Roer, is of opinion that proprietors of merino flocks, who are distant from manufactories, might advantageously confine themselves to a simple washing, so aà to take off nearly all the filth, and to preserve gi'casc sufficient for the washing at the manufactory. He directs the diftorent sorts of wool of which a fleece is com})Osed to be picked, and put separately into a basket ; the wool to be placed in a stream of Avatcr, and taken out and plunged in again from time to time ; to be stirred v\ith a wooden rake ; and when no more filth cornes out, to be dried in the open air. According to him, fleeces thus cleaned do not lose in the washing at the manufactory more than thirty three per cent, while that which is sold dirty and with all its grease, may lose as much as seventy five, if the animals have * Mr. Sytvestre, my colleague, after reading tiiis description, thougUt that the labour might be dmiiuished by substituting machinery Iot a part of the men there employed ; and his ojnnion is very just. [88] been ill taken care of, and kept in dusty places. This at least is certain, that having tried this method with a small quantity of my wool, a distinguished manufacturer of Verviers who saw it, assured me that it would wash perfectly well at the manufac- tory, and that this was the state in which it answered best. If this assertion be true, as in all probability it is, nothing is easier than to give the wool a first preparation, which will diminish the expense of carriage, which may be effected by all propri- etors of flocks in the neighbourhood of streams of water, and which will not prevent the last washing, indispensable before the wool is manufactured. If this method be pursued, the coarse and very dirty parts of the fleeces should be excluded, such as the wool of the forehead, of the belly, the thighs and the legs. This mode of washing answers nearly to washing the wool upon the sheep's back, except that it cleanses it more effectually. If the manufticturers will be just enough to give a price for this wool such as to compensate for its diminution in weight, and proportioned to what they would have given ifthey had bought it dirty and gi'casy, I do not doubt that many proprietors will adopt this method. Washing at the Manufactory. The washing at the manufactory is performed in the follow- ing manner. A caldron, capable of holding with ease from 30 to 40 kilogrammes of wool, is filled with a mixture of two thirds water and one third urine, and is heated. When this liquid arrives at the temperature of from 40 to 45 degrees (90 to 101 of Farenheit) so that the hand can bear it, the wool is put in, •and left there half an hour, being stirred about continually with much care by means of small wooden forks ; it is then taken out and drained, then washed, in small parcels, in a river or brook, until it ceases to foul the water, and finally dried for use. In some manufactories, the mixture is made with three quarters water and one quarter urine, which answers as well. Private individuals who v^^ish to wash small quantities of wool, in order to munufacture it at home, may employ Gilbcrfs method, or that recommended by the manufacturer of Montjoie ; whichever be adopted, it must be succeded by the wash'with urine just mentioned. If no river nor rivulet be near at hand, baskets tilled with wool may be plunged into tubs of clean water, which must be constantly renewed. This operation is indeed long ; and T do not roeommend it unless the quantity of wool is small. [89] Sale of the Wool. Two opposite interests meet in the sale of wool, that of the proprietor of the flock and that of the manufacturer: if tliey deal by an intermediate agent, that is, by means of a merchant or a broker, a third interest arises, distinct from both. It is best for the manufacturer to purchase immediately from the proprietor; they thus save between them tlie proiit which vvoukl have gone' to the third person: but it is difhcult to effect this. T losc who raise flocks are not acquainted with the manufacturers, and liiive no way of applying to them ; they are therefore obliged to wait until traders come to them ; and thus they deal wit.i none but merchants, who afterwards dispose of the wool to the manu- facturers. The manufacturers, however, send their agents into the coun- try to purchase wool at a low price, by persuading the country- people that what they olfer is the current price, and that it is lor their advantage to accept their otfers. The want of money^ and the fear of losing by delay, induce them to sell at a low price. Some great proprietors of flocks obtain better inform- ation ; they learn the prices of wool in Spain, know the vents for manufactures, and, being less in haste, bring the manufacturers nearly to the just price. It is customary to give four pounds of wool over and above every hundred ; the manufacturers call this a gift : this custom is to the disadvantage of the vender; it would be better to make the bargains for a real and precise quantity without any addi- tion. This custom has arisen from the allowance which was formerly made for the weight of the bands ; the manufacturers have since insisted upon the gift of four per cent and an allow- cnce for the bands besides : the proprietors of flocks should consent to neither of these reductions; the weight of the bands is nothing, if pack-thread or rushes be employed. The vender derives an advantage from disposing of his wool immediately after shearing; because, in drying, the weight is diminished. It is also profitable to the purchaser to oht lin it as soon as possible after it is shoni, because it can be cleaned better, as it contains more grease ; the season is besides more fav^ourable for washing. If it be sold ready washed, the above advantages do not result from selling it at one time rather than at another. Many French manufactories had contracts, for a certain number of years, with proprietors of flocks in Spain, for the M [SOU Çurchase of their wool: it was usual for the latter to give credit, Nothing hinders similar bargains from being made in our own country. Flocks remarkable for the fineness of their wool, would undoubtedly find manufacturers desirous of securing it for themselves. By experiments made with great care and exactness in 1807, which I myself witnessed, it is proved that the wool of French merinos is equally as strong and elastic as that of Spanish merinos. By an attentive comparison, it has been discovered that, when employed in manufactures, their products are strict- ly equal in quality and in quantity; consequently, the price of French merino wool ought to be regulated by that of the Spanish merinos. Of Selling Sheep. The sale of the wool is one of the profits resulting from flocks ; that of the sheep is another. In the preceding article I showed that, in bargains for wool, the purchaser, particularly if treating with farmers, may easily deceive , without running any risk of being deceived himself; for he knows the quality of the wool, the use to which it may be applied, and the true price : the vender is at his mercy. Persons who buy wool may easily have an understanding among themselves, by means of their mutual communications and their meetings which take place at the exchange. The venders, on the contrary, being very numerous and at a distance one from another, have no means of entering into a general agi-eement. The reverse of this takes place in the sale of sheep : here the purchaser is exposed to the danger of making a bad bargain, as he may buy animals which have some secret defect or latent disorder which he cannot easily discover. In truth, the vender himself may be ignorant of it, and this is commonly the case ; but, unfortunately, some persons make no scruple to sell, for sound, sheep which they know caji be of no service to the J)urchasers. It is customary in the goverment-establishments to sell anu- ally, at times determined by the peculiar circumstances of the places where they are situated, a certain number of sheep of both sexes ; these sales are announced in the public papers and by bills of advertisement. On the appointed days, the animals are exposed successively to the examination of the purchasers, and set up at auction. All such as have any material defecf are Carefully kept away : if however any such get among the others_, [91] either through accident or by any other means, as soon as the persons who direct the sale discover it, tiie ananal is removed, and another substituted in its stead. Wnen the detects arc such as not to prevent tne animals from producing perfectly sound young oues,tlicy are not excluded, but proper care is taken to give notice of them. Several times at Rambouillet, sheep have been exchanged for others, bought attlie sales, which where found incaj)able of producing, when the fact lias been clearly ascertained ; they have even gone so far as to replace shoep which died sliortly after leaving the establishment, upon proof being afforded that the purchaser was not in fault. This example has been ioUovved by other establishments belonging to government, and by some individuals who to honesty add an. ardent desire for the improvement of our flocks. The rams and wethers may be sold at any season of the year. As for the ewes and young lambs, the sale of tlicin must be deferred until the young are weaned, until the mothers no longer suffer any inconvenience from their milk, and urtd the lambs eat grass readily, unless they are to be removed tc a very short distance. In the establishments belonging to government, the animals are always sold with their wool on. The quality of the wool might indeed be known, even aftorthe sheep are shorn, by the inspection of the skin ; but it is more convenient to be examined when long: besides, the purchasers, in the first place, have the benefit of the fleeces, and, in the second, they enjoy the pleasure of shewing, in the places where they introduce the merino breed, that it yields much more and far better wool than the common breeds. Many proprietors, when they sell sheep, demand an extraordinary price for the fleeces, unless, like the government, they make public sales. On account of the responsibleness of the overseers of the governmcnv-establisl\meiits, all the sales are there made for cash; between })rivate individuals, no rule on this subject exists Some persons sell sheep, and afterwards take them oh shares ; this is a new practice which may have its advantages or disadvantages, according to the conditions entered into. Means of knowing the age of sheep. The age of sheep, during the first five years of their life, may may be ascertaincti by means of their front teeth or incisors. Sheep have incisors only in the lower jaw; a cartilaginous substance serves instead of them in the upper jaw. The first [92] year, eight incisors appear, which are afterwards shed. The animal is born with these teeth, or, if any oi" them are wanting, they soon make their appearance. They are narrow and sharp. The second year, the two front teeth fall and are suceeded by two new ones broader than the six which remain. Tiie third year, the two next to the front teeth also fall out; two broad ones grow in their room ; so that, there are then four broad teeth and tour not shed. The fourth year, the two next likewise disap- pear, to make room for two broad ones ;, finally, the fifth year, the two corner teeth fall, and the whole eight are then broad teeth. Merinos, especially when well fed, lose their two first young teeth generally six months before the common breeds. — Is this the case because merinos are natives of the south, or be- cause tliey are better fed ? Both causes may concur to produce this effect. After the expiration of five years, an estimate of the age may still be formed from the teeth ; but it requires much exjjerience and. practice. One must then be directed by the wearing away and by the position of the teeth. They wear in two ways ; commonly on the inside, by the effacing, in a sloping direction, of two small cavities which are below on the side next the jaw. In the other way, the edges of the teeth look as if filed almost horizontally, and not in an inclined direction, as in the first cas«^ ; breaches are also to be found, generally between the two nsiddle teeth, or at their extremities. Some judgment of the age may also be formed from the corner teeth, according as they are more or less entire. When the animal is young, the teeth are short ; they appear long at an advanced age, because they continue to gi'ow, and the gums shrink. Lastly, the shape of the teeth, which is in general pyramidal, the base being at the extremity and the apex in the socket, ceases to be so much so in old age, and approaches more to a cylindrical form.* Merinos keep their teeth longer than other breeds, although they change them sooner. The habit of living in the midst of flocks, of observing them, of handling them often, teaches other means of discovering their ages, after the teeth no longer affbrd any certain criterion. When the eyes are less lively, the lips hanging down, the nostrils wrinkled, it may be presumed that an animal is not young. It will readily be believed that * The knowledge of these details is the fruit of a conversation with. Mr. Girard, professor of anatomy in the veterinary school of Alfort, and of an examination which we made together of a great number of under- jaws of sheep. [93] these signs alone can afford no more than probable conjectures ; but it is not always an object of importance to determine the age precisely. It has been supposed that the age of rams is indicated by the rings on their horns ; but these rings are not sufiiciently i egular to afford a certain rule. It should be observ- ed that, when the pasture is coarse, sheep lose their teeth much sooner. Tliis circumstance should be attended to. Sometimes also the teeth of particular sheep wear out very soon. PLATE III. Teeth of sheep at different ages. Fig. 1st. Lower or posterior jaw of a lamb, with its eight unshed teeth, which remain fifteen or sixteen months, at tht- expiration of which they begin to fall. a. Exterior front of the jaw. b. The same in profile. c. Interior ot the same. F'g. 2d. Jaw of an animal two years old, having six unshed teeth, and the two front ones new, a. Manner in which the two new front teeth grow out. b. Tne position of the same some time after they have grown out. Fig 3d Jaw of a sheep three years old, retaining four unshed teeth, and having the two front ones and the two next to them new. a. The two teeth next the front ones beginning to shoot 6. The same, after having grown some time. F'/g. 4th. Jaw of a sheep four years old, having two unshed CDrner teeth, and the rest new. Fig. 5th. Jaw of a sheep five years old, having shed all its teeth. The animal in this state is said to be full-mouthed. Fig. 6th. Jaw^ of a sheep three years old, whose two front teeth are unusually worn. Fig. 7th. Jaw^ of a sheep four years old, having four teetb in front v\'orn, and a breach betw een the two middle ones. F'g. 8th. Jaw of a sheep from five to six yçais old, having all the teeth more or less worn. [94 J Fig. 9th. Jaw of a sheep four years old, having the four front teeth not only worn, but broken at the edges. Fig. 1 0th. Jaw of a ^eep four years old, in which the foui: front teeth are even, and equally worn. N. B. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 shew the variations observ- able in the wear of the teeth. Fig. 11th. Inside of the jaw of a sheep in its second year Fig. l''2th. Inside of the jaw of a shsep three years old. Fig. 13th. Inside of the jaw of a sheep four years old. Fig. 14th. Inside of the jaw of a sheep five years old. Fig. 15th. Inside of the jaw of a sheep from six to seven years old. General remarks upon the diseases of sheep. While none but indigenous breeds, of comparatively little value, were reared, sheep were without much regret seen to die of diseases : but the high price of merinos has counteracted this carelessness ; diligent inquiry has been made into the means of preserving, deranging and restoring their health. The efforts of the veterinary art, united to those bestowed upon agriculture, afford reason to hope that exact observations and multiplied essays will yield us more light, and that we shall at length be able to guard our flocks from these destructive foes. The diseases of sheep are distinguished into several kinds; they are epidemical, endemical, sporadic and contagious. By epidemical, are meant such as spread themselves among a great number of animals, without distinction of country, and at all times ; for example, the pox, the scab, &c. — by endemical, such as are peculiar to certain countries, and return annually at the same season, such as the disease called /a/ère in Roussillon, the rot in low, fo^oy and wet places : by sporadic, such as happen, without regularity, and in all places indiscriminately, to some individuals only ; for instance, the staggers, &c. The word contagious implies a quality, and not a distinct disease ; it signifies such diseases as are communicated by one animal to another, either by imiiiediate contact, or by intermediate com- mimication ; for instance, tlie carbuncle, the rot, the scab, &c. A nong the epizootic and sporadic diseases, some are cont-agious and some not contagious. Besii)ortunlty having oftered, twenty live years ag-o, of making the experiment, I thought it light to em- brace it, with the view of either opi'iimg a new source ot infor- mation, or of confirming tlie experiments already made.* Mr. Iluzard went from Paris to perform this operation upon the flocks of Mr. Cliaptal at Ciianteloup, and upon one belon- ging to government, at the château de Clermont, near Nai'tes. In both instances, he preserved the major part of the animals, which would have been attacted by the disease ; and diminished the mortality among those which where already infected. — Inoculation lias also been practised in the department of Marne, and particularly by Mr Allaire one of the administrators of the forests ; many animals have been saved there. Mi-, de. Barhançois, who owns large flocks in the department of Indre, has inoculated a considerable number of sheep. He says that he has met with success ; which he thinks due to the care which he has taken to inoculate with matter taken fmra inoculated animals, the virnlency of which was already mitiga- ted. Tliis fact is worth verifying. When the sheep pox breaks out in a flock, a great advan- tage nsults from inoculating all the sheep which arc not eviden- tly infected ; since, as has been said, the eruj)tion is thus rende- red more mild on such as are already diseased, and the others are preserved. If inoculation were practised upon lambs after they are weaned, without waiting for the appearance of an epidemic, much pains \ind uneasiness would be avoided: the * The details of this inoculation are in the Memoirs of the royal medical society, for the year 1786. tlOO] flocks might then safely travel from the plains to the mountains, and from the mountams to the plains ; they might be conducted from department to department without fear of contracting or ofmipartmg this fatal disease; Virgil's idea would then be Yeritied : Nee mala vici7ii pccoris contagia lœdent. Another cousideriition, still more important, presents itself, the butchers would not so frequently offer for sale meat of a bad quality, as is too often the case, especially in the country ; for they there kill sheep which have this disease, and sell the meat, without considering that it may be injurious to the health of those who eat it : so entirely does the desire of gain sometimes stifle the love of humanity ! To inoculate for the sheep-pox, slight incisions are made with a lancet in the armpits and under the thighs, so as just to graze the skin, and cut only the epidermis; the same lancet is then dipped in pimples containing the matter of the disease, which is introduced into the incisions, the finger being held upon them, that the vessels may absorb a greater quantity*: three or four incisions in each limb are sufficient to give the disease. When the virus is taken from animals near to those which are to be inoculated, the operation is more likely to succeed than when it is conveyed from a distance. Yet, if it be good, it may, even in this case, be depended upon. Some precautions are to be observed, which use and habit will teach. I do not doubt that if men of sense and experience direct their attention to this practice, as much benefit may be derived from it to sheep as has been derived to' man from vaccination. I know no better preservative. One precaution is indispensably requisite, if inoculation is not employed; that is, to avoid communication with other flocks ; it is therefore pnident, in suspicious places, to let sheep travel only in the morning early, that the infectious matter de- posited upon the grass, being wet with the dews of night, may have no power. Neither ought the shepherd of a sound flock to have any communication, direct or indirect, with the shepherd of an infected flock, nor with persons who aproach it. Even dogs, if not carefully watched, may introduce the infection. — Clothes, hair, utensils, as well as grass and fodder, are means of communication. I omit the mention of setons, of bleeding, and of different medicines which have been prescribed, some mild and diluting, others tonic, and others antiseptic. Setons, supposing them to be harmless, could not be used upon a nu- * Attempts liave been made to inoculate by means of a needle, but pimples of an ugly nature, terminatin.ç in gangrene, where the con- sequence. [101] mérous flock ; by bleeding a whole flock, those sheep would be injured whose fibres arc soil and relaxed, as well as those which have a disposition to cachexy. No drinks appear capable of prevcntaig a contagious disease. I have known a method to succeed, which, at tirst view appears cmel, but which must be acknowledged to be certain. It is to kill in the open fields and to bury deep in the earth the sheep which are first attack- ed by the disease: care been taken to cut their skins. Many a farmer, by making this sacrifice, has preserved almost the whole of his flock. If, in defiance of all precautions, or in consequence of too few, the sheep-pox appears in a flock, the sheep must be attentively nursed. Those which are infected should be separated from the rest, and kept in a place by themselves. If it be the summer season, that place should be as airy as possible; if winter, it should be kept at a moderate temperature ; the greatest cleanliness should there be observed ; every thing that comes from it, dung, dead animals, utensils, all should be put out of the reach of the other animals, in order to preventthe dis ease from being communicated. The diet of the creatures must be food of a good quality, fresh fodder, if it can be procured, and a mixtui-e of fine bran and oats or pounded pease with water containing a little salt. The strength of such as appear most affected should be supported by making them swallow wine twice a day, each dose being about a quarter of a pint, or an equal dose of a decoction of a root of parsley or lentils, or infusion of some aromatic plant, such as thyme, lavender, sage, wild marjoram, &c. It has sometimes been found serviceable, when the animals could not cat at the rack, to make them swallow bread soaked in wine and passed through a sieve.* If gat- herings appear, they must be opened when arrived at maturity, and dressed with a composition of equal parts of spirit oftur- pertine and yolks of eggs, with the addition of a little brandy» T!ie sheep which have been sick should not be put again with those which are well, before the cxpii'ation of two months from the time of their being attacked; care should previously be taken to wash them well, and to cleanse the sheep-houses. See, farther on, the method of purifying those abodes for sheep. Of the Scab or Itch. The scali is a disorder of which proprietors have a greai dread, because it gives to the sheep which are attacked by it, a hideous appearance, and thus does discredit to their flocks. * The Sapaniards bruise a small quantity of garlick, and boil it in water, with red pepper; they make each sheep,'morning and evening, swallow about the fourth of a wine liottle of this liquor. [ 103 3 A sheep may be known to have the scab, when some tila- raents of the wool exceed the others in length, and fall out: if the disorder arrives at a great height, the whole fleece some- times fulls. Tiie animal, itching violently, rubs itself against walls, trees or racks, or tlie hurdles of the fold, and scratches and bites itself II there was no other symptom, the matter would be doul)tlul,l)ecause the same thing happens when the sheep are incommodetl by beards of grain, thorns or insects, such as hce, ticks, &c. but besides this, in the scab, the wool is stained with mud in the places which the animal can reach. Another sign is said to be, the more rapid drying of the fleece, after rain, in certain spots, in which s})ots there is scab, for in these places the heat is greater ; but this is very uncertain. The surest sym[)tom is when, upon removing the wool from every part wiicrc the sheep bvratches itself, the skin is there found to be thicker, hard lumps arc felt under the fingers, and the skin appears scaly, encrusted or covered with little pimples which, atlirst, are red and inflamed. The scab attacks ahnost every part of the body ; it begins upon the rump, near the tail, and u[)on the back, and ailerwards spreads over the sides and the neck: it does not appear upon the lower part of the thighs, the shoulders, nor the udder. Sheep affected with the scab, eat and ruminate well for a long time, and lose none of their ordinary habits; some even grow" fat, if well fed: it is only when the disease arrives at the utmost violence that they cease to take food & that they become lean, and fall into a decline. It it observed that if the scab co- vers the neck, it becomes less flexible, on account of the callosity V. hich the skin acquires, and that the animal walks without bending. Few proprietors, who are not grossly ignorant, or excessively careless, suffer the disease to arrive at this height. Some naturalists have regarded the scab as the effect of an insect, a species oï m\tc(acants scabtei) which resembles those which grow in cheese, being only a little smaller. It has been supposed that there arc two sorts of itch, the one dry, and the other moist, differing from each other in this respect, that in the latter, when the crusts are taken off, a yellow ish water is found underneath, which is sometimes pretty thick, and that frequently small pustules arc scattered here and there upon the body of the animal, tilled with an acrid serosity: but this distinction appears to me to be useless, and tending to perplex tlie discovery of tlie true symptom, of the scab, that is^ L 103 ] eruption. These differences depend only upon Ihc greater or less violenee of the disease, according to tlie constitutioi, ot ti»e individuals which it attacks, and the period at which it commen- ces ; in fact, these shades ot dilierence are observable in a Hock. What happens to men justifies my o})inion; for VNOunds in some p.ersons, covering themselves over with a crust,areeonw pletely cured as soon as it falls, while in other persons several successive scales are formed, under which matter is often found until it is in a manner exhausted. In general, the scab which is called moist, might be termed inveterate. Upon the skin of sheep an eruption is sometimes seen which causes no itching ; tlie wool which covers the parts affected is reddish and rough ; it is a species of phca which has not yet been observed. Merinos are more subject to the scab than other races, on account of the thickness of their fleeces. They are liable to this disease at all seasons of the year, more particularly in autumn; tiie heat of the houses brings it out: sheep of all ages are su'oject to it. A lamb born of a scabbed mother does not bring tliis disease with it at its birth ; and even does not take it liy sucking. Negligent shepherds, to excuse themselves, attribute the causes of tlie scab to a mu'.ti- tui- of the seeep must himself be present, attend to every thing, and permit not the least negligence ; fatal eftects might otherwise ensue. The hands of the men should be completely covered with gloves. After the operation, the tub, the gloves and tiie wooden utensils which were employed must be burnt ; the ani- mals must be suffered to remain four and twenty hours upon ground where not a bit of straw is to be found ; this ground must afterwards be covered over \\\i\\ fresh earth ; and the remains of the wash must be buried. Either No, 1 or 2 will answer for the lowest degrees of the scab ; if it is more extensive, recourse must be had to No. 3, 4 or 5 ; if it continues some time. No. 6, 7 or 8 should be used ; lastly, it is almost indispensably necessary to adopt the 9th remedy, or something equivalent to it, in case of gencal and inveterate scab. I, as j^et, know of no other way : it is the part of those who shall discover other means as efficacious, and not attended with so great inconveniences, to communicate to us their knowledge. If it be true that the scab is occasioned by insects, it is not surprising that fat substances, irritating matters, and arsenic especially, destroys them. I know that in the museum of natural history, the skins of animals arc preserved from in- sects by means of an arsenical soap. Whatever remedy be used, the most essential thing is to rub hard all the scabbed parts of the body. Before readmitting into the sheep house a flock which has been treated for the scab, the place should be purified by the means pointed out in the article concerning the purification of sheep houses. Without this precaution, the sheep would rub themselves against places impregnated with the infectious matter, and thus take the disease again ; time, expense and trouble would thus be bestowed in vain. [107] Although I am convinced that external remedies are almost. always suiiicient to care even an in eterate scab ; y^t I should not, m some cases, disapprove of internal remedies employed hi aid of externa! applications. What appears to me must proper and most simple, is a mixture of Hour of sulphur with oats, Iran and common salt or saltpetre, put into troughs or mangers. The oats, the bran und toe salt are to induce the sheep to take tiie sulphur. A dose tor two should consist of sulphur, 1 ounce ; salt or saltpetre, 2 ounces. Some persons rt commend for each animal a mixture consisting of one quarter sulphur, one quarter salt, and one half elecampane-root : it has even been proposed to give half a grain of corrosive sublimate during ten days, and a grain the ten following days, m three gills of water for each animal. The last two remedies may be good, but I question the necessity for them ; I prefer the first. Of Tetters. Sheep sometimes have tetters ; they are known by small pimples w hich form ulcers and crusts, from which oozes a fetid humour. The animal appears to suffer much from this disease. There is a kind of tetter which contains no fluid matter ; it is dry and mealy. I do not think that tetters are contagious. I have seen some individuals in a flock, very few in number, who had tetters above their hoofs ami cheeks ; they had no eftect upon the rest of the flock, although they remained with it a long time. After trying various means, which have all been found useless, it has been thought best to kill the diseased animals, which are troublesome, disagreeable to the view, and unlit for propagating, as the disorder may be hereditary. This perhaps is the vi'^isest plan. Yet it is advised to separate from the rest those which have tetters, to wash them three times a day with a strong decoction of liquorice root, in which is dissolved 1 drachm (1 gros) of corrosive sublimate to a pound and a half of the decoction. If this treatment, continued three or four weeks, produces no eftect, the tetters may be rubbed twice a day with a mixture of a small portion of nitre with 2 ounces of honey ; or they may be washed with a decoction of 2 ounces of tobacco in two pounds and a half of v!nf^ toes of the foot ; lastly, the hoof sometimes grows too long and is bent at the extremity. Lameness occasioned by the above causes is easily cured, if attended to in the beginning. By examining the lame foot, the cause of the evil may be removed ; the part should be washed with simple lotions of Goular water, or have a little spirit of turpentine applied to it. When the length of the hoof impedes tlie animal's walking, it should be cut shorter. Lameness has been attributed, in some instances, to a parti cular disorder called, among other names given to it in France, foot-rot (poiiï^iture des pieds). I have seen it in the environs of Paris, where it is not unknown. Mr. lluzard has met with it in Piémont and in England. Mr. Chabert says that it is endemical upon the banks of the Gironde, in bas Médoc, in the Pvrenees, &c. These two intelligent men call it fourchct, Mr. Charles Pictet, one of the compilers of the Bibliothèque Britannique, has given a description of it, having observed it in his flock near Geneva. This is nearly what M. Pictet says: ^' At first, only a faint redness appears in the cleft, or at most a slight oozing around the hoof; the lame foot is hot ; some time after, an ulceration takes place at the junction of the two claws, either on the in side or the outside of the hoof, from which runs a white fetid matter. At this period of the disorder, the animals suffer more: they are feverishf: they not only Ump more, but they cannot even sup})ort themselves ; they lie down ; and when they eat they commonly kneel. A\Ticn the disease has made * One of my rams, a very fine one, just before the rutting season, fell to limping with one of his forc-fcet : on examination, a pin was found there, which was taken out, and a little spirit of turpentine put into the wound. 'Ihe animal soon recovered, and was fit for service. f < "•ne can never be certain that a sheep has a fever ; when examined, even in a state of health, such is its timidity, that its pulse is ac- celerated. [ 110] considerable progress, collections of purulent matter take place under tiie hoof, vv nicli run out at its juncture with tiie skin. — Sometunes the hoof rots and comes off, and the whole foot becomes one ulcer ; the tendons and muscles mortify, and even the bones rot ; the fever increases. At other times the matter is collected under the sole, which it consumes." Mr. Ficteî, de- clares that he has known worms to be produced. A skilful person of Piedmont, mentioned by Mr. Pict et, ha.s dis- tinguished three sorts of loot-rot . The first is seated beneath the epidermis, between the two claws of the foot; the second, under the hoof; and the third attacks the bones. In my opinion, this distinction is groundless ; the learned Piedmontese appears to me to mistake three degrees of the same disease for as many diseases. What are the causes of the disease in question? is it confined to certain individuals, oris it epidemical? is it propagated by contagion ? The solution of these questions is of much conse- quence in determining the mode of treatment. I do not think any proof exists of the foot-rot being occasioned by other causes than those which I have mentioned. Mr. Chabert, who has written upon this subject, assigns none; only he judiciously remarks that the foot of a sheep, owing to its particular formation, is more liable to this disease than that of any other quadruped. The disease is sometimes mild & simple ; a greater degree of intensity renders it violent and complicated. Thus may be explained the distinctions attempted to be made among several affections of the foot. The foot rot is not always epidemical; it commonly attacks a part only of the animals. Mr. Pictct does not doubt its being contagious ; he mentions two facts in attestation of this opinion. In his flock the disease commenced among a small number of animals ; in six weeks, it pervaded the whole: some were lame in one foot only, others in two or three, and even in all four. This is the first fact; the second is as follows. Having put ewes which were well under a shed which had served as a shelter to rams attacked by the foot-rot, without removing the litter, they all caught it in a fortnight. But it may be objected that the animals falling sick one after another, even in a place where diseased sheep had been kept, is no sure indication of contagion: they may all have been placed in similar circumstances ; for in- stance, the disorder may have been occasioned in them all by mud or pebbles from the same pasture, or by some other cause. I am far fi-om denying contagion, but it does not seem certain, — When doubt exists, it is prudent and it is my advice, to use as till] much precaution as if the disorder was proved to be conta- gious. From these reflections it follows, that when a flock is receiv- ed, it should be kept separate for some time; that as soon as any one of the sheep limps, its foot should be examined; that if several limp, still greater attention should be given. I cannot imagine why the foot-rot has been supposed to be occasioned by the abode of the sheep in places where hogs have been kept ; I have seen flocks attacked by it that had had no communication with those animals. The treatment must be more or less active, according to the degree and state of the disorder. If any extraneous substance is in tiie foot, it must be taken out ; this is the first thing to be done. In case the gland of the fork is choaked, it must be ex- tirpated, and the wound dressed with a pledget dipped in Goular water*. For a mere oozing, the same remedy may be applied, previously washing the part gently each time with a spunge. Bat if the foot is hot, and is very sensible in any part, an abscess is to be expected, either next to the sole or the hoof: in whichever part it is formed, as soon as it is supposed to contain matter, it must be opened and entirely emptied ; it is better to hasten than to retard this operation. With a good scal- pel or a very sharp penknife, the sole must be cut open; or the hoof must be pared away, beginning at the extremity of the claws, until the abscess is laid bare, which must be well clean- sed by lotions of wine, and sprinkled with blue vitriol powdered. If the disease, through negligence or any other cause, has made great progress and eaten into the foot, a new incision should be made, all the gangrenous parts should be taken out ; the carious parts of the bones may also be scraped ; the part should be sear- ed with fire or a red-hot iron: the rest of the dressing should be done with a mixture of yolks of eggs and turpentine, in equal quantities, adding thereto a little pure brandy or camphorated brandy. There is no danger to be apprehended from taking away parts of the hoof, or even the whole of it, if necessary, because it soon grows again. FiVeiy day the bandage should be ta'en oft", the wound cleansed with red wine, and the above mentioned mixture applied, diminishing tbe quantity as the sore heals. The foot must be wrapped up. It has been proposed to have boots made ; but it is easier to make use of linen, which may be changed, and which is pliant; boots, if many animals at i * It is composed of water, extract of Saturn and brandy, in the pro- portions of one pint of water, one spoonful of the extract, and one of brandy. f lit ] once required dressing, would be very expensive, and would no6 prevent the necessity of linen. It is better to sew the bandage on than to tie it, which, by being too tight, might bring on gangrene ; if strings are used, they must not be tied tight. As long as any running continues, the sore will not be completely hcaîed; it is commonly a symptom, at this period of the disorder, of caries in the bones. In order to produce an ex- foliation, which is indispeusably necessary, a tincture of aloes should be injected into the wound. As soon as an animal is cured, it should be no longer left among the sick ones; but it should at first be put into pastures quite clear of thorns and stones, and should not be driven fast. During the above treatment, the sick sheep should be fed with after-grass, or a little provender composed of oats or other grain, and fine bran. If they carmot stand on their feet, their food should be put within their reach. Every time the litter is renewed, what is taken from the place where the sick sheep are kept, should be buried beneath the dunghil : as a precaution against contagion. The place which contains the sick should be kept very clean. In order to dissipate the infectious smell, fumigations may be made with nitric acid, if the appartment is small. Mr. Chabert ranks among the diseases of the feet of sheep, that which is called canker, to which like the horse they are subject. This disease, which within a few years has become common, is not dangerous, and yields easily to the remedies which I have mentioned, as I have myself experienced. It is an ulcer formed upon the hoof itself whose fibres grow soft and run into a fetid matter which is blackish and reddish. The sole is sjiungy, and tlic bone of the foot rots. The sheep appears to suffer much. Mr. Chabert thinks that this disease happens when the flocks feed upon sandy soils, the sand easily insinuating itself between the scales and the small cracks occa- sioned by dryness. The treatment is the same as in the foot rot. The Spider or diseased udder. Some ewes, when they give suck, and after weaning, have their bag choked. Oftentimes, this is attended with no ill consequence, and the obstruction removes itself: but it some- times happens that pus is formed ; in some cases, the tumour even ends in gangrene, and becomes mortal. The shepherds, [113) in France, call this disease spider, either because they imagine it to be caused by the sting of a spider, or because it exteiids itself, around the point where it is first formed, over the mamil- lary glands, I attribute it to two causes : 1. to uncleanliness in the sheep- houses, or to the hardness of the soil on which tlie .old is some- times made; 2. to the blows which mothers sometimes receive from their lambs while sucking. Lying upon filth and clods of dirt, causes an irritation in the udder, which produces inflam- mation ; this may be avoided by frequently changing the litter in the sheep-houses, and by smoothing the fields. If the disorder is owing to the second cause, it cunnot be prevented but by putting less vigorous lambs to suck these tender ewes. The bags,ofthe ewes should be examined from time to time, especial- ly of such as appear to have them choked, that the disorder may be taken in hand at once, before it has made any progress. If there be a collection of matter, the parts where a loose- ness is felt must be opened ; the animals should be left during sereval days upon fresh straw , and the sore dressed with a mixture of equal parts of yolks of eggs and turpentine. If gangrene ensues, the part must be scarified and a plaster of ointment of storax applied. The Anthrax or Carbuncle. Several kinds of animals are subject to this disease ; viz horses, horned cattle, hogs and sheep. It is a gangrenous disorder, commonly fatal. Its progress is very rapid ; t!ie animals attacked by it sometimes die before it is known that they are ill. It is attributed to unwholesome drink, to too hard labour, &c. The anthrax is accompanied with external tumours remarkable for their hardness and the distance to which they spread in a short time ; very soon, if not speedily attended to, they grow black and have a fetid smell, and the animal soon dies. The anthrax may be communicated by one individual to another, and even from a beast to a man. The whole skin, the wool, hair, blood, saliva, dung, utensils, are all mediums by which contagion miay be communicated. Men have died in consequence of having bled, opened or skinned animals that had this disorder. Hardly any thing but rowels applied soon, can preserve animals which are in the neighbour- liood of an epidemic of this nature ; they may however be P [114] Blade to drink a mixture of water, salt and vinegar ; one dose containing a haiidi'ul of salt, a glass of vinegar, and six pints of water ; their fodder should be sprinkled with it at the same time. Their ordinary drink should be mixed with fine bran or barley meal, with a little salt and half a glass of vinegar to each pail When the anthrax decidedly appears, the tumours should be cauterized either with a hot iron or with caustic, so as to stop the gangrene ; afterwards, in order to make the eschar fall off, supurative ointment should be applied. The Rot. In Europe many names are given to this disease. I have observed that a lamb, only six weeks old, whose mother had the rot, contained the seeds of the disorder. I hence conclude that it is transmitted from the mother to her young. In general, it is not communicated from one sheep to another. The same cause acting upon all the sheep in a liuck, might give the disorder to the whole of them ; but thewe are always some which, having a strong constitution, escape it entirely or at least longer than the rest. The seasons in which this malady is most destructive, are the autumn and winter. — When Gilbet^t went to Spain to choose merinos for the French government, he made seven hundred of them winter in Estre- madura, the greater part of which took the rot and died. It attacks the greater part of a flock, and tlic flocks of a whole country, and sometimes every year. It is therefore an endemical disease ; it not only injures proprietors by the loss of capital, but it also aff"ects the quality of the wool, causing it to lose its strength. The progress of this disease is slow; by great attention it may be perceived or suspected at its very commencement. — The symptoms are, a languor in the animal's appearance ; all its movements are weak ; it eats less than the others, and does not mminate as well. At this period of the disease, it should be attended to ; if neglected, these first symptoms grow more violent. Still surer evidences of the disorder may be seen, by examining the eyes and mouth, which are discoloured and pale ; by laying one's hand upon the rump, which sinks ; or by ta- king hold of the animal by its hind foot, which it suffers to be held without making any resistance : if its wool be pulled, it comes out easily ; for the most part, and especially when the disorder is very far advanced, the animal has, in the evening, a watery swelling under its nether jaw, which disappears in the morning, because during the night its head is not^ as in the day. [ 115] hanging dowa towards the earth. This is one of the most striking symptoms, and it ahnost always announces approach- ing death. Yet I have known a ram come from Perpignan, where it ah'eady had such a svveUing, to the neighbouhood of Paris, and hve some time. Little by little, the animal lalls into a decline, and perishes. If the body be opened, the flesh generally is found to be livid, the intestines pale, the membranes infiltrated, water collected in the lower belly, in the chest and in the head, hydatides in these cavities and on the surface of the lungs and the liver, in the oinentum and the mesentery ; in the biliary duets are found îiver-ilukes ffascioki hepaiica)* ; the liver is pale and in a state of decomposition. This disease is therefore a true cachexy. Tiiis disease maybe attributed to the physical constitution of the sle of killing them suddenly ; but this disease acts in a different manner, and affords time to em- ploy means of cure ; most of those animals which fall victims to it resist until the eighteenth or twentieth day.* The first symptoms are a general dryness; the urine is crude and copious, and the excrements hard ; the skin is hot ; the animals are feverish, they cease to ruminate. According to these symtoms,this disease should be ranked among the inflam- matory ; this is still more evident if its progress be watched, if its termination be attended to, and if the state of the bodies of the animals which die of it be examined. The buds which sheep swallow in large quantities while feeding in the woods, fill their stomachs, which cannot get rid of them, because the powers of digestion are overcome ; these substances, being of an irritating nature, cause an inflammation which extends itself to the neighbouring parts ; the more tender the buds are, the more relishing they are, and the greater is the quantity which the sheep eat. There is but one preservative, easy to be found and to be employed ; it is, not to carry sheep into the woods when the * If any person wishes to know all that relates to this disease, he should read a memoir by Mr. Càabert, director of the veterinary school at Alfort ; it forms part of the Instructions vétérinaires, of which he is one of the authors. [120] fends begin to shoot, especially where many oaks art found, all the parts of which are very astringent ; or not to suffer them to remain there long. It has been maintained that sheep whicli feed in the woods ought sometimes to be bled, to prevent the effects of the leaves and buds which they there eat. I think it is much better to Keep them away from the woods. When the disorder appears, those which are affected with it must be dieted, and it will be sufiicient to make them take abundant draughts of clean water, until they are evidently relieved. I would also propose decoctions of emollient herbs ; but these can be employed, as I said in treating of the Genes iade, only when few animals are sick, and where these herbs are very common ; flax-seed, which is neither scarce ncr dear, ought to be preferred. When the animals begin to chew the cud again, and no longer appear to suffer, they should be restor- ed, little by little, to their usual food. Mr. Chahert thinks they ought to be bled in the jugular vein, the second or third day. Bleeding, it is true, produces a relaxa- tion, suifcrs the stomach to extend itself, and diminishes the stricture caused by the buds of trees ; on this principle, bleeding may be useful; but the fulness of the stomach, which is already weakened, docs it not require the exertion of all the strength, and consequently does it not forbid bleeding, which dimmishes the strengh ? I do not offer this as an objection, but merely as an observation. Mr. Chahert is perhaps right ; he prudent- ly advises not to bleed the hrst two days, nor when the disease is far advanced. It appears rational to suppose that sheepmay be disor- dered by eating too large a quantity of buds or sprouts of trees. They undoubtedly should be prevented from going in- to the woods, when the trees begin to shoot out. This is proper on another account ; viz. the preservation of the trees, whose growth they injure. One would suppose acorns likely to produce the same effect ; yet I have seen sheep eat them in gi'cat quantities, without any injury to their health ; I have even known a person feed two horses with them for four months, without the least ill consequence : indeed, acorns being ripe fruits and eaten lute in the season, t!icy cannot be compared to oak buds browsed at a time when vegetation is in full vigour. The Bloody Blood-disease (Maladie du Sang.) This disease suddenly attacks sheep, wthout giving any known symptoms of its approach. The animal suddenly stops [121] short, appears giddy, staggers and stumbles ; it opens its mouthy foams, and voids blood through the fundament and the urinary canal; it soon falls on its back, pants, rattles in the throat, and dies, somtimes within the space of half an hour, a quaitcr of an hour, and even of a few minutes. Thick black blood then comes out of its mouth and nostrils ; its body soon swells and putrefies. If it be opened, all the vessels of the skin will be found tuU of blood, and the flesh purple ; the spleen is swoln and full, which has occasioned this disease to be called stroke of the blood (coup de sang J, apoplexy, spleen blood ( savg de rate). Some farmers have lost by this disease a tenth, and even a fourth of their sheep. In some flocks, the sheep are liable to this disorder at all times of the year; but it is generally most prevalent in the sum- mer season: for tliis reason, it is also called, the heat. It exerts its greatest violence during the months of July and August; in September it abates. It is common in dry years, it kills the greatest number during very hot days, especially days on which storms happen ; the mortality appears to lessen in cool weather and after rain. It attacks sheep of all ages and descriptions; and especially those which have tiie strongest constitution. In sheep-houses whicii are kept too warm, sheep sometimes die of this disease during the night. The causes, besides the constitution of the individual, are, 1. the food which the animals eat, particularly during tne time when the disease is most frequent ; 2. the dryness and heat of the season when it is most apt to prevail ; 3. violent running, in the middle of the day, in summer. I have seen it prevail in a country where sheep are fed five months of the year on fodder and dry grain, and long shut up in places rendered hot by their contracted size and by a quantity of dung heaped un. In that country, they are fokled on the open plains, during the months of July and August, without any shelter from the heat of the sun. After harvest, at which time the disease prevails most, they go into fields that have been reaped, to eat what is left by the gleaners. These causes combined, give to their fibres a stiffness nrvt known to those animals which livea great part of their lime upon grass and in green pastures. By increasing the action of the Vessels, the blood is dilated ; its fluidity is destroyed ; or it is made to lischargc itself through dilferent organs ; or internal collections or extravasations are occasioned. a [ 122 ] When a sheep falls with this disease, all remedies arc Bseiess ; it has received its death blow, and nothing can save it: but the examination of the body, and the warning given by a first accident, tend to the preservation of the rest. î»îot a mo- ment is to be lost ; it is proper to bleed without delay all those which by their strength or by the vermillion colour of their eyes, lips and mouth, indicate a sanguine habit. The sheep ol this description, being the most vigorous, alv\ays go in the front of the flock; those ot a contrary habit should not be bled; great attention must be paid to this distinction. The practice of the Spaniards and oï Daubaiion is to open the vein under the eye, at the lo\>er pait of the cheek, by the root of the fourth jaw- tooth ; because this vein is very apparent. Blood may be taken from the jugular veins, from the tail, or other parts of the body. At the end of some days, if it can be done conveniently, the sheep which have been bled should be bathed several times, but not those whose eyes are dull and whose lips are ))ale ; drinks made of decoctions of sorrel, sharpened with nitre and common salt, would be proper. If the number of sheep be great, vinegar and water mustbç substituted, because sufficient sorrel could not be found. In order to prevent the evil, while yet at a distance, care should be taken to shelter the sheep from the violent heats of summer ; to let them drink frequently during that season, if ihey are pastured in dry situations; to give them, in winter, barley in preference to every other grain, and to mix with it watery leaves or roots, such as cabbage, carrots, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, beets ; to sprinkle the dry fodder with a little water ; not to keep the sheep too warm while housed ; to let them have green pasture as soon as possi])le in the spring, and not to turn them into corn stubble, immediately after harvest, without taking care to hinder them from eating much. These directions, which I have sometimes had occasion to give, have not been x^ithout success. FaUrre. The flocks in Roussillon are every year attacked by a disease ■vvhich kills a great number of sheep*. It is called falerre, a Catalonian word signifying quiekness, activitij, on account of the rapidity with which it carries off the animals that are attacked by it. I was dn-ected l)y Government, some years ago^ to go and examine it, and to point out the means which ap. * This disease, which is an endemic oi Rousillon, may possibly exist in other places ; the description of its symptoms and effects will make it known. ' [123] peared to me most proper to prevent it; the substance of my observations is as follows. No symptoms announce the approach of this disease, at least none have as yet been remarked : the inhabitants of the coun- txy where it prevails are the proper persons to prosecute this inquiry. Hitherto no symptoms are known^ except those which almost immediately precede death. The animal at first appears in a state of stupefaction ; its head hangs down ; it staggers and stumbles ; sometimes it at- tem^its to make water ; its legs are so weak as scarcely to sup- port it ; it falls upon its knees ; it then rises and reels about still more: if, at this tioie, the hand be held before its eyes, they do not move ; if by a last eftbit it gets again upon its feet, it throw» itself against whatever is near it, even into the midst of dogs, by vvhjse barking it is not terrified ; a proof that the senses of seeing and hearing are extlnjjuished ; it at length falls, not to rise again : the whole head is violently convulsed, and partieu- larly the eyes, ears and jaws, as well as the legs; the difficulty of breathing becomes extreme; it is accompanied with a ganshing of the teeth, which is heard at some distance ; from its mouth issues a great quantity of foam of a red tinge, and from the anus, green excrements, oily and almost liquid. During this agonv, the belly swells ; and, immediately after death, the swelling increases sensibly; much air is discharged from the mouth and the anus. I have not been able to obtain much light with regard to the cause of this disorder by opening the bodies of the sheep which died of it ; I have found no appearance of disease in the skull, the mouth, the oesop!iagus,the stomachs, the intestines orthetrachea; only Ihave observed some parts of the lungs a little tinged with purole, which effect might have been produced during the last p:ings of the animal. Those animals which where young, had the glands of the mesentery voluminous, as they always are in subjects of that ao-e ; the liver contained a pretty large number of liver-fiukes (fasciola hcpatica) ; I have counted ten in an ewe of seven years; the gall-bla'lder also contained some: hy da- tides also (or the trenia viseeralis) appeared in several parts of the chest and of the lower belly, and the ringed toenia in the jejunum. These animals had no symptom ofthe rot: the paunch was very large; the subtances which it contained where of a middling consistency ; and those in the intestines, liquid. In order to discover the nature of the gas which distended the paunch, I tied the posterior extremity ofthe œsophage, and the anterior extremity of the duodenum; I then pierced the i 124 ] paunch, presenting to the opening a lighted candle ; the gas took, fire and burnt with a crackling flame which was bluish, like that of burning brandy. This appearance was most remarkable in an ewe lamb of a year old, and in a thaive, one examined three hours and the other eight hours after its death, and both kept in a cool place. The sheep which died of the falerre exhaled no uncommon smell. Having in like manner examined animals which died of other diseases, or which were killed in a state of perfect health, for the markets, the air which came from their paunch was not inflantmable like that from the paunch of animals which died of the falerre. I could not learn, from the proprietors of flocks in the cotintry where this disease prevails, the exact amount of the mischief which it docs ; I found, however, that it was con- siderable. The falerre attacks sheep at almost every season of the year, but particularly in the spring and autumn ; it is much more common in autumn than in the spring. Both sexes, of all ages, are equally subject to it. The part of Roussillon where it most prevails, is Salanque, situated in the vicinity of the sea ; there are, however, tracts which are alw ays exempt from it. The animals purchased in Salanque, when once taken a- way, are no longer subject to the /aZerre, which appears to result from some sudden cause, inherent in the country, and acting only in particular circumstances. The falerre is not contagious, which is not astonishing, since it is neither of the eruptive nor of the pestilential class of dis- eases. , The opening of the bodies of animals often leads to useful in- formation concerning the causes of their death, especially when they die suddenly ; but it sometimes happens that this mode of investigation is not suflicient, and that it even occasions uncer- taintv. What perplexes the observer is, when an animal dies of one disease, to find within it the beginning of another, — From what has been said relative to the /aZerre, it appears more easy to say what it is not than what it is. In the first place, it is not an eruptive disorder ; this needs no proof: its svmptoms do nvit indicate the hlood ; it is not a phrensy, since there is no injury in the skull, nor in the stomach, nor in the [ 125 ] diaphragm ,and since the convulsions in which the animals die arc attendant upon several kinds of disease. One would be tempted to think that it is rather the rot, on account of the hyatides in the chest and lower belly, and the liver-flukes: but the rot is slow in its progress ; its symptoms precede it a long time ; the sheep attacked by it have in the evening a swelling beneath the under jaw, &c. Liver-flukes are not found in all sheep which die of the falerre ; these worms are found in many creatures which arc killed in supposed health. It is provable that those in which I found hydatides and liver-flukes, if they had not died of the/a/erre, would some day have been cari"ied off by the rot, if turned into wet pastures. I can hardly pei'suade myself that the ?"i/2g"cd ^ccmas cause the falerre, as they are small, and as they do not kill with the suddenness of an apoi)lexy the animals which are subject to them. I think it cannot be doubted that the inflammable gas (carbureted /iw- drogen J cont-à'mad in the paunch is the chief if not the only cause of the falerre. ^\\e falerre appears in parts of the country which are neither constantly wet nor very dry, 'out which are occasionally moist ened; also, when flocks are inconsiderately led to meadow-lands after rains or heavy dews, before the sun has had time to dry them. It has already been remarked that this disorder prevails more in the spring and autumn, which are the rainy seasons, than (luring the rest of the year; I may add that it has been observed to prevail most when the sea-breeze blows and scat ters moisture through the air and on the plants. This disease therefore seems to bear some relation to that which is cal led sivell'nig of the paunchy although it differs from it in some respects. It is probably owing to the nature of the herbs, which in thatcountiy, I suppose, possess qualities whicli render them liable to spoil, to be decomposed, and in certain circumstances to form carbureted hydrogen gas*. Until I went to Perpignan, no remedy had been used for the falerre ; none was known ,and indeed none was sought for; because i^c aTïimals which died of it were sold to the butchers, who bought th(mi at the same price as if they where sold alive ; the sheep were of tiie race of the country. The director of the imperial establishment has tried bleeding, without success : the same ill success attended the making an opening with a knife, either because it was not skiUully done, or because it wafv done too late, or because it is not proper in this case. It is to be regretted that this operation was not performed with a tro- * The details relative to this disease are to be found in the Annale» de l'agriculture français:: : Vol. >:iv, p. 10". [ lâG ] car; it would perhaps not always have been unsuccessful.—^ It has been found necessary to be content with preventives. — The only ones which I have advised have been, not to lead the flocks out immediately after rain or in the dew, but only when the grass is quite dry, and to give them something to eat in the sheep-houses, that they may not be so hungry as to devour too large a quantity of new or succulent grass when they go into the fields. I have been informed that these precautions have di- minished the number of victims to the falerre. I have been assured that tliis disease prevents the increase of sheep in the country where it prevails, as it destroys as many animals as are born. Sologne disease or Red disease. The tract of country formerly called Sologne, loses every year, from time immemorial, a great part of its flocks, by a disease there called the red disease. I was directed by i^overnment, in 1780, to go and examine it upon the spot, that I might give an account of it. I shall here give a short sum- mary of what I observed. The red disease always makes its appearance in the month of May ; it is at its height in the month of June ; it gTadually declines towards the end of July and the commencement of Augiist. The first symptoms are loathing, heaviness, a slow pace. — These symptoms, however, are common to many diseases. The eye waters, is dull and almost shut ; the gums, the lips, the tongue, are whitisli or livid ; the nostrils are stopped by a thick matter ; the urine does not flow freely ; the head and fore-legs appear svvoln ; the weakness is extreme. The diseased ani- mals seek the shade, as if to protect themselves from the flies, which attack them in swarms, without any effort on their part to drive them away. They either refuse to go with the rest to the fields, or they lose themselves there, and are destroyed by dogs. In the last stages of the disease, a foamy slaver comes from their mouth ; some void with their excrements, or through the nose or nostrils, a light coloured blood, in small quantities. They commonly are very thirsty, and drink copiously ; they utter notes of colnjilaini : and, when near dying, they have an unusual flow of urine. T'-ie continuance of the disease, is six, eight or then days, sometimes more, and seldom less. None of those recover which have foamed, voided blood, o^^ drimk copiously. [ isr '\ I have remarked that the mortality increases with the increase of cold ; that in warm days, few er die ; and tliat the disease abates as the weather grows milder. It is fatal particularly to animals m their first and second years. It is not certain whether it be contagious ; it probably is not. Every year the same causes exist and produce the same effects. In a number of bodies which I opened I found no signs of inflammation: the belly was relaxed, instead of being distended, as ill the blood disease or the swoln paunch ; no smell was exhaled, even when the body w as kept three days in the month of July ; all the flesh was white and infiltrated ; the blood-vessels em^ty, except the hemmorrhoidal vessels ; the pituitary mem- brane of those subjects which had bled at the nose was bloody ; the glands ol the mesentery were voluminous ; in the chest and lower belly, appearred an effusion of reddish serosity, and some hydatides ; in the liver were some flukes ; it was large, and the gall-bladder was filled with bile ; the first two stomachs contained much alimentary matter ; that in the mani/plies was dry, and in the red, fluid ; there was none in the intestines : the bladder was either empty, or contained bloody urine ; the reins were in a very good state. Is this a simple or a complex disorder ? It is certain that it bears some symptoms and marks of the blood-disease, and others of the rot. Those which it has in common with the former, are coloured evacuations, great thirst, and internal effusions of a reddish liquid. The season in which it makes its appearance is also that m which the blood disease does most mischief On the other hand, the slowness of the animal's motions, the paleness of the nostrils, lips and gums, the infiltra- tion of the flesh, the hydatides, the liver-flukes, &c. are indications of the rot: there is, indeed, no swelling Iielow the nether jaw ; but all those which have died of the rot have not had this symptom. After Viaving weighed all circumstances and compared what happens in the red disease with the appear- ances in the blood -disease and the rot, I am rather inclined to refer it to the latter.* The red disease is to be attributed to the manner in which i,heep are managed in Sologne. They are led to the fields the * All the details into which I have entered on the subject of this disease may be seen in a work entitled Observations sur jilusioura maladies dee bc^iiaux, 6vc. printed in 1782. I 128 J whole year round, in all kinds of weather, even when there is nothing to eat; they are not fed while housed, or they have so little given to them, that they frequently sufter from l/unger ; the iambs are born in a state of debiUty, and do not hnd milk enough in their mother's bag to strengthen them. In the month of May, the ewes begin to be milked, by which means, the nourishment of the lambs is rendered still more scanty. — How is it possible for animals reared with so little food to have a good constitution ? and is it not to be expected that many should die during the first or second years of their life ? The «ountry, besides, is extremely moist; the sheep-houses are low, the plants watery, which also contributes to render the sheep liable to every kind of debility. Bleeding, and cooling remedies have not succeeded, and success was not to be expected from them, as the symptoms of the diseases indicate a total loss of strength : setons, strength- ening remedies and tonics have been found .serviceable ; I have also found advantage in merely putting the animals upon a regimen of dry herbs, and especially of broom.* I have prescribed, with effect, several glasses full, for some days suc- cessively, of a decoction of alkekengi berries or winter-cherries, or of the middle bark of elder, or of sage, or hyssop, or pen- nyroyal, or of any other aromatic plant, adding to it 4 or 8 grammesof nitre for each pint of water. Notwithstanding the cures which have been effected by these remedies, they must not be relied upon, if the disease is far advanced ; they are to be used with confidence only at its commencement : probably, the sheep which I treated were in the first stage of the disorder. Preventives are principally to be depended upon. The extent of the mischief, the loss it occasions, the little skill which country people possess in the administering of remedies^ the carelessness and extreme negligence of the greater part of them, the expensiveness of drugs, and the care required ; all these circumstances demand that we should give directions how to keep off, as much as possible, the red disease. Mortality among sheep may be avoided, 1. by stocking farms with none but animals raised in parts that are known, and * By a natural instinct, sheep in Sologne eagerly attack the broom, particularly for the sake of the pods filled with seed. When they can do this, the red disease ceases. Would it cease without this food ? I will not assert it, for I believe the broom is very serviceable if used with mode- ration. It is an aperient and tonic plant. I know that in some countries they carefully gather the pods of the broom, to give them to sheep in ■winter, and that they are found beneficial. [129] not suspected of engendering the red disease ; 2. by not suffer ing the sheep to go out in bad, that is to say, in wet weather ; 3, by feeding well the ewes that are with lamb or that give suck, and their young ones, while housed ; 4. by never mil- king them ; 5. by not leading the young lambs to meadows from which their mothers arc sometimes kept ; because they are liable at an early period to lay the foundation of a rot ; 6. by hanging within tlieir reach bags of salt for them to lick ; 7. by not folding, or only during the greatest heats ; taking care to bring home and house the flocks at the approach of rain oi* storms ; 8. lastly, by keeping the sheep-houses dry. The most essential object of care is to feed the sheep well while housed. Of Colds. Some sheep are more liable to take cold than others ; sud- den changes from hot to cold ; rains ; the coolness of the night air when they are folded ; these things occasion colds among sheep. If the complaint is only a thickening of the humour which covers the pituitary membrane, the nostrils are stopped, or a mucus more or less fluid runs from them, the animals snort frequently, and raise their head in order to breathe more easily through their mouth. If the complaint extends to the wind -pipe and lungs, the animals cough and appear to suflfer more. When the disorder is light, no remedy is necessary ; it cures itself But a cold is sometimes so violent as to require nursing : the sick sheep should be put by themselves in some place kept moderately warm ; they should be fumigated with boiling water, either pure or infused with aromatic plants, in order to give tone to the enfeebled organs ; good food should be given to them, and they should not be led to the fold again until the stoppage or the cough has ceased. The precautions proper to prevent colds, may be found under the article that treats of Folds and Folding. Of the Tetanus. Young sheep are sometimes attacked by a tetanus or species of convulsion, which sometimes kills them ; it is either a symp- tom of some other disease or a disease itself, R [ ISO ] If the tetanus is symptomatic, it is cured with the disease whicli it accompanies ; if it is not, it requires a particular treat- ment. A sheep may have convulsions occasioned by the pain of aa operation ; whtn the pain ceases, the convulsion abates and finally ceases of itself I have seen several lambs seized \vith involuntary movements, especially in the legs and head ; the legs were distorted, and remained in that condition some time ; m r did they in every instance recover ; the head was agitated and drawn back. — Some recovered without the assistance of any remedy ; others, and they were the most numerous, died after languishing some time. They would not suck, nor could they be made to swallow milk, on account of the jaws and gullet being closed. This disease is, in some parts of the countiy, called cor^ds fcovlesj, in Ardèche for instance, because of the stiffness of the convulsed parts. It has been imagined that by cutting a nerve the disorder might be cured : this is not impossible ; but which nerve is to be cut ? It appears to me that if the lambs aifected by the tetanus are of a sanguine habit, it would be of use to take a little blood from their heads. However, I ofter this merely as a conjecture ; for, as yet, I know no remedy upon which reliance may be placed Of Convulsions ( Maladie convulsive) or Madness (Maladie folle.) Both these names are given to a disorder which has symp- toms common to some others. The animal attacked by it has, from time to time, extraordinary motions ; it goes as chance directs ; totters, as in the falerre and the staggers ; it falls, and its limbs are convulsed, as in epileptic fits : if it be taken hold of, it is found not to support itself, and seems to have no more strength. I have never had an opportunity of seeing instances of this disorder. From all I can learn concerning it. it appears io me to be related to what is called St. Vitus\s dance. Animals in this state are rather burdensome than profitable. Farmer» dispose of their flocks when they see them siezed by this dis- order, which terminates in death ; some, after having at dif- ferent times sustained losses from it, have been deterred from keeping any more flocks. I regret that I cannot explain the causes of this disorder. Some persons have attributed it to the soil and the fodder ; but [ 131 ] m Beauce, where it has within a few years prevailed very much, the soil is the same now ttiat it always has been ; yet this dis- ease has not been known many years. It would be easy to determine whether a change ot" food would have the desired effect. If the animals are of a sanguine habit, there is no risk in bleeding them in the jugular vein, once or twice, with the inter- mission of a few days. It would perhaps be beneficial to throw cold water upon their heads. These however are mere con- jectures upon whicli I insist the less, as the disease is not known to uic, and as I have read no description of it. Of Vertigo, Dizziness or Staggers. This is one of the diseases which at present engages most attention. The reason is easy to be conjectured. Many means are known of prcventhig the sheep pox, the rot, the blood disease, the scab, the swelled pauncn and others ; but hitherto none is known for preventing the vertigo. From all quartvirs I have heard complaints on this subject, which merit much attention. It has been thouglit that the vertigo is most prevalent in a season which succeeds a wet and mild winter, in farms exposed to the overflowing of some river, and in low sheep houses. In order to render this opinion, which may be just, worthy of im- plicit confidence, it ought to be confirmed by observations con- tinued several years. It is unfortunate that tlie symptoms of vertigo do not appear before the last stages of the disordei". If shepherds paid more attention to it, they might perhaps discover earlier symptoms : yet, in truth, this is hardly to be expected from men of so little information, who, besides, liaving many sheep to attend to at once, are not able to distinguish those which are unlienlthy, before the disease has made great progress. It would be necessary for the proprietors tliemselves to be. in some measure, the shepherds of their own flecks, or at least to see them so often as to know each individual, and to examine them in every state. Mr. Huzard does not consider the vertigo as a disease,* but as a symotom of several aftVetions. His opinion will appear well founded if it be recollected that in fac^t there are différent * Seen an interesting letter from Afr. Huzard to M". C Pictet of Geneva. Vol XXII of the Annales dr lA^i(i'ictdtnre Française. [ 132 J disorders in which the animals behave as in the vertigo : but it is more tlian a symptom when it is occasioned by ténias within the skull ; in this case, it is what is called in medicine a pathognomonic sj-^mptom. The opinion oïMr. Huzard, how» ever, may be the most correct, and does not at all contradict what I have to say respecting the vertigo. The following symptoms usually attend the vertigo ; the animal, in its walk, is irregular and staggering; it sometimes is ahead of the flock and sometimes remains behind ; it goes off and loses itself ; its head is heavy ; it turns round towards one side only, sometimes for a considerable while ; raises its head in the air ; falls and rises frequently. It then stiays in the fields and eats nothing, either because it cannot see, or because the disease takes away its appetite ; it lies senseless and stupified ; it gradually wastes away and dies. The progress of the disease is generally very slow ; sometimes however it is rapid. Mr. Yvart, professor of agriculture at Alfort, says that having, in winter, given tansy to his sheep, he had less vertigo than usual among them that year. This may easily be tried, as tansy is very common ; and, at any rate, other bitter herbs may be used in its stead. The cause of vertigo is not to be sought for in the chest, nor in the lower belly ; these cavities present no other appearances than they do in cases of cachexy. The state of the head has induced a belief that it is to be found within the skull. In fact, if it is opened after the animals death, one or more hydatides are commonly found, sometimes united, sometimes separate, formed by pretty thick membranes, which contain globular tœnias, having four suckers, and swimming in a limpid liquor. I have seen some which contained nearly a glass-full of liquid, and which occupied much room in the head. Sometimes the bone becomes thin in the places against which the hydatides press ; in this case, it almost always happens that an abundant serosity is interposed between the lobes of the brain, and fills the ventricles. A closer inspection would probably discover other particulars. It is the general belief that vertigo attacks sheep only during their second year. Some also, it is said, have it during their first year. î have been assured that sheep of three or more years old have been known to turn ; this may have been owing to some other cause. Some farmers ore of opinion that the vertigo is occasioned by a stroke of the sun while the animal is at pasture. Its head, [ 133 J as is known», is constantly held low ; bat, in this position, as the sun shines directly upon the occiput, which is hard, thick and covered with wool, especially in the merino, it can scarcely hui"t the inside of the head. Those races whose head is without wool, would be more exposed to the vertigo than the Span- ish sheep ; it would be more frequent in the south than in the north, which is contrary to experience. Disease occasioned by strokes of the sun are inflammatory, but the vertigo is not of this class. Others think this disease attributable to a deficiency of nourishment, and imagine that the young animals which have not sucked long enough, or which have not had sufficient pas- ture nor fodder, are more subject to it than others. But I have known flocks violently attacked by it, although the lambs were weaned late, their spring and summer pastures were good, and each one, when housed, had every day a sufficient portion of after-grass and some handfuls of good provender. This disorder has also been attributed to the folding of lambs late in the season, when rains are frequent and the nights long. They may indeed suffer from this cause ; but vertigo does not result from it : my flock never suffered from this disease before the year 1807, yet my lambs are always folded until the 11th of November. A distinguished veterinary,* who superintends one of the government establishments, is of opinion that the cutting of the jaw teeth contributes much to it ; but he offers no evidence. If the vertigo was merely a convulsion, a spasmodic disease, one might be disposed to think that it is occasioned by the difficulty which these teeth find in making their way. Although I do not think his opinion well founded, yet I have advised him to pursue his inquiry, and to observe attentively all that happens at this period of the animal's life. Mr. Voisin, a physician at Versailles, attributes the vertigo to a serous obstruction of the brain ; he regards the formation of hydatides only as a con- sequence of that state, which he compares to the hydrocephalus of children. This likewise is no more than conjecture. According to some German authors, a too great heat in the sheeo-houses, by weakening the young lambs, produces vertigo. Yet I have seen this disorder fatal to many that had been reared in verjr airy places, rather cokl than warm ; a great proportion of them were apparently vigorous, * Mr. Schneider, director of the imperial establishment of la Sarre- Mr. Frédéric-Charles- Gustave Gerike,n, Westphalian, pub- lished, in 1805, in German, a treatise on the nature and cure of the vertigo in sheep, which has been translated into French. This writer, after examining and discussing all the opinion* hitherto offered, embraces one which is peculiar to himself. — He maintains that the vertigo is occasioned by violent blows on the head which the animals frequently give themselves, either in frisking about, or in butting one another. During their ten- der age, their skull is thinner than when they are above two years old. These concussions wound some one of the nume- rous glands contained in the mass of the brain. The secretion of this gland being interrupted, lymph is collected, which ex- tends it so as to form a sack or vesicle, whose volume conti- nually augments ; such is his account. This theory would appear more probable than the others, if the author had told us how toenias arc formed in these vesicles, and what the glands arc of which he speaks ; no glands in the brain being known beside the brain itself; and, in the last place, why rams, whose blows are more violent than those of the ewes, are not m ore subject than the females to vertigo. No sure nor even probable means have been fallen upon as preventives against the vertigo ; means of cure only have been attenn^ited. The following are those with which I am ac- quainte d. Instead of entirely shearing the lambs, the wool has been left upon their heads until they are eighteen months old. This precaution has been found useless; several proprietors have never remai-kcd so much vertigo among their young ani- mals as when the vi^ool has been left upon their heads a year. Air. J^oisin has given to sheep, in this disorder, several doses of a decoction of madder-root; his example has been followed by several persons ; particularly by the superintendant of the iniperial establishment at Aries; some have been successful, others have not. The insufficiency of this remedy has occa- sioned it to be abandoned ; Mr. Voisin himself, who frankly owned that he considered it rather as a preservative than as a curative, has not thouglit pro[>er to insist upon its efficacy. — Since, however, it has eftected some cures, this remedy is good in certain cases which ought to be well understood*. * The receipt is ; boil an ounce of madder-root, for a quarter of an hour, in three pints of water, and make the animal dnnk that quantity each dav, hi fi\ e or six doses, at nearly cciual intervals of time. [ 135] Recourse has also been had to trepanning. This opc- 'ration, which is ea-^ily performed, has been practised upon sheep in many countries. As the hydatide is commonly on the surface of the brain, it appears as soon as the piece of bone is cut out, and it may be removed whole. I have witnessed this operation a number of times, but have never known it to effect a cure. Some of the animals lived eight days after being trepanned. Mr. Charles Fictet, a year ago, said that he had in his flock a sheep upon which Mr. Maunoir, a surgeon of Geneva, had operated more than a year before : this is a rare instance ; the animal commonly dies two or three days after. No dependence therefore is to be placed upon an operation which always or almost always fails. In consequence of accounts which have been received, that in Germany they could cure the vertigo, inquiries hav^e been made witli a view of discovering the means. The me- thod employed is to pierce the skuli, not with a trepan, which takes away too large peicesofthe bone, uncovers too great a surface of the brain, and tears the skull, but with an in- strument which is much more easily managed; the accounts received were those of the first attempts made by Messrs. Riem and Renter in 1791. The following is a description of the instiniment, and of the manner of operating, from a Memoir rear! by Mr. Morel de V'indé before the agricultural society of the department of Seine-et-Oise. It is composed of two pieces : one is a pointed rod of steel, about two inches and a half long, with a handle at one end, shaped like a pear, and at tne other end terminating in a triangular point. This rod is near two lines in diameter; and tapers a little towards the handle. The other piece is a syringe, about 4 inches and a half long and 1 inch diameter, terminated by a pipe screwed on, 2 inches long, comprehending its collar, and arranged so that the collar is of 6 lines, and the stem 2 inches. The inside of this pipe is made of the same diameter with the rod, in such a tnanner that when the latter is put into the pipe, the collar of the pipe covers 6 lines of the handle, only Ict- tina^ the point of the rod project 4 or 5 lines, to which the extre mity of the pipe is exactly fitted on every side ; this projection of the point of the rod beyond the [lipe, which embraces 6 lines of the handle of the rod, prevents the pipe from retreating any more. [ 136 ] The greatest difficulty of the operation is to discover the place where it ought to be made. The shepherd ought to examine well the sick animal ; to observe towards which side it turns; to try, by shaking its head, if he can hear in what part the col- lection of water is situated ; to feel with his thumb wether some part of the skull does not yield to the touch; to employ, in short, all possible means for discovering the place where the punc- ture should be made. If the disease has continued long, and the water is on the sur- face, the place is more easily discovered, on account of the thinness of the skull. When the place is dicovered, the shepherd must prepare three or four plasters of strong pitch well softened and spread upon bits of skin 8 or 9 lines in diameter; he must then exa- mine whether the syringe is in good order and screws tight into the pipe. He then must shear the animal's head, from the foretop to the ears, as close as possible; then unscrewing the pipe of the syringe, and introducing into it the rod, so that its point may project 5 or 6 lines beyond the extremity of the pipe, he must pierce the skull of the sheep, and push in the rod so far that the extremity of the pipe may enter with it into the skull; then he must withdraw the rod, leaving the pipe sticking in the skull. If the place has been fortunately chosen, a little water will immediately come out, which may be seen in the pipe ; then the syringe is to be quickly screwed upon the pipe remaining in the skull, and the water to be gently pumped out. In drawing the piston, some resistance is to be expected ; it is commonly occasioned by the sack which endeavours to come out ; then the syringe and the stem are to be taken gently and Avith the greatest care from the skull, and the sack which fol- lows the stem may be taken hold of by the fingers, and the hyda- tide completely removed. The syringe and its pipe may be applied several times, if one is confident of having found exactly the place of the sack, and of being able to draw it out. When the operation is ended, one of the plasters is applied, after warming it, so that it may take firm hold and completely stop the wound. [ 137 ] If unfortunately the proper place is not hit upon the first time, the operation is to be repeated, until the right place is dis- covered: each of the holes is to be covered with a plaster of pitch The animal must then be kept upon good food, not too abun- dant, and consisting of green fodder, if it can be had, if not, of the tenderest dry fodder, with a little provender every day, until a cure is elfected. The shepherd, after the operation, must carefully wash and clean the diiferent parts of his instrument, wiping and drying them with a warm clotli, and taking particular care to preserve the point of the instrument from rusting. Mr. Gerike^s method differs from the one which I have just described ; as he does not employ the syringe, but prefers a simple puncture, through fear lest the piston should draw out parts of the brain itself. He advises, after introducing the trocar covered by the pipe, to draw it out, and leave the pipe in the skull ; then, without screwing on tlie syringe, merely to incline the head of tiie animal, and let the water run out without being pumped. He tiiinks that piercing the sack by the trocar, and merely suffering the water to ran out, is sufficient to effect a cure. He then ad- vises to pour into the wound some drops of a tincture of myrrh, and lastly, as in the other method, to apply a pitch plaster. Mr. Valois, a veterinary at Versailles, has successfully tried Mr. Gerike's method, and appears to prefer it to evei*y other. Jlfr. Yvart is one of those who have made the most attempts to cure the vertigo, without trepanning ; he has varied the manner of making the puncture ; at first using the trocar, and afterwards a simple pricker or awl. His theory of the disease, and that which he has taught to his scholars, agree with the theory of all those who have reflected upon it. After many trials with the trocar, he has concluded that the awl makes a neater puncture^ and may be made to [icnetrate more or less, as the operator pleases. Mr. Yvart, his brother, his son, and Mr. Rappolt, have agi'ced among themselves to perform operations, and to make observations. Tlie instrument which they use is 4 inches long, including the handle, the iron is 15 lines. It is as thick as a goose-quill, is round, and tapers off to a point ; its point is not too sharp, that it may not break, and that it may slide easily over the blood-ves'^eI= and nerves which it may meet with. S [ 138 ] Whether the trocar or the awl be employed, the first thing is, to be certain ot the spot which must be pierced, in order to iind the hytlatide or hydatide, which are commonly in the cere- brum : if they were betw een the cerebrum and the cerebellum, they could not be reached w ithout kilUng the animal. Mr. Rappolt, in order to point out as clearly as possible the parts which may be pricked, supposes a rectang\dar figure form- ed on the head of the animal by Unes drawn from one eye to the other, [rom one ear to the other, and from each eye to the ear on on the same side of the head w ith it ; which figure would be divided into two equal parts by a fine passing from the top of the licad at right angles to the hne connecting the ears and to that connecting the eyes. Within one of these rectangles the operation should be performed. In order to render the directions still plainer, he supposes two triang'es, one on each side of the head ; the base being a line drawn from the eye to the ear, and the two sides being drawn, one from ilie eye, the other from the ear, and merting in the middle of the head at the centre line before described. Within these triangles, punctures may be made without any risk ; in this way, the middle of the head would be preserved, which must not be opened, because the animal would inevitably perish. In rams which have horns, the puncture should be made a little behind and above the horns ; it would be just the place pointed out in the supposed rectangles and triangles. The trocar possesses over 3fr. Yvarfs instrument the advan- tage of piercing only to a certain depth, and of being manage- able by persons of little experience ; but the hole which it makes is much larger, and consequently it may be more in]urious. It is true that Mr Yvarfs instrument requires a steady hand ; I should however prefer it to the trocar: when it is employed, no incision in the skin is necessary, which must not be drawn, that the opening in it may correspond with that in the skull, in order to facilitate the discharge of the water. The operator, holding the instrument firmly between his thumb and his fore and middle fingers, so as not to suffer it to penetrate deeper than he wishes, places the other two fingers upon the animal's head, that his hand may be steady, which is absolutely necessary. Too much force should not be ap))lied ; it is better, if the instrument does not penetrate deep enough tlie first time, to insert it again. The skull beinc: piprccd, the instrument is gently pressed through ; 6 or 8 lines are commonly sufficient, and often more than sufficient, when the skull is flexible and thin. The instru- m'^nt is quickly drawn out. and is followed by the hydatide, either full or empty ; it is carefully extracted, either with a pin [139] or with the fingers ; the head is turned down, to let as much water as possible run out, which is accelerated by putting a tin- ger in the animal's mouth to make him move his jaw. Some- times neither hydatide nor water comes out ; in this case, the instrument is again gently introduced without stirring it about, in order to pierce or loosen the hydatide. It is not necessary al- ways to draw out the pellicle olthe hydatide, it is sufficient to have pierced it. Messrs. Yvart and Rappolt, both before and after the operation, content themselves vvitii keeping the diseased animals separate from the rest, with no other regimen than good nourish- ment in small quantities ; they put nothing upon tlie wound, except some drops of spirit oftur])entine ; washing it with vv.ne would be sufficient. The wound must be ke})t clean ; every other day it should be opened, during a week, either by taking off the scab, or by inserting the awl, in order to let out the water which may be collected ; for the whole of it is not always discharged at the time of the operation. Mes'^rs. Yvart and Rappolt, object to the syringe for drawing out the water and the vesicle, because by employing this instrument the brain is disturbed, and even small portions of it taken away, and because the nerves and blood-vessels are torn, by which means the animals may be killed ; they think that simply dis- charging the water is sufficient to effect a cure : in this they agree with Jfr. Gerike. The frequency of the punctures does not prevent the animal from getting well. This oparation succeeds with difficulty upon rams, on account of their horns. A great proportion of the animals operated upon by Messrs. Yva7^t and Rappolt, have been saved ; a great number not radically cured, h.ive lived longer than they would have done had the disease been neglected. Mr. Yvart deems it an indispensable condition that the operation be performed only in dry weather, and that the animals be kept in a dry place. In short, if only a few individuals of a flock may be saved by this operation, it is so easy and occasions so little expence, that it is well worth attempting ; it is unfortunately pj-oved by experience that an animal attacked by the vertigo, if not attend- ed to, always dies. The oftener the operation is repeated, the greater will be the ]5erfection and certainty to which it may be Drought. 3ïr. Yvart has already performed many cures : Mr Valois, a veterinary at Versailles, is said to have been successful, as well as Mr. Petit and Mr. Louchard, both [ 140 ] veterinaries, one, of the department of la Somme, the other, at Lobjurneau. Tliis last, us I have been inlorniei d by Mr. de Neuvry mayor of Bievre, operated last year, for the mayor, up- on ibur thaives, whieh have since brought hne lambs, & are in good heaitli. A month ago, he performed the same operation upon a male lamb, which is now well. In short, out of twenty operations which he has perfoi^-med within eighteen months, nine have been completely successful. He has hitherto em- ployed the trocar. In the month of April 1808, at my house in Paris, Mr. Huzard with Mr. Desplas operated, in my presence, upon one of my thaives, which recovered completely. Mr. Huzard nvaÛQ use of a trocar, but smaller than that employed for men. I advise proprietors of merinos to make the experiment whenever they have an opportunity, particularly with the awl, that its advantages may be ascertained ; and to keep an account of the results, that they may become generally known. The success already obtained promises more ; and there is room to hope that a disease which sometimes makes havoc in fine flocks, will henceforward do comparatively little injury. — I have dwelled upon this disease longer than on the rest, because it can be attacked only by mechanical means, and because the part whence the evil is to be exth'pated is very delicate. It often happens that a sheep holds its head towards one side, appears stupid, and is restless, without having the vertigo. — This may be occasioned by a stoppage in the head ; or by worms, called oestres, in the nostrils or in the frontal or ethmoidal sinuses : I shall speak of this farther on. The animal, in this case, sneezes and snorts frequently ; a thick matter runs from the nose. Unless attentively observed, these movements of sheep may be mistaken for a real vertigo. In other disorders which have their seat in the head, oi' which affect that part by sympathy, the animals have the ap- pearance of vertigo ; as in the tetanus, madness, dropsy in the brain, &c. : but. by attending to all the symptoms, there is not much risk of making a mistake. Having or Sudden szceUing of the paunch. It sometimes happens that sheep have their paunch suddenly swollen. The common French name for this disease is empansemenf, and signifies that the evil is seated in the paunch. [ 141 ] The cause ol'itis not doubtful; it prbceeus fiom a super- abundance of food, or of some gas produced by the fermenta- tion of the matters contained in this stomach. When a tlock, after having hved for some time upon dried fodder, is suflered to remain too long in a pasture whose grass is tender and relishing, indigestions are apt to be caused in those shcc}) which eat more than the rest, or whose stomachs are weak. An excess of grain would be productive of the same consequences. In some situations, tlie same thing happens without any excess of food ; it may be caused by turning them into a pasture of clover or luzerne, or even into a field of oats or Vv'heat, wet by rain or dew : the humidity disposes the aliments to a sudden fermentation ; gases are disengaged which distend the paunch, suspend respiration and the circulation of the blood, and com- monly kill the animal in a short time. It is remarkable that sheep have hoved in consequence of having remained an hour, in winter, during frost, in a field of luzerne. I have experi- enced this in my own flock. It has been supposed that the gas which causes the inflation possesses a deleterious quality, and for this reason causes death. This is possible ; but a rapid distention is sufficient, by me- chanical causes alone, to produce gi'eat disorder and to sutibcate the animal. Some persons have attributed this complaint to the nature of the grass, pretending that luzerne and clover in particular are most apt to produce it. It is more probable that the inflation is caused by these grasses only because they ferment quickly ; for the same thing would happen if they were suffered freely to feed in fields of green wheat, oats, barley, pease, lentils, lupins, vetches, &c. In the ci-devant pays de Caux, cows (for they also are liable to this disorder) are tied to stakes in patches of clover, the only kind of meadow in the country ; so that they can only eat a certain quantity. They are removed to difl'ercnt places, several times a day, and great care is taken to let them have no more than is proper for them. They are fed in this way only during fine weather ; and they are seldom attacked by the disorder in question. The symptoms of this disease are, a sensible augmentation in the volume of the belly, on the left side ; a sluggishi.ecs in walking ; diminution or loss of strength ; stumbling; difficulty of respiration ; the animal opens its mouth as if it wished to throw up the food or the gas by which it is onnressed. When violently attacked, it struggles with the '^i«;order but a ^ew minutes, and falls down dead. If the body be opened, the [ 142 ] paunch is found to be full of alimentary matter, or the gas which is there tormed rushes out with impetuosity. Sheep may be preserved from hoving, 1. by taking care not to let them eat tt o much ; the quantity of food proper for them, as well while housed as when at pasture, may to a certain degree be determined ; (see what has been said under the articles Foddering and Pasturing) 2. by not turning tliem into meadows oi young grass, when wet ; or by not suh'ering them to remain there long, but only to pass through quickly, so tliat they may eat only the ends of the grass ; it is better that they take but" very little, and be made to pass through several times, that they may have time to digest a part of what they eat, and that the paunch may not be suddenly distended. It is custo- mary in some places, as has been mentioned, to cut clover or luzerne, or young pease or vetches, and to give them to the sheep while housed, or to put them in racks carried to the fields where the plants grow ; but what is given to the sheep is mow- ed the preceding day, that it may begin to be dry before the ani- mals eat of it. This wise precaution has been dictated by fear of the sheep being hoved. When a sheep has its belly swoln, nothing should be given to it to eat ; its mouth should be kept open by means of a gag ; it should be forced to run ; its back and belly should be rubbed, in order to drive the gas out of its paunch : in many instances, nothing more is necessary. Gilbert advises to throw it into the w^ater : I am not certain that tiiis advice is good. If the dis- order is very violent, recourse is to be had to alkaline substances, such as lie, soap water, potash, lime-water, or, which is still better, liquid ammonia. Whichever of these substances is at hand, it should be given in the following doses ; viz. of lie or lime-water, 2 decilitres ; soap-water, one glass ; liquid am- monia, from 20 to 25 drops, which the animal must be made to swallow. The dose is to be repeated once or twice, as may be needful ; some injections shoulcl also be given ; but if the symp- toms are very threatening, the paunch must be opened with a knife; and a tube, made of reed or elder of the size of one's lin- ger, introduced into the wound. The trocar would be much preferable to a knife, which cannot be so well directed. By plunging it with force, rather in a perpendicular than in a hori- zontal direction, into the middle of the left flanc, at an equal dii^tance from the last rib, the haunches and that part of the spine called lumbar vertebrte, the paunch is opened. The tube is to be pushed in, and the trocar drawn out; the air immodiately makes it escape, sometimes carrying with it matters that stop the tube, which may be cleared by means of a long probe with [143] a button on the end. The tube must be left in some time, to facihtute the escape of the gases whjch continue to be formed, until no more couie out. The circumference of the wound is tlicn cleaned with warm wine, and it is covered with a pledget of turpentine. As a trocar cannot always be procured, it is belter to make use of a knife than to let the animals die. In the mean time, to chirurgical means may be added medical and dietetic treatment ; and alkahes may be adminis- tered, as has been prescribed, and injections somewhat acidu- lou:i : the animals should be led out and made to walk ; they should be hghtly rubbed with a wisp of straw. I have had sent to me from England a tube made of iron wire covered with skin, and terminated by an oval bit of pewter, pierced with several holes conununicating with the tube. The person by whom it was sent says that, by inserting the instrument into the paunch through the mouth and the cesophagus. it enables the air to disengage itself and to escape. I odve it to a veterinary, who has assured me that he could make no advantageous use of it: indeed it appears to me dif- ficult to introduce it ; I believe it would even oppose the escape of the air, by stopping the orifice of the stomach. In the department of A.rdèche, it is said, a hoved sheep has been cured by drawing the air from the intestines through the anus, by means of a syringe. If this is true, and if the attempt is renewed with success, this last remedy would be preferable to every other, on account of its extreme facility ; syringes may be had almost every where. It is to be hoped that ithis experiment may be repeated, and an attempt made even to draw the air tl. rough the mouth. No f 'od should be given to the animal before its paunch is emi^tied, and its excrements have some consistance : its food may be gradually increased in quantity ; at first, it should be straw, after-grass, fine bran ; that is to say, aliments which will not ferment. It has been advised to give to sheep that are hoved a cold decoction of aroniati(; plants, such as halm, with 2 grammes of sulphuric ether. I do not know whether this remedy has been found successful. Worms and Insects ichicJi infest sheep. Several species of worms and insects infest sheep. The xnost remarkable worms are the tœnias ; among which may be [ 144 ] distinguished that which in French is called hydatigene, be- cause it is enveloped in a hydatide or sack containing an aqueous humour. It is also called cerebral tœnia, globular or vesicular tcenia: it has been mentioned under the article vertigo. This worm is found m various parts of the body, particularly in the head ; it appears also in the chest and the lower belly, even enchased in the viscera. Another sort of tœnia, that which is annular and sh;iped like a ribbon, is found in the intestines. The operations already mentioned are the only possible means of destroying the worms in the head: as to the annular worm in the intestins, it can be attacked only by vermifuge medicines, either taken through the mouth or injected ; but the symptoms which indicate it should be well known. The only case in which these remedies ought to be employed, is when these w^orms have been found in the bodies of several sheep that have died, and it is thence presumed that the others likewise have them. One year at Rambouillet, we gave to lambs among which we sus- pected that some where attacked by these worms, soot mixed with milk. We cannot say with certainty that those which took the remedy had worms ; but none of them fell sick ; seve- ral died before this remedy was employed. If injections are thought adviseable, decoctions of bitter herbs and oily .substan- ces, that kill worms, should be used. A species of worms is produced and grows in the nose of sheep; it is hatched from an egg deposited there by a fly. — This worm barics itself in the nose, and increases in size, to the great annoyance of the sheep. It may be discovered by the ef- forts which the animal makes to get rid of it; it holds down its head, raises it again, shakes it, snorts from time to time, and sometimes turns round as if it had worms in its brain: people are very ajit to be deceived. These worms are short, round, entirely white, except the head, on which is a brown spot. — Sometimes sheep get rid of them by sneezing. In order to make them come out more easily, or to kill them, the sheep %vhieh are infested by them arc exposed to the fumes of sulphur, or rather, of spirit of turpentine, or some other essen- tial oil. When this method is employed, it is necessary to present the fumes to the animal's nose only at intervals, and for a few moments at a time, that it may have an opportunity of breathing, and not be suffocated. The worms may die in the nose, and not be able to come out. In this case, inflammations ensue, which arc attended by ill consequences. The trepan, uhieh is of little use in tlie vertigo, is often successful when employed to extract the worms from the nasal cavities, because the skull, in this case, is not touched^ [145] Flies sometimes deposit eggs in the vlilva of ewes ; or in the wounds v\ hich rums got, m fighting, at the roots ot" tiieir horns ; or m those occasioned by bites of dogs. A Uttle spint of tur- pentine destroys the worms hatched from the eggs. We have not the same resources against the flukes which live in the bihary pores of the hver, and even in the gall-blad- der; nor against the crinodos (fdiarki cqui) which are found in the tra:;heal aitei-y and the bronchia. These worms are filaceous ; they are three or four inches loni; Tiie presence of the former may be conjectured when symptoms of t'le rot ap- pear, and the latter are indicated by a violent and frequent cough. The worms can be attacked by no particular remedy; they arc connected with disorders which favour their multiplica- tion. By preventing the disorder, the production of the worms is hindered. It remains to speak of two insects ; the tick (acarus) and the louse (pediculus ovisj. The former is most common in woodland countries ; it sticks to dogs and sheep ; it clings to them with its feet ; it cannot be removed without drawing blood from the place where it fixes itself Lice infest the different parts of the body ; cause itchings, when they are in great num- bers; torment and fatigme the animal, and make it sensibly grow lean. The latter insects are destroyed by applying some fat substance to them ; they cannot resist the impression even of tlie air, for the day after shearing they all disappear from sheep which were full of them. The English employ arsenic and corrosive sublimate. Mr. Jefferson has addressed a me- moir to the Institute, in which iie bhunes this practise, on account of tlie dangerous nature of those substances, and proposes a me- thod which appears to be good. Take a common bellows, and ada]it to its extremity a tin tul)e containing bad tobacco, which is set on fire ; let one man hold the sheep between his knees, let another open the different ]iarts of its fleece, and let a third, J)y means of the bellows, blow the smoke over all the different parts of the animal's body successively; under its belly ; upon its legs and between its thighs. It is asserted, that in eight hours one hundred and fifty sheep may be cured in this way ; the ticks and lice die in twenty four hours. After the operation, tile sheep must be kept some time in the open air, that the tobac- co smoke may not injure them*. I have often suspected that sheep swallow insects together with the leaves of plants ; especially when they go to pasture * A little snuflf, or sweepings of tobicco, pnt upon the parts containing the insects, arc said to answer every puvpo.se, T [ 146 ] v^here spiders have fhade their webs, and have caught num- bers of little cantharides, or other insects likely to corrode the membranes of the stomach. I have often been struck by the great quantities of these spider-webs and of the insects caught in tliem, especially upon wild-poppies (coquelicots), which are sometimes covered vvitli them, and I have suspected that sub- sequent mortalities ought to be attributed to them rather than to any noxious quality in the plant. It is also possible that sheep may be injured by eating plants which have been gnawed by insects, without swallowing the insects. I offer these remarks as mere conjectures, which it would be well to examine by ob- servations which I have not yet had an opportunity of making. Of Tumours, Fractures and Wounds. A flock which is well fed and well attended, is not very liable to these three kinds of accidents. But when one happens, it must be attended to. Sometimes, at the lower part of the cheeks of sheep, are seen gatherings which may be the conse- quences of disease. These gatherings are always critical and fa- vourable ; all that is necessary, is to discharge the matter which they contain, by means of a scalpel or a pen-knife, to cleanse the wound with warm wine, and afterwards to dress it with spirit of turpentine, yolks of eggs and brandy. If a sheep breaks its leg, as sometimes happens in leaping a ditch, or by means of a horse or carriage, it is easy to reduce the fracture, although it may have happened some time. For this» purpose, take two, three or four small splints of wood ; lay them over the junction of the ends of the fractured bone ; cover them with soot and whites of eggs beaten together ; wrap the whole in tow, sufficiently tight to prevent the splints from moving, but taking care not to bind it round too tight, as it might occasion a mortification. The animal must be put by itself, on good litter ; and fodder should be given toit upon the ground or in a low manger : if treated thus, it will soon recover and walk. Bv means of little boots, the legs of lambs that were bowed have been straightened. For simple wounds nothing is necessarv, if they happen when nothing is apprehended from the heat of the weather; in sum- mer they should be attended to, on account of the flies, which may be kept off by ]iutting upon the wound a little spirit of tur- pentine. Wounds occasioned by blows or bites demand more care : they should be washed with some brisk liquor, as laven- der brandy, arquebusade-water, red water (l'eau rouge)&c. For the wounds made by shearers, sec article Shearing. C 147 1 For other swellings^ see articles Anthrax and Spider ^ Of purifying Sheep -houses. During a pestilential and contagious disease among sheep, it is beneficial to keep the sheep-houses clean, to make the air cir- culate freely through tliem, and to renew the litter in them. — When the sickness has ceased, it is pi-oper to purify tne houses before sheep are put there again. Confidence had long been placed in aromatic iumigations, such as the burning of juniper-branches or berries, or resinous substances r but, in tlie present case, it is not required merely to substitute an agreeable for a disagreeable smell. Fumigations, unless they destroy the power of the deleterious gases, and the activitjr of the destructive miasmata, are of no service. Tlie inutility of such fumigations have at length been discovered, and vaporisations of vinegar employed in their stead j these have not Jt)een found more etftcacious. Tlie true means are the following: begin by removing all fchedung; open the doors and windows; wash with boihng water the racks, the mangers and the walls, to the height of three feet ; take away the ground of the floor, to the depth of 2 indies, and put new earth in its stead. After this, in order to obtain completely the end proposed, the following process should be employed; we are indebted for it to Mr. Guyton de Morveau, and it has been attended with the happiest effects. Place upon a chafing-dish of live coals a broad earthen pan containing 12 grammes of common salt a little moistened; carry this apparatus into the sheep-room, and pour upon the salt 9 grammes of oil of vitriol : shut the doors and windows, and leave the place immediately, so as not to breathe the suf- , focating vapour, which will fill the whole building : keep all shut until the fumes are entirely dispersed ; the sheep may tliea enter with safety. j^gagropila. This name is given to substances sometimes round, some- sometime s of an oblong shape, found in the fourth stomach of sheep as well as of other ruminating animals. Tliey are cover- ed with a greyish crust, and have an excrementitious smell. If one of these substances be opened, a mass of filaments will be f 148 ] found wrapped together, composed of bits of wool swallowed by the siieep when they lick themselves, or when they take from each ottier's backs ears of grain or parcels of fodder, or when they browse the leaves of !)usiies to which flocks of wool adliere. Some persons imagine that these masses are a mixture of wool, which makes the chief part, and of a very small quantity of vegetable matter, particularly eglantine. But they are found in the stomachs of animals which live where eglantine does not grow.* These substances found in the stomach have been the occa- sion, more than once, of consequences nearly fatal to suspected pei*sons ; and oi much embarrassment to the judges. Some farmers have msisted that malicious persons, with a view of injuring them, made these balls and threw them in the way of the flocks which swallowed them. Men have been iwjustly punished upon suspicion of this crime. It is to be hoped that the courts of justice will hereafter show more understandhig in their decisions, and not attribute to malice the operations of nature. These lumps of wool are made round by the pressure of the sides of the stomach ; and the juice of the stomach covers them with a crust which has been mistaken for pitch. It is not certain what effect these substances may nave upon the health of the sheep in which they are found. The veterinarîcs deem them harmless. They are found in the major part of the sheep killed by the butchers, which are apparently in full health. Others say that the a^oa^rropilae may be fatal ; they draw this inference from the quantity of them found in the bodies of several sheep which died after being in a state of debility and oppression ; from ten to sixteen have been found in one stomach ; it must be confessed that, however small they may be, so great a number in the fourth stomach, which is not large, must greatly impede its functions ; and although the animals, upon being opened, showed no other unhealthy symp- toms, it connot be denied that their death might have been occasioned by these substances. Admitting that aegagropilae cause sickness, the only way of pi'cventing them is to keep the flocks away from bushes, and to place the racks in so erect a position that the fodder may not fall upon the fleeces. I do îlot think any medicines can reach the fourth stomach, and dissolve such compact masses of wool. These medicines would be lost among the substances contained in the three »i i I — — — * Sometims. lambs, when their mothers have wool around their teats^ swallow some of it. The shepherds should be careful to remove it, [149] other stomachs, or they might occasion disorders worse than the ongiaai evil. In order to know every thing relative to iegagropilae, consult a very good tract by Mr. (. Iiabert in the Instructions vttérù naires. This subject has several times been treated in the Annales de Vagriculture française, particularly in vols XXIII, XXVII and XXXIX. Of Shepherds and Dogs. I shall terminate this work by an article which might as well have been placed at the beginning. Good shepherds are so necessary, that unless they can be procured, line flocks are not to be hoped for. Those who judge only from appearances, think that shep- herds have nothing to do ; because tliey see them wandernig slowly about the country with their flocks. In some parts of the country, the shepherds knit ; but they would do better to give up all such occupations as may withdraw their attention, which ought to be incessantly bent towards their flocks. — Besides, all their labour does not consist in leading the sheep to the fields and tending them while there. The iullovving details will siiow that they have much to da in the coucse of the year, and that even those moments are not lost in which they are supposed to be entirely idle. Shepherds are divided into travelling and sedentary ; some duties are common to both, and some peculiar to each. In several parts of France, the travelling shepherds conduct their flocks, in the summer, to the mountains, and bring them back, to pass the other seasons either on the farms of their owners, who house them and feed them with fodder laid up for the purpose, or in parts where the grass grov\ s, such as la Crau d'A.rles, the seacoast in the department of Var, &e. Tliese latter flocks remain in the open air all the year round. The travelling shepherds, being almost continually at a distance from their fmployers, have opportunities of connnitting great frauds, Care should therefore be bestowed in the choice of these men, and it would be proprer for the master to go uom time to tine to the place where they are stntioncd. to overlook them, and mjke them render and account of themselves ; it would be desirable even to have a confidential person constantly with them. The business of shepherds, dnrifig their journies and their abode on the mountains and in the low country, has been already described. [ 150 ] It is customary, in many places, to give the shepherds vei^ trilling or no wages, but to permit them to have in the flock a certain number of sheep maintained at the cost of the master : the increase of these sheep and their wool belong to the shep- herds, who do not even pay for the shearing. This custom is atteiidcd with many ill effects : men siiould never be put in situations where they may cheat with ease and impunity.— The shepherd's sheep are always in good condition, their wool is the handsomest and most abundant ; they seldom die ; the dogs, to whom they are well known, suffer them to feed in the ricliest pastures, and often in forbidden places ; the shepherds themselves carry to them into the fields bread from the house ; in the sheep house, the best fodder is always given to them. — • Lastly, there is danger that, if the shepherds lose any of their own sheep, they may replace them by others which may introduce some disease into the flock. In some places, propri- etors permit, not only shepherds, but all their other servants to have sheep among their flocks. No greater abuse exists, as înay be easily imagined. Proprietors of fine flocks no longer suffer such mixtures and prefer giving to their shepherds and other servants good wages and presents. A shepherd should never kill a sheep without the order of his employer, nor be permitted to have the skins of those which die, nor should he be employed to buy or sell sheep, unless his in- tegrity is well approved. Since merinos have come into high repute, it has been dis- covered that shepherds, during the season of folding, sometimes lend out, in tiie night, the rams, to cover sheep in the neighbour- hood ; that they exchange full blooded animals for such as are mixed; that others sell lambs just yeaned, under pretence that, the ewes had cast their young, or that the lambs had died. It is desirable for a shepherd to know how to read and write ; that he may make memorandums, and examine, from time to time, the number of sheep in his flock. If he cannot read and write, his memory must supply the deficiency. Some shepherds not only know the mothers of all the lambs, but the qualities of each remaining individual, and those of their ancestors, whether sold or dead. "The marks by which they are able thus to di- stinguish them, are peculiarity of shape, different shades in the colour of the wool, spots, differences in the thickness of the wool, the size, the maimer of walking, the sound of the voice. I have known a shepherd who, when his flock returned from the fields towards evening, could take the lambs, when they were weary and perplexed; and give them to their several mo- [151] thers, without any hesitation. I knew another who, in the morn- ing, before entering the sheep-house, if he heard an ewe bleat as if she liad lambed dui'ing the night, could tell which one it was, without seeing her. Habit even teaches to know the age of a sheep by merely looking at it. If, however, it be requisite that a sheep should not be confounded with the rest, the shep- herd marks it, either in its ear or on some other part of its body. A good shepherd is distinguished particularly by his mana- gcment at the time of yeaning ; which is the most interesting Ïeriod to the owner, because his property is then increased, — ÏMring all this time, a shepherd ought not to quit his flock ; he would do well even to sleep in the sheep-house. When an ewe lambs with difficulty, he should assist her : — for the most part, it is sutticient that he introduce his fingers, greased with butter or oil, his nails being pared close, between the orifice of the vagina and the head of the fœtus. The mother should be assisted only when she makes efforts to extrude her young one. At the time of bringing forth, the foetus presents the end of its muzzle, which projects, like a wedge, from the opening of the matrix ; the two fore feet arc under the muzzle, and the hind ones folded under the belly ; they stretch back as the lamb comes out : such is the natural position. Sometimes lambing is difficult and even impossible. Tliree wrong positions render it difficult: 1. when the foetus presents the top or one of the sides of its head, the muzzle being turned; 2. when the fore-legs are folded under the neck or streched out ; 3. when the umbi lical cord passes in front of one of the legs. In the first case, the shepherd must push back the iiead, and draw the muzzle towards the opening of the matrix ; in the second, he must en leavour to find the forefeet, and to bring them to the open ing, or to bring out the head, and to draw after it the two fore- legs, or only one of them^ that the shoulders may not present too great an obstacle. In the third case, the cord must be broken, without regard to the placenta, which comes out of itself when the lamb is dropped. After the lamb comes out. if the placenta were not to follow, it would be necessary to draw the cord, in order to detach it ; it should be removed at a distance from the mother, that slie may not eat it*. It is verr necessary that all the motions of the shepherd be gentle, which unfortunately is seldom the case ; these men are apt to be so violent as frequently to hurt both the mother and her young one, * Every ewe would not eat her placenta ; but some liave this sort e\ appetite; thy find a taste in it which please; them. [152] If the opening at the pubis is not sufficiently large, or if the fœtus is of a great size, or if it is still more badly placed than in the three preceding cases, it is impossible for the ewe to lamb ; nothing can be done but to cut the fœtus and extract it piecemeal, in order to save the mother : but great precaution is necessary, to avoid wounding organs of great delicacy and sensibility. The shepherd, before he goes to the fields, should examine his ewes, and leave at home such as, by the largeness of their bag and other signs, appear to be near lambing ; he should place them in a separate enclosure ; and he should do the same at night, if necessary, when he goes his last round. Lambs dropped in the fields in the winter season are liable to be frozen ; this must be guarded against as much as possible. The shepherd should be provided with a little pocket, in which to keep from the cold any lamb that may be dropped unexpectedly, until he returns to the house. Two things may happen, which should be prevented ; the iamb of an ewe that is too sick to suckle her young may leave its dam and suck some other ewe, or be entirely neglected in the midst of the flock ; or the sick ewe may be sucked by some other Iamb that takes adv^antagc of her weakness, so that her own, aftei" it is dropped, finds nothing in her bag: the shepherd must hinder this, by putting into a separate enclosure the ewes which are likely to lamb during the night. Tliis sepai-ation is pecu- liarly necessary when any ewes lamb latter tlian the rest ; for there is then danger that the stronger lambs may deprive those which are just dropped of the milk of their mothers. It is not uncommon to see a lamb suck an ewe which has just lambed, by passing between her hind legs; it becomes so im- pregnated by the matters that issue from the ewe as to deceive her, and she adopts it cither alone or together with her own. — When ewes return wet from the fields, they cannot always dis- tinguish their own lambs ; for the little creatures, getting under the fleeces of their mothers, cover themselves with water, which prevents the emanations by which their mothers distinguish them, A good shepherd may prevent the greater part of these evils; he cannot be expected to prevent them all, if the flock is numerous. When a lamb is just dropped it ought to be particularly attended to; as it grows stronger, it can take care of itself. If an ewe has nq^milk, or if she dies at the time of lambing or soon after, tlie she])herd must give her lamb to an other ewe (hat has lost her young or that is able to suckle two. If an ewe that is f'^eble brings t\^o lambs at once, he must take one away, [153] and give it to another ewe, or feed it with milk, by means of a sucking-bottle; or it may be put to a gout: I and a goat vviuch reared four lambs for me. The cares of a good shepherd, during the time of yeaning and suckling, are not confined to thosj which I nave already mentioned. He must milk the ewes wliose bags, in conse- quence of being choaked, are so painful tliat tney no not permit their lam!)s to suck; or he mast imtigate tne tumours oy means of emollient applications; he must givetie iumos mdkto drink, and not restore them to their dams until tliey are relieved; he must bring the abscesses to suppuration, if any are formed in the bag, and open them when ripe (See the article Sj^ider) ; he must take otf tiie hair ai'ound the teats, and clear them of whatever matters obstruv^t them ; he shouid keep tiie liock near the house, when a number of ewes are about to lamb, and should give to those which drop their young in the fields time to recover a little, and not remove the rest from tnem, as this might render them uneasy. Some ew^es not only do not seek their lambs, but even drive them away when they approach to suck : this is either because they are devoid of natural instinct, or because their bag is ticklish. Tic shepherd, when he perceives chis. must put their lambs to tiiem every time they retui'n from the fields, and, if necessary, raise one of their hind-legs, tliat the young ones may be better able to get at the teats ; he may in this way commonly succeed. The same end is answered if the mother and her lamb be left a day or two together in some separate in- closure. When an ewe does not lick her new-dropped lamb, the shepherd must induce her to do it, by sprinkling salt upon the lamb ; if she still refuses, he must whipe it with a little hay. One of the chief merits of a shepherd is to know how to rear the greatest possible number of lambs from a certain number of ewes. Mine has reared, from one hundred ewes, ninety -six lambs, and noneofthi'.m twins. A lothcr, from the same number of ewes, has had as many as one hundred and twenty Iambs; but many of the ewes yeaned two at a time. It is proper that tlie fodder of dried grass be prepared before the sheep go into the house ; they arc thus prevented from in- haling and swallowing dust, and their fleec-^s from being dirtied by the stuff which flies about in the air. The shepherd should U I 154 ] leave his flock in the farm-yard while he is filling the racks, if he dues it .luiisell ; but it would be better to have every thing done before tne return of the flock. Tiie proprietor must direct the quantity of food which is proper to be given. Suepherds are often lavish of it, with the view ot rendering the animals finer, not considering whether the advantage be ui proportion to the expense, nor whether this superabundance of food may nut be tatal. We have already given directions with respect to weaning, docking, cutting on the horns, castrating, marking, foddenng, tending the shee[), leading them to pasture, folding them, and ti'avelhng with them. A shepherd should know how to shear well, that he may do itvN'hen no professed shearers are to be had, or when it is requir- ed to take oft the wool of sheep that die between one shearing and another, or of such as are sick and begin to drop their wool. He should also be able to skin those which die. In places where it is customary to wash the wool while upon the animal, this operation is performed by the shepherds. If the weather is wet, immediately after shearing, the shepherd must keep his flock for several days in the sheep-house. When it is inconvenient to keep the rams separate, the shep- herd must hinder them from covering the ewes, except at the pi'oper season, by tying a piece of cloth under their bellies, large enough to reach the ground. In many places, it is usual to fold sheep. This operation demands care on the part of the shepherd : besides being on his guard at night against thieves and wolves, he ought to know how much manure the ground requires. A skiliul shepherd knows of what size to make his fold, and how to make the ani- mals dung wherever he pleases. Although nature has given to sheep, as well as to other ani- inals, an aversion for substances which are injurious to them, yet they may sometimes happen to eat them, either through hunger, or because the noxious substances may be mixed with others which conceal them ; it may also happen that plants, otherwise wholesome, may be injurious when eaten in too great quantity. A shepherd should be careful to know the places \> here plants of the above descriptions grow, and should l^gulate his conduct accordingly. [ 155] Shepherds generally make their sheep move too fost ; what is but slightly felt t)y wethers and cv\es that are not with lamb, may be a serious distress to suchasare, and to the lambs. It is better for the shepherd to go before than to follow his tloek. The implements of a shepherd are a crook, a whip and a stick. The crook is composed of a wooden handle, 5 or 6 feet long, at one end of which is a small iron spade a little hollowed like a spoon, at the other, an iron hook. With the spude the shepherd t'nrows lumps of earth at his dogs or sheep, a;.ri may use it to cut sod,\\ith which to make shelters for himself. W.th the hook he can stO[) u sheep, by catching (me of its hind- legs in it. The whip is necessary, especially in summer and at t-ie time of iolding ; in the middle of the night, it awakens tlie sheep more eifectually than the voice of the shepherd or the bai-king of the dogs The stick serves as a support and defence; it should he thick and of "iiard wood. In the sout!>, the Shep- herds make use of ncitiier crook nor whip, because they have less to attend to and du not fold their sheep. To the above accoutrements must be added a scrip ; which is a leathern pocket divided into several parts, in which are kept, bread, a lancet and a scalpel ibr bleedhig and opening gatherings, a scraper to take off the scab-pimples, thread and linen for wounds. The above are nearly all the things which a shepherd needs in the fields. In Normandy, on the sea coast, where showers are frequent and sudden, the shepherds carry upon their backs, by means of a strap, a sort of covering, made of light wood and rye straw, placed in a sloping position, and deseeding below the loins : when rain falls, they turn their backs to the wind, and nre protected from t'le wet, which runs off along the straw. The Shepherd can even sit down and rest upon a small board attach- «{l to the frame, and \\ hieh he props up witli a stick. Shepherds who migrate, always slet^p in the 0])en air ; tliey wrap themselves up at night in a cloak or other covering, and stretch themselves upon the ground. Tiiose which are stationary and watch their flocks during the night, rest in huts fixed upon wheels, 1)y means of which they may be moved when the place of tlie fold is changed ; they must be so near the inclosure that every thing which passes within may be distinguished. A hut is commonly made 8 feet long, and 3 or 4 feet wide ; it must be as large as this to hold t^vo men. It is roofed so as to keep out the rain ; and it as two doors, one on each side.— [ 156 j If the shepherd has more than one dog, one sleeps under the hut, the otiiers around the told. It is desirable in a shepherd that he understand all the dis- eases to which sheep are liable, and still more so that he know how to prevent them. From what has been said, it appears that the business of a shepherd requires intelligence, zeal, some knowledge and great attention. He should also have bodily strength, that he may be able to fodder his sheep, to carry them at times, to remain a long while and even whole nights upon his feet.* It is for the advantage of proprietors that their shepherds be exempt from the usual prejudices which oppose every kind of improvement, and particularly of flocks. Such men are rare, and tliey must be formed. Two years ago, agreeably to a report which I addressed to the minister of the interior, he determined that there should be a school for this purpose in each of the establishments belonging to government. As the men engaged in this business perfectly understand every thing relative to the management of sheep, persons sent to these schools will not only imbibe no errors, but will lose their improper prejudices. This is proved by those which have been instructed at Rambouillet; they are the best shepherds in the world. Such is the influence, in this respect, of that justly renowned establishment, that even those shepherds vvhicli accompany tlieir employers there, at the time of publie sales, return with a disposition to do better, after having seen the manner in which the flocks are there kept. Dogs are often injurious ; they wound and even kill the sheep. The Spaniards make use of tame wethers which, at the sound of tlie shepherd's voice, lead the whole flock, or divi- sions of it. in any direction that is required. What hinders the greater ]iart of our shepherris, at least in some seasons, from imitating this practice ? The utility of dogs cannot be denied, in counti'ies where the cultivated fields are various and separa- ted, and wherever much activity during the day and great vigi- lance at night arc requisite. Two kinds of dogs are made use of by shepherds ; one kind is large, strong and active, intended to keep of the bears and ^ In many parts, the care of flocks is enti-usted to children of either sex ; and if a person past the age ot childhood be chosen, it is commonly one that is fit for nothing. The introduction of merinos should change this practice every where. [ 157 ] wolves; the other, small, bat quick, sharp and intelligent; the dogsoftliis lutter sptcies, when ordered, niuke the sheepmove, as a colonel manœuvres a regiment. The former are the guards of the flock against enemies; the latter are the guards of pro- perty against the flocks. Instinct alone instructs the large dogs; it is susticient if they possess courage; the others re- quire a particular education. To get good ones, the first thing- is to choose those of a propper race; tiiat, called shephcrcVs dog is the best. At the age of six months their education is begun, and continues till they are a year or fourteen months old.— While they are in training, they should not be permitted to run after the sheep with the otlier dogs ; they would be entirely spoiled. The shepherd must keep them lashed, and send them out by themselves, that they may not be chstracted. He must punish them whenever they are disobedient and bite the sheep; ofttimes he finds it necessary to break their fangs. When he practises a dog, he must place himself near the flock, and re- tire from it by degrees as the dog improves: at length, it learns to run without tail to any distance to which it is ordered. Dogs, as w^ell as other animals, have different tempers, which must be studied : some require to be caressed ; with others nothing can be done without beating. Among the latter, some are suilen ; these are good for nothing. The best are those which, aftar being beaten, fau n upon their masters. I have seen some which would go only on the right or the left side of the shepherd ; this rendered it necessary for the shepherd to place himself in such a stituation, with respect to the flock, that the dog might always be on the side to which he was accustomed ; this was a fault in the training. A dog, in countries where are many cultivated fields to be preserved, does not last ten years, because he wears himself out. If the land is smooth, and the pastures extensive and level, he lives longer. A good dog obeys punctually, is tender of the sheep , vigilant and even cross, w hen about the fold. CONCLUSION If my object in this work had been to give a complete treatise on sheep, I should have made it Jiiuch more extensive ; I shouki not have been at a loss for materials ; but I have confined myself to what I thoug!it useful; and although some things may have escaped me," I think I have not omitted any thing essential. [ 158 ] I have been prompted to this work by the consideration that I have peculiar advantages to enable me to pcrtorm it : I have passed a great part of my life in the countiy, in the midst of farmers^ shepherds and flocks, constantly engaged in inquiries and experiments relating to every branch of agriculture, I have been so circumstanced as to be acquainted with the Ram- bouillet merinos from the beginning, in the first introduction of which I was engaged ; the place which I hold occasions me to have constant communications with the persons who superin- tend the establishments belonging to goverment ; and, for ten years past, I have paid great attention to a flock of my own, which is not far from the capital, and which has thriven under my care. I therefore have it in my power to establish, upon experience and observation, the precepts which I offer. With these advantages, I flatter myself that I have con- tributed something to the information of agi'iculturalists and proprietors of sheep. If my hope is not fallacious, and if this work proves to be of any use, I shall enjoy the satisfaction of having contributed to the improvement of our rural economy ; among the objects of which our flocks are not the least important. TNE END APPENDIX. FEVER. Tliis disorder, whether putrid or inflammatory, is very dan- gerous ill a iiock. Its symptoms are a dryness oi the mouth, inflamed eyes and hot feet. If the iioek feeds in a dry, open country, strewed with strong-scented herbs, and scorched by the heats of summer, it is subject to inflammatory fevers. It is proper, as soon as tlie disease manifests itseh', to bleed the animal plentifuUy in the vein under the eye, and to repeat tlie op^-ration the same day, in the same place ; or it may be done by cutting the ears across. No food should be given the Hrst day ; and the two succeeding days, moderate quantities of warm water mixed with a little meal, small doses of a decoction of liquorice root, and copious injections of a decoction of mallow- leaves. The sick animal should be kept in some place of shel- ter, until it is entirely cured. Mild, cooling and emollient herbs arc very benefK'ial ; such as the leaves and flowers of mallows, beets, St. John's root, sorrel, grounJscljSOw-th istle, chick-weed, succory, lettuce, turnip and beet leaves, Ifthe flock, instead of pasturing upon high ground, lives in a rich, shaded and moist country ; in this case, bleeding might increase the fever, which, in such situations, is often of a putrid or malignant nature. Bitter and purgative plants, fresh cabbage- leaves, peach leaves, and those of the plum tree, betony, fuma- tory, patience, wild suxîcory, are very properly prescribed. In case these remedies cannot be procured, a grain of treacle (thériaque) in half a glass of white wine and as much water, may be substituted. The proper drink is water mixed with honey and a little vinegar or verjuice or sorrel juice, or juice of bar- berry. The proportions are, the sixteenth part of a pint of vinegar, and one ounce oi honey, to ten pints of water. If a sheep is very thirsty, drinks a great deal, and does not recover from its fever in three or four days, the owner may expect to lose it. It is said that half a pound of common ashes and two nounds of water make a salutary drink f)r a sheej). The ashes are left in the water for twenty four hours ; the water is then pour cd ofl\ and given to the sheep. [2] Lime-water, cautiously given, is also proposed. This is a uew idea ; and appe;ars to me to be a very happy one. I be- lieve iime -water may be very serviceable in rich soils, and du- ring very wet seasons, in every country. Measles (Rougeole) This is an epidemic disease, which soon manifests itself by boils of a purple colour, wheuce isssues an infecting mattm", when they are ripe. The wool is stained by it, and at the trnie of shearing, flocks which have had the measles may be distin- oiiished. If it breaks out in a flock, it is rare for any of the sheep to escape. The less vigorous sheep, if unattended to, commonly die. The external remedy is, to wash the pustules with strong vi- negar in which rosemary is boiled ; wme may de substituted for vinegar. The internal remedy should be employed only when the di- sease is quite confirmed ; as its effect is to drive the humour to the skin, and to hasten suppuration ; which to me appears useless, at least during the first stages of the disease ; but which I think must be veiy useful when it is seen that the sheep have notinternalstrengthenough to expel to the surface the princi- ple of the disease: this often happens in rainy winters ; especially in wet places. The remedy is as follows. For one hundred sheep, take four ounces of treacle (thériaque) and two large handfuls of betony ; heat them together on hot ashes, for twenty four hours, in two bottles of white wine srengthened with two glasses of brand}' making together a quarter of a botde. — Strain this infusion through a cloth ; and let it be given in doses of tliree soDonfuls for each ewe or wether, and of two for each lamb. The flock must swallow this strengthener in the morning, fasting, and must eat nothing for twenty four hours after it During the operation of this medicine, the sheep-house should be kept a little wai-mer than usual ; the day following, the flock should not be conducted into the fields unless the weather is very fine ; in which case, it should be left two hours in good pasture, and before its return the whole floor of the sheep house should be spread with abundance of fresh litter ; if the weather is cloudy, rainy or foggy, good hay must be put into the racks for the sheep. This disease bears a great resemblance to the small pox among men. Inoculation would be the only way to prevent its ravages. [3] Apoplexy. Tliis disorder is of allthe most destructive to sheep in BeiTy ; it prevails at all seasons, but cumtnonly begin s its ravageas about the middle of summer, when the great heats are about to be succeeded by the dam, is of autumn. Tue blood of the sheep becomes thick, inconsequence oi too much green food, of tue dryness of the suuimer season, of the heat of the sun in a very o;)en country, of violent sweating in close sheep-houses, of want of attention in the inhabitants, wlio do not send out their shepherds early enough in the morning, nor make tliem return before the heat of the day, and who are not careful to prevent their flocks from returning to pasture until an hour and a half or two hours before sun set ; in consequ mce of the pernicious practice of turning the flocks in fields of grain, as soon as the sheaves are taken away ; lastly, in consequence of the want of abundant and pure drink. All these causes contributf to hinder insensible perspiration ; the humouis thicken ; the blood becomes adulterated by heterogeneous particles ; its course is impeded ; the apoplectic stroke soon omes, and kills the ani- mal in ten minutes, after violent convulsions and an univei*sal tremor. This destructive disease does not attack a flock without giving notice by symptoms which an intelligent shepherd miy perceive. The sheep appear less and less lively ; they do not {)lay about ; their eyes are not so bright as usual ; their wool ooks dull ; and they eat with a kind ot indifference. A careful shepherd, when he perceives these symptoms, immediately bleeds the whole flock. He repeats the operation the succeether serous. T.ie serous apoplexy is the most deadly ; it almost always leads to putridness, even if the ani- mal escapes Irom immediate danger. In this case, bleedaig affords no relief ; it would be desirable to excite vomiting, but it seems impossible to accomphsh tliis in ruminating animals ; purging is but a poor substitute ; it should however be tried, and the dose should be composed of a drachm of cream of tartar in a glass of whey sweetened with a little honey ; this dose should be repeated several times a day, as long as it appears to produce a favourable change. Though sheep cannot be made to vomit, they may be made to thro^v up a great deal of phlegm and slime, by a mixture of equal quantities of vinegar and water, which they swallow without giving much trouble, by means of a little bottle with a long neck. The quantity of vinegar for each sheep is the two and thirtieth part of a pint, that is, a quarter of what is called a glass throughout this work. The kind of apoplexy may be conjectured by examining the fibres around the white of the eye. If they are of a bright red, the apoplexy may be considered as sanguine. If they are pale, the apoplexy is almost certainly serous, and bleeding injurious. Pur ng is proper for both kinds, and the same regimen answers for both. It is easy to determine why diseases arc so often epidemical among sheep. The less animals differ from each other, the more general are the effects produced among them by the same causes. Now what difference ever exists in the habits of the sheep of the same flock ? None ; there is scarcely any in their features. They seem destined to absolute uniformity in their pleasures and their pains. Another species of mortal apoplexy, but less epidemical than the preceding, is what is generally called in French le coup de sang du toit. The heat of the sheep houses increases the fermentation of the animal's humours, and disposes the blood to rush violently and copiously towards the breast. [5] Wlien a sheep is attacked by this disorder, its eye is very dim, and its sides very hollow ; it hangs its head, breathes hard, complains much, and dies in a short time, it" not speedily re- lieved. Copious bleeding is the remedy. Every other, unattended by this, is useless ; but this, if immediately employ- ed, is sufficient. I have however observed that the animal is sooner out of danger if, after bleeding it, it is plunged three or four times into very cold water. This accident, which cannot be entirely guarded against, shews that a proprietor ought not to neglect to visit often his sheei) houses, to have all his flock washed several times a day, and to observe it attentively when it lirst quits the houses. T le sick sheep should be bled out of the sheep-room, and not suffered to go in, until a perfect cure is accomplished. If the animal remains heavy and disincline*! to eat, it should be separated from the tlock, and kept two days ^vithout food. Attention to the quantity and quality of the food given to ani- mals should be the principal remedy for their complaints ; and a perfect cure is often effected merely by abstinence. But very powerful must be the influence of a person who can persuade country people to believe this. Another kind of apoplexy, combined with the effects of indigestion, is called Ic coup de sang des champs. This rapid disease makes the sheep swell and totter. It is very fatal, as well as the kind just described. Bleeding is proper ; but it is not so effectual as in the other apoplexy. I am confirmed in the belief that it is accompanied with an indigestion ; first, because it attacks the animal in the fields, and scarcely ever until it has been there some time ; secondly, because quick motion is beneficial ; thirdly, because the cold bath often succeeds, when bleeding has been found of no service. In these last two species of apoplexy, it is always a bad symptom when the animal does not bleed freely ; and it is almost a sure sign of recovery if, on coming out of the cold bath, it shakes itself carefully, and voids its excrements. A too great abundance of blood occasions this disease ; but it is not to be supiiosed that vigorous sheep are not able a long time to endure this superabundance. A single fact will serve to shew their strength in this respect. A well informed man went to a farm to purchase rams. He chose one that had very fine wool, that was very tall, with a fliin body, and tlic vein around whose eye indicated an ab»n- [6] dance of Wood. The farmer acknowledged that it had bee» lean and dejected for four months. The purchaser said to the farmer, who seemed surprised at his choise ; " I shall send a curt to morrow ; put into it all the rams which I have chosen ; if this one ceases to eat freely, slit both his ears across without delay ; he seems to lie oppressed by blood." The purchaser received the animal safe. He immediately had it bled freely. The ram recovered his spirits ; yet a fortnight afterwards it had an apoplectic stroke, and was bled more copiously than at first. This ram has since become a very noble one, and has been in perfect health. Sheep are less liable to a superabundance of blood, if they are made to move a great deal while they eat. This continual exercise facilitates digestion ; and the blood is purified at the same time it is renewed. Sheep would generaUy be attacked by much fewer diseases, if country -people could be taught how greatly cold and cltanliness contribute to strengthen them ; how necessary it is for them to have a variety of pasture ; and how beneficial exercise is to every thing that breathes. Indigestion caused by rich Pasture. It sometimes happens that in the spring of the year sheep eat too greedily of young grass, which sets their blood in such a ferment, that, while in foil health, they suddenly stand still, swell prodigiously, fall down, and die in the space of fifteen minutes. One montli of May, I had a whole flock attacked by this dis- order. 1 had five or six of them bled under the eye ; which only served to hasten their death. I tried oil and several other remedies. All were of no eftect. The danger was urgent, and I expected to lose the whole flock. Fortunately, a work- man was present to whom the disease was familiar. He told me that he had known good effects to be produced by bathing all the sick sheep three of four times successively in very cold water, and by making them afterwards move about without intermission until they were tired. My flock was immediately plunged, again and again, into cold spring-water, and forced to i-un. The disease immediately went off. We should at all seasons beware cfî the young grass of pas- tures where sheep remain a long time stationary through choice,^ and eat with avidity. We should above all beware of the suc- culent grass of the month of May. After a long privation, the sheep find themselves invited to enjoyment, and they indulge to excess. P7] Dysentery. This disorder seldom attacks sheep except in rich pastures which contain no acid herbs. Their bowels are very loose ; which commonly makes them sick, except at the time of the new grass. They sometimes void a little blood ; they become weak, feverish, and suffer a great deal. Treacle rendered pur- gative by a small quantity of tlowers of sulphur ; water mixed with a little vinegar in the mangers, together with some honey and barberry-leaves as food ; and afterwards the use of the pre- servative juniper powder, which I have promised to descnbe in the following pages ; these things are proper for this di- sease, which is sometimes epidemical, often mortal, always infectious, produced in autumn, and renewed by moisture. The Scab or Red Tetter. Every part of a sheep's body is liable to be attacked by this disease, which may be radically cured, if attended to. It i5 more obstinatt' on the lips and nose than any where else, be- cause the animal rubs those parts while eating. It is occasioned by want of cleanliness, by bad food, by want' of care of every kind, and it may be communicated to a whole, flock in a very short time*. Mr. dc C/j a m'aZo??, author of the Manuel des champs, pre- scribes an ointment composed of oil of hemp-seed, roche-aluni and native sulphur; or wine in which antimony has been washed. He moreover proposes, if the disease attacks the whole bod}' of the animal, to wash it with lie. and to wash it afterwards with camphor boiled in olive-oil. The " Gentle- m in farmer " advises to dip a brush into soap-lees, and to rub the animal with it, and to comjilete the cure by an ointment composed of equal parts of tar and lard. * It is poss'))le to cure even the violent lizard-itch (lézard démange- aison), wliich is without exterior pimples, furrows the bodies of sheep, makes their wool fall out, and is catching. But 1 should think the cure of this kind of itch the most certain m the month of May, and I should ad- vise the followiniç precautions Shear the sick animals completely, lest any pimples should remain concealed under the wool; let them be then conducted to a dry pasture, or fed with good fodder in the sheep- ht.uses. Every morning two hours before going to the fields, they shnnld be made to eat, for one or two weeks, oats sjjrinklcd with a little saffron and steel filings ; and their drink should be water mixed witk wheat-flour. As the animals recover, they should be separated froit.. the rest, until the whole are well. [8Ï Virgil proposes a composition of olives from which the oil is extracted, silver-dross, pitch, native sulphur and wax, toge- ther with the juice of sea-onions, hellebore and black bitumen. He prefers to this ointment, incisions and scarifications in the ulcered parts. The " Farmer's guide " also advises prepared tar or oil of broom. It also says that another remedy equally effectual is, to take equal parts of tar and vinegar, to heat them together, to stir them until they are completely mixed, and to anoint the sores with this composition. I neither deny nor affirm the virtue of these remedies, as I have not made use of them; but I should prefer the following remedy, used for horses, and which has never failed to effect a cure. It is composed of two ounces of quick-silver, two ounces of turpentine and two pounds of hog's fat. For horses, four times the quantity of quicksilver is to be used. Once rubbing produces a perfect cure. This ointment is thus prepared for sheep. Mix the quicksilver and turpentine well together. — When the turpentine and quicksilver are completely mixed, and appear of an uniform slate-colour, gradually stir into them the hog's fat, which should previously be melted and suffered nearly to cool. This quantity of ointment may serve for a greater or less number of sheep, according to the extent of the disease ; as it is to be rubbed only upon the sore parts. When it is * expended, the composition must be again made in the same way. Powder of the juniper-tree, used as a preservative, is vei^ useful after the red tetter is subdued, or after the scab has dis- appeared. A proprietor ought not to offer a flock for sale while it has this disorer ; for it may be communicated in the sheep-houses by the slightest rubbing, or even by mere contact.* In well regulated flocks, the scab ought to be unknown.— Within ten years I have not seen one of my sheep attacked by 'it. * It is aaid in " l'Instruction pour les Bergers " that sheep which live upon low land are mucli more subject to scab than those which are in. elevated stituations ; wl\ile the latter are more frequently attacked by the, apoplexy. A remedy for the scab is proposed in the same book, it is, to melt a pound of suet or fat, and to mix with it, near the fire, aquar^ ter of a pourid of turpentine. (9Î Phthisic or Consumption. A pasture that i:> very poor infallibly gives this disorder to a flock, Taey gradually lose their strength and liveliness. Their wool falls, and their weakness brings them every day nearer to death ; which commonly happens in «he middle of winter, if the rack affords no better nourishment than the pasture. The remedy is easy to be imagined. Gradually feed your sheep better, both with green and with dry food ; and give them, if you can, some grain with its straw, or some nourishing veget- «,bles. Lambs dropped in the winter season by ewes that are lean and ill-fed, as they bring this disease into the world with them, languish, and soon die. The Rot. A rich and wet pasture produces a disease the reverse of consumption. Tais disease is the yellow-fat (graisse jaune) and ends in the rot ; it is supposed to be incurable when once con- firmed. It seems as though nothing remained, to prevent the loss of the whole flock, but to sell the sound sheep at once to the butcher*. S'lepherds who hav'c none but wet and rich pastures for their flocks which are destined for the market, must by no means neglect to mingle salt or some acid in tlicir drink, and to employ the preservative juniper-powder. Pasture that is wet and poor, also produces rot among sheep, but does not fatten them. The same precautions arc in this case indicated by the same danger. Sheep >vhich live upon rich but dry pastures do not rot, but rti-^v grow too fat, of w lich the ill cinseq'i^nces are well known. It is not adviseable to let them grow old upon grounls of this nature. It may perhaps be proper to bleed them, from time to * Mr. I'ahb4 des Picrves has however assure:! me that, l)v means, of- branches of broom, with which he fills the racks of his sheep-houses, morning and evening, in wet weather during the winter, he has stopped a confirmed rot; that the mortality ceased, and that the sheep grew fat as soon as it was pat upon this regimen. This remedy merits the utmost attention. Broom possesses great qualities ; it is aperitive ; its oil is good for tetters ; the infusion of it kills caterpillars; the lie made from its ashes is powerful in cases of dropsy ; the ointment made oi its com- pound extract is a sovereign remedy for wounds ; and the testimony of Donmignot, abbot of the abbés des Pierres, leaves no doubt of its ef- ficacy. [10] time, in the vein under the eye, and to give them the preservative» juniper powder. Sheep that have the rot languish some time jCease to eat with an appetite, grow out of spnits, stand with ditiicuity upon their legs, totter, often fall, and at length die without much pain. After having advised the sale of such flocks as are threatened by tills disease, it is but just, for the sake of purchasers, to point out the marks by which it is known in sheep, living as well as •dead. The rot is indicated in a live sheep, by its eye being hollow and of the colour of common suet ; by the blood-vessels of the eye, which are of a dull colour, approaching to black; by the paleness of its flesh, the moisture of its skin ; by the tarnished colour of its teeth ; by its shrunk gums ; and by its wool, which comes out if opened, rubbed between the fingers and slightly pulled. The marks of rot, after death, are the belly filled with water ; the fat yellow ; small worms, or white pustules, or knots in thé liver, or liver which may be broken to pieces in the hand. Bite of a Siiake. This danger threatens only ewes when they have yeaned, — Snakes attracted by the smell of the milk, and by the warmth, sometimes get into sheep-houses, conceal themselves in the litter or in the hole^ in the walls, and suck the ewes, giving them deep bites in their bags. These bites are succeeded by inflam- mation ; and the bags often rot away, the ewes being conse- quently unable to nurse their young. At other times they oc- casion a general swelling, and the animals die in great pain, and sometimes suddenly. The first remedy is bleeding followed by scarification of the bag ; the second is a poultice of bread and milk or boiled sorrel ; the third is the ointment of la mère, melted, and tempered with a little olive oil. The ewe must be thrown on her back, in or- der to grease with this mixture her bag and the parts bitten. — It is applied by means of a linen cloth, through which tlie two thighs of the ewe pass, and which is fastened upon her back. The poultice is to be applied in the same manner. The internal remedy is an infusion of elder-flowers and honey. — Instead of scarifying the bag. it may be struck with twigs of a gooseberry bush, or with a branch of barberry. [Ill After all, the preventives are better than the remedies. Examine frequently the lower part oi tlie interior of the wails of the >heep-housv.s ; kill the snakes whenever they are discoverid ; and keep the sheep, while in the fields, away fuoni grassy thiekets. Heaviness ( Lourderie). This is a cruel and singular disorder which, in Berry, des- troys at least a twentieth part ot the flocks. It is almost confined to young sheep. A lamb, apparently in full health, when attacked by this disorder, gradually loses its appetite and sleep ; it grows lean and out of spirits ; its head hangs heavily; it stops short, leaves the tlock, turns round several times, some- times to the right, sometimes to the lelt, sometimes towards both sides alterniitely ; at length it walks only in a circle, and falls mto some ditch or other place, where it dies. I suspected the cause of this disorder to be white worms, an inch long and of the thickness of the little fing«'r. G- irions to as-ertain the seat ot the mischief, I caused a lamb winch had this disorder to be killed and its head to be opened lonjjjtudi- nally. After a long and minute search, I discovered, at the origin of the nose, the worms which I have just described. — This lamb had one on one side and two on the other. I thought the symptoms of the disease might be explained by this discovery. I reasoned thus ; if there is but one worm, the lamb sutlers less, and turns only towards one side; if there are several worms in the two nostrils, the animal is tormented whithout any respite, and turns to the right or tlie left, according to the side on v»^hich the wornis are most distressing. In searching for a remedy, I was guided by the follov^^ing reflection: if the seat of the disorder was invariably the nasaf canal, the remedy should be some powder or liquor deadly to the insect and harmless to the lamb. But since that first examination, other heads of lambs that had this disorder have been opened under my inspection, and no worms found in them. So that the discovery of which I was proud is rendered doubtful ; and I am reduced to the conclusion that worms may sometiomes be the occasion of the disease, but that in some cases they lodge themselves in parts which are interior and inaccessible to our imperfect search, or which cannot be affected by our uncertain remedies. An injectionof oil of turpentine into the nostrils of a lamb that had this disorder, caused it to fall dowo dead in an instant. A- [12} strong decoction of tobacco or of gunpowder would have been uiiutt iideci by danger, though it migiit not have eliectcd a cure.* This disorder, in some respects, bears a great resemblance to the epdepsy. I suppose tins is the reason \ hy they have been coniounded, and vviiy no agricultural writer has described tue disease in question. I have remariced that it commonly prevails in winter ; and, in general, whenever sheep are con- fined to dry food. Are tLie eggs of those worms contained in this kind of îood ? Do the sheep inhale them while at pasture? At what time of the year? My experience does not enable nie to answer these questions. A pound of salt each day for fifty lambs, given frosn time to time, might perhaps be a good preservative against internal worms. Worms in the foot. Thick worms, two or three inches long, sometimes get bc- èvveen the claws of a sheep's foot, and occasion it to limp. — T:iis is indicated by the loot being swelled, and by a small bole from which proceed black hairs about an inch long. The skin of the foot mbst have an incision made in it ; the worm must be dexterously drawn out by its hair ; the wound anointed with broom-ointment, or prçpared tar, or ointment of la ■mère ; and the foot covered with a bit of skin made like a thumb-stall. Colds. Colds are fatal, particularly to lambs. They require to be prevented rather than nursed. A lamb that has a cold in the * A farmer has assured me that he has cured lambs of this disordel* by putting salt and pepper in tlieir ears, which he tied with packthread for some days. 1 doubt their having had this disorder. A remedy sent from Paris is said to be composed of tobacco and hellebore. Its worth is ■not very well attested. It is called cmjun'ruinatic oil. Many agricul- turalists think that this disease is occasioned by the violent blows which lambs give their heads ; that gatherings are formed in the head, and that when this gathering breaks the animal dies. I do not think it improbable that this disease may sometimes be caused by worms, and sometimes by gatherhigs. While writing these notes, I have had the abovementioued oil injected into the nostrils of a lamb attacked by this disorder. It became violently convulsed, and rendered pus through the nose. I repeated the injection, and made it swallow a portion of the liquid. It died v/hile swallowing it The animal was immediately Opened. The right side of the lungs was decaj'ed, and in the head a collection of matter appeared on the same side ; this was also the side towards which the animal turned. It is doul^tful whether this disorder proceeds from a contusion, whether it is merely a diseased chest, or whether it is caused by a ■\vorjn. C 13] winter season languishes a long time, and seldom recovers, if its coiistitutiun is weak. The chief thing to be attended to is, to keep the sheep-houses of a moderate and equuWe temperature. To effect this, they should not he ktpt too w arm vvhde tiie ev\ 3s are th. re ; and when they are away, tiie doors and windows should he less open, but never quite closed. Without tliis precaution, tlie Iambs, when their mutliers leave thom, pass suddenly from sum.- nvv to winter; and when th.?y n-.turn, from wnter to sunnner. It 'iniy easily be imagined txow mucii wannti) the ewes c^nrmm- n; 'ute to these young creatuivs. When left by their mothers, tl.ey gat'ier themselves together in heaj s. in oruer to keep tl'-mselves warm : they lie n the sunshine, fall ask-ep and get surfocated or vvakc up with violent colds. T i:s danger is avoided by leaving no oo-mirg in the 'building through which Vt\c direct rays to the sun can enter while the iambs are asleep- taking care however not to exclude the air and light. Water and honey kept warm in shallow mangers or flut tabs, and bread made of wheat and line bran, cannot but be salutary food, A httle oil of sweet almonds mixed with a little white wine, is very proper for sheep, in all cojiio-aints of the oh:st. Bleeding cannot hurt lambs that are strong, at the beginning of a cold. The same causes which produce colds often give colicks to lambs. Oil of sweet almonds, given as a drink and injected, re=- lieves them. It cannot be too often repeated, that the changes of heat, frost moisture and cold winds, which the bad management oi the country peo!)le does not guard against, carry oti" a third of kiie lambs in some places. The Rickets. This disease of children is common to lambs also. It is caused by bad nourishment as vvell as a radical defect of eon- formation. If a lamb remains long rieketty.it is not worth rearing. Ewes and ewe-lambs covered by lambs, are very apt to produce young ones that have this deformity. Warm water increases the disease. Cold salt water may be service- able as a tonic and dissolvant. i never saw rick', ttey lambs dropped by good ewes in the months of March. Ar'] or May It may 'hence be iiiferreol that winter is not tiie proper seasen for yeaning". [14] Madness. ïf a sheep is bitten by a mad dog, burn the wound imme- diately, or make the sheep swallow, in the course of two days, the eighth of a pint of vinegar, or cut out the bite instantly; these remedies are almost certain. Sheep, however,hardly ever go mad, their wool protects them from the saliva of the dog. The dogs belonging to a flock are much more exposed than the sheep to this dreadful malady. The remedies for them are the same as for sheep and all other animals. The following remedy may however be tried upon dogs. Mix seven grams of turliith-mineral with crumbs of bread sufficient to form a bolus ; throw it to the dog before the madness ap- pears ; at tlie same time rub the wound well with mercurial ointment. If one dared to shave the dog entirely, it would be better to rub his whole body. The most prudent way, if the dog cannot be seciu-ely confined, is to shoot him. Poison. If a sheep swells and is in danger of perishing, in conse- quence of having eaten some poisonous substances, let it be bled in the lips and ears, or in the vein under the eye, and let this operation be followed by a spoonful of olive-oil, or by an equal dose of white vinegar. This treatment, begun early, never fails of success. Divers diseases. Besides the diseases already mentioned, sheep are subject to diarrhoea, obstructions, sore eyes, dropsy and tumours. Decoction of oak is a remedy for the diarrhoea, which it is dangerous to check too suddenly. Obstructions are removed by garlic, parsley, tetter-wort, dog's grass, leaves of the hedera arborea. Sore eyes are relieved by plantain water, and frequently by the juice of tetter-wort or by one part of white vinegar in four parts of wiiter. Some kinds of dry fodder in the racks are dangerous to the eyes of sheep. Dropsy requires tapping ; and should serve as a warning to the proprietor to fatten the animal, if it recovers from the first attack of this disease, which is allied to the rot. Wormwood and rue are proper i9 be used after tapping, and salt is then indi5j[ien5able. 115] Tumours require ointment of broom, or some other softening application that promotes suppuration. If the tumours are red and inflammatory, bleeding should precede any application. — Biood is drawn according to circumstances, from the vein under the eye, from the ears, the lips, the foot, or the tail; but provided the blood be drawn freely, it appears to be of little consequence from what part of the animal it is taken. It is however well to choose a spot so as not to disfigure the animal. PRESERVATIVES AGAINST DISEASES OF SHEEP, AND EMOLLIENTS FOR THEIR WOUNDS. The earth of mi Ant-Hillock. The Manuel des Champs, advises to take an entire ant-hil- lock, to dry it in an oven, to reduv^e it to dust, to siit it, and to distribute it in the mangers of the sheep, with outs and salt. A quarter of a pint of this dust is to be mixed with double tha t quantity of oats. This preservative is to be given once a week to each sheep. But it may be questioned whether the animals ought to be habituated to any one medicine ; and it is not to be expected that country people will give themselves the necessaiy trouble, I prefer, in every respect, the following more simple pre. servative, the virtues of which I have myself witnessed. Junijier-poivder. Gather berries and buds of the juniper-tree ; mash them well ; dry them gradually in a oven where bread has been baked ; reduce them to a fine powder, and sift it through a silk sieve. Put two drachms of this powder in half a bushel of oats, with four ounces of salt dried over tlic fire in a shovel and pounded very fine ; stir the whole together, that the oats may be well impregfiated with the above mentioned substances. Give this quantity of oats to twenty five sheep, in wet weather, or when contagion is to be feared : give it to such as live upon a wet soil ; and to such as are threatened with the rot, with obstructions, with jaundice, with any disease, in short, which proceeds from repletion or relaxation. It answers in all countries, in all sea- sons, and in all circumstances, except in fevers and inflama- tory disorders. Ahiiost ail the diseases of sheep, whose causes are unknown, appear to me to result from some poison which their organs are not strong cnon-ih to get rid of ; and that, con- sequently, what tends to strcngthe^i them greatly must bt Serviceable. [16] This remedy is to be used, as a preservative, two or three times a year. Sheep which are well have some repugnance to eat this mixture ; they must be induced to it by making them fast previously: those which are not quite well eat it readily. This preservative is to be given to sheep before they have eaten any thing olsc, two days successively at most. These two days, they must have dry fodder; they must not have any drink ; and their houses should be fumagated with Juniper. Lambs may safely eat these oats ; the eftect of which is to render them lively, and, in the coarse of a few days, to moderate their eagerness to drink. This preservative, known to be very salutary in England and France, agrees exactly with the o!)servations of farmers, who have remarked that sheep which feed upon grounds where clumps of juniper-trees are scattered, escape all putrid diseases. The salt and oats of the above mixture contribute, as well as the bitterness of the juniper powder, to keep off these diseases. This medicine is not very expensive, being employed only three or four times a year. Elm leaves. Next to the abo^e preservative, leaves of the elm deserve to be mentioned. They should be given rather green than dry, and never when yellow. When they are gre^'n, I sprinkle them with brine ; and when they are dry, I scatter salt over them. No rule is necessary for tlie quantity to be given, they may be eaten without danger. I give some to all my sheep, once a year, when the weather is wet. Those which I give to the lambs are without salt, unless the lambs are feeble. I think it needless to use many preservatives ; one good one is sufficient ; the same may be said of salves for wonnds. Preparation of Tar-. •X Melt half a pound of goose -grease, or the grease of any other fowl, or lard tiiat is not salted, or butter. Add a pound of tar, and stir the whole well together. Broom-ointment. Into two pints of clear water put two pounds and a half of green ends ol' twigs of broom, together with loaves, buds and flowcM-^ of the same, all cut very lino. Boil the whole g-ently, I ir 1 until it acquires the consistence of jelly. Pour upon this jelly hu.i a piut ut good 'nine and a quarter of a pound of melted mut- ton suet vveil purilied. Stir tiie whole togetlier, for a minute, witii a stick. Pour this mixtu e into giazi-d earthen vessels, and cover them with parchment. It may may thus be kept the vviiolc year. The Farmer's Guide, whence these remedies have been taken, says that the spring is the only season proper for ma- king this ointment; that it is commoidy more salutary than the preparation of tar ; tiiat it does not spoil the wool ; and that It careful shepherd ought never to let his store of it be ex- pended. Pommade of Sulphur. T. ke a pound of pounded sulphur, two pounds of fresh buttei- and hog's grease, and two handfuls of [)ov\ dered slate : melt the hog's grease and butter together; then add the sul- phur. Let the mixture boil a good while, and stir it frequently. The manner of using this ointment, as well as all the prece- ding, is every day to anoint the wound (which should be pre- viously washed with alum-water, salt-water or vinegar and water) until a perfect cure is effected. The wool about the wound must be cut off, and the ointment warmed before it is applied. Prinved by Joseph Desnoues, .District of New- Yot% ss : BE It remembered that on the 30th day of November, in the thirty- fifth year of the Independence of the United Suites of America,— . Francis Durand of the said District, hath deposited in tliis O.fice, the title of a Bnok the right whereof he cl aims as Proprietor and Tran- slator, in the words following to wit : A COMPLETE TREATISE UN MERINOS AND OTHER SHEEP, WITH PLATES. Recently published at Paris, by Order of the Government, COMPILED BY Mr. TESSIER, Inspector of the Rambouillet Establishment and others, in France. CONTAINING The method of forming Good-Flocks, of increasing them, and of treating them properly both when healthy and when diseased. — Followed by documents, extracts, and short explanatory notes, not contained in the original, which were deemed necessa- ry to make this important work com- plete, and to render it more in- structive to the A-gricultu- ralists of the United- States. Translated from the French, and dedicated to the agricultural societies op thb United States. IN conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, en- titled " An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Book, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned, and also to an Act en- titled an Act Supplementary to an Act entitled an Act for the encoura- gement of Learning by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of such co]nes during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving, and Etching, tiistorical and other Prints." CHARLES CLINTON, Clerk qf'thc District ofM%v- York. /- cP\'>^ 1 ' o. ■-•'-,■■ \ ^ **,^ ^^v*^ 'V*?-. v^^ "«^ . ^ s\^ >' \>^ . <■:. av - ^: ^ -^o V ê * 8 1 \ " '^>.. , ^ «• , ^ V N^ , ' 1, CV V ^ * .\^^ \'^^ •* -t- ■^' '%, ■^ V " A -' „ . * ^o /.-■■'/%'••-/,■ 'b o-i =- ^; "-- >*^ ^^ S^^ <- 0- C-* .s ■ ^^\ /• '''^*:, *°'. '