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much like a sheep, is of medium size, back near the hips a little crowning, ears long, wide and drooping, no tuft under the chin, small horns, sometimes spiral, shooting out near each other from top of the head, erect or slightly spreading and pointing a little backward, a long, heavy outer coat of coarse hair and an under coat of soft, silky, fluffy wool, weighing about one-half pound, and used for Cashmere shawls.

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History. The Cashmere goat is a noble species of the goat, inhabiting the high table-lands of Cashmere, Thibet and Mongolia, in Central Asia. It was imported into the United States about fifteen years ago.

DISEASES OF SHEEP.-It is perhaps desirable to add here a brief description of the diseases to which sheep are liable, especially as it is as true now as it was twenty years ago, that the diseases to which sheep are liable in this country are very different from those which affect them in Europe. The late Hon. Henry S. Randall, in his valuable treatise on Sheep Husbandry, published in 1860, and subsequent writers on diseases. of sheep, have called attention to this fact. It is true, also, that diseases which prevail in one section may be entirely unknown in another. Thus the foot-rot has prevailed extensively in Texas, and to some extent in Southern California and Southern Kansas; but is entirely unknown in the Northern States, and Territories of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Dakota and Minnesota, and very infrequent in the middle belt of States and Territories. The scab is found everywhere, but is now treated successfully. Worms in the head are not common in the West; though they kill many sheep in England and some in the Atlantic States. Inflammation of the lungs is less common than in England, but does occur.

Mr. Frank D. Curtis, of Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, one of the most intelligent, accomplished and successful of our American sheep-masters, has described so briefly and so well the greater part of the known American diseases of sheep, that we cannot do better than to give to our readers his essay, only supplementing it with two or three western diseases, which he has failed to notice.

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Sheep are very delicate animals to treat when diseased. They are easily discouraged, and when sick lose their appetite and rapidly become enfeebled. It is by far the wisest course for every shepherd to study carefully the habits of sheep and their nature, and to endeavor, as far as possible, to regulate their diet according to their natural wants, and to do nothing to shock them either by terror or abrupt changes in their management. They will not bear sudden changes of food, sudden chills, or sudden changes of extreme heat and cold. Regularity in feeding and evenness in temperature are essential pre-requisites to their healthful condition. They will not endure wet, neither will they thrive on low, marshy ground. The different breeds have somewhat different characteristics, and they are not all alike easily affected with the same diseases, as, for instance, finewooled sheep having flatter feet, with closer connection between the hoofs, are more liable to foot-rot than the coarser-wooled varieties, with more upright feet and wider space between the bisections. The latter, however, on account of their open and distended nostrils (they have larger lungs and require more space for the circulation of air into the respiratory organs), are much more liable to the attacks of the gad-fly (Estrus ovis) than the smaller breeds with more contracted nostrils. The finewooled are much more hardy in our changeable American climates than the coarser-wooled breeds, hence precautionary management in regard to climatic influences and carefulness in diet are not so necessary, as they are not so subject to colds and stomach disorders, colics, etc. There are several infectious diseases which prevail among sheep. The two oldest and most common in America are foot-rot and scab. There are also other parasitical disorders which infest the internal organs of sheep. The latter have been far more destructive in foreign countries than in this. They have prevailed disastrously in England, South America, and Australia. We shall speak of internal parasites (entozoa) under the head of parasites, with such subdivisions of the subject as apply to the various forms and indications of the disorder as manifested' in this country, and of external parasites (epizoa) under the appropriate names of scab and ticks.

PARASITES.-The most ancient and disastrous of the maladies caused by the development of worms in the body is the liver-rot, which is caused by the presence of sucking worms, like leeches, which are developed in the liver. These worms or flukes possess the power of self-impregnation, and are propagated by eggs, of which they produce immense numbers. These eggs are carried along with the bile into the stomach, and so passed out with the excrement of the sheep. They are supposed to be hatched in stagnant water, in which they develop into a form of mullusks. But as the disease (liver-rot) is almost unknown in the United States, and especially in the West, we will not take time or space to fully describe it.

There is another worm which is developed in the lungs and bronchial tubes of sheep. These worms cause the "pale disease" in lambs, which has been so fatal in many sections of this country. The worm is akin to the gape-worm in chickens, and is a species of Strongylus, a slender, thread-like worm. They are supposed to be breathed into the lungs or taken into the mouth while feeding, from whence they make their way through the trachea into the air-passages, in which they produce such derangement in aëration or the purification of the blood as to cause irritation and violent coughing. The important functions of the blood being interrupted, paleness of the skin and debility of the body soon follow, and result in the death of the animal. The disease is more prevalent or fatal among lambs than among sheep.

As soon as a lamb is attacked a poor appetite ensues, which helps to reduce the strength. Such penetrating medicines as turpentine, sulphur, and assafœtida may be given, which, through absorption, will reach the lungs, and in the earlier stages of the disease may effect a cure. In order to allow free and full absorption, no food should be given for several hours afterward, nor for a few hours before. Twenty grains of assafœtida and a half teaspoon of spirits of turpentine are all that should be administered at one dose to a lamb. One-third more may be given to a full-grown sheep. This may be followed by a tablespoonful of sulphur daily, mixed with molasses. As the appetite is capricious and feeble, in order to keep up the strength gruels

THE LUNG WORM IN SHEEP.

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should be poured down. The turpentine and assafœtida may be mixed with a tablespoonful of linseed or castor oil. Infected sheep should be kept by themselves, and well ones should not be allowed to run in the same pasture, nor upon ground where the manure of diseased sheep has been spread. There are, besides the above, parasites (hydatids) or worms in the bladder and in the intestines. The latter, when prevalent among lambs, are fatal. The first symptoms of their prevalence is a falling off in condition and mild diarrhoea. The worm is a species of tape-worm, and is swallowed by the sheep in an embryo form, and may have been dropped by a dog or other animal. Emaciation rapidly follows. The excrement is soft and mixed with mucus, and by close observation worms may be observed in it. As soon as the presence of the disease is apparent, a dose of turpentine should be given, from one-half to one ounce, according to the size of the sheep. This may be mixed with an ounce or two of linseed or castor oil, and should be given every three days for two weeks, or until no worms are voided. Nourishing gruels should be given during the time of treatment. The purgative will have better effect if the animal is required to fast a few hours before and after administering the dose. Copperas will not cure the disease. When given in small quantities it acts as an astringent and keeps the worms in the body, and when given in large quantities it is an active poison. The same dose of turpentine and linseed oil is the best remedy for parasites in the bladder and kidneys.

Worms in the head are not so common in this country as in England, owing to the fact that so large a proportion of our sheep are of the smaller breeds. The gadfly (Estrus ovis) in the summer months deposits its eggs, with a sting, in the nostrils of sheep. At the season of the year when this fly is active, sheep stand huddled together with their noses inward and close to the ground to avoid being stung. After being hatched the grub crawls up the nostrils and feeds on the mucus until it reaches the upper passages, where it remains until it arrives at maturity, and then passes out of the nostrils to the ground, where it ultimately develops into a fly. Sometimes they penetrate to

the brain, causing the sheep to lose its appetite and die a lingering and painful death. We have known them to pine away, scarcely eating anything for weeks-simply breathinguntil they die of starvation, or were killed to put them out of their misery. There is no remedy except in the first stages of the disease, when the maggots are passing up the nostrils. This may be known by violent shaking of the head, sneezing, and running around. Tobacco-smoke blown up the nostrils at this time, or the smoke of a small quantity of burning sulphur, may cause them to lose their hold on the membranes, when the sheep will cast them out. Some people pour spirits of turpentine into the nostrils. They lay the sheep upon its back so that the liquid will run into the head; but this is a dangerous and cruel practice. In the first stages, in the hands of a skilful person, it is possible to open the passages of the head and remove the maggots, without permanent injury to the animal. Smearing the noses of sheep in July and August with tar, two or three times a week, will, to some extent, prevent the attacks of the gadfly.

SCAB. The worst form of external parasites is the Acarus scabiei. This insect is a mite in size and attaches itself to the skin, into which it burrows. It multiplies rapidly and cuts off the connection of the cuticle from its attachments to the body, when it becomes dry and hard, and the wool is loosened and falls out. Its presence can easily be determined, as the sheep is uneasy and inclined to rub itself against any convenient thing. Unless they are destroyed, the whole body will soon be covered, causing great distress to the sheep and entire loss of the fleece. They will also be conveyed to other sheep, and eventually spread through the whole flock. One female will produce thousands of insects in a few days. The proper cure is to dip the animal in a solution of sulphur and tobacco, in the proportions of four parts of tobacco and ten of sulphur to a gallon of water. The stems of tobacco will answer every purpose, if thoroughly steeped. The sulphur may be stirred in the liquid. Patches of loose skin and wool should be removed before the sheep are immersed. The liquid should be as warm as the hand will bear, and time should

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