Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-05-09
Diseases of Sheep.


prominent citizen in Rhode Island, rela-
tive to sheep may prove of much benefit
to our farmers at present. The writer
is an intelligent gentleman, who has
gathered much of interest to our agri-
culturalists in his European travels, and
we hope often to receive similar favors
from his pen:
Providence, May 1st, 1857.
Editors Rutland Herald My attention
was attracted by the following para
graph in the providence Journal" of
this morning. "The sheep raisers o.
Vermont are having bad season. The
lambs do not thrive, and rot prevails
among the sheep"
If your spring has been as cold and
unpropitious as ours, I do not wonder
at the ill.condition OF the lambs. AS to
the rot, I feel it an imperative duty to
communicate to your sheep raisers, the
accompanying statement of an interest
ing series Of experiments and remedies,
made by one of the most scientific and
skillful English physicians l ever had
the pleasure of being acquainted with,
q gentleman of thoroughly analytical
mind, and philsnthropic impulses. His
winter residence is in London, but from
the middle Of May to the last Of Novem-
Der, in each year, he is the resident Eng
lish physician at Hamburg Springs,
Germany. His statement to me, in the
summer of 1865, while, with my family,
we were for several months also resi-
dents of Hamburg, was as follows,
viz:
Among the great variety of subjects
connected with the agricultural pursuits
and prosperity of England my atten-
ton has been directed to the cause and
cure of the "foot-rot" in sheep. More
than one thousand of these animals have
been examined at the butchers shambles,
and in every case the mucous membrane
was found to be infamed, and with sup
puration, the lining sloughing off. The
liver WAS lull vi khO ohibn1ASoi0oJ
called "fiukes," and the feet in most
decayed condition. Twenty-Five Of the
most diseased sheep were purchased by
my brother, (who is landed proprietor)
In Lincolnshire for half crown each,
| (ffty cents) so thoroughly valueless were
they from disease, and brought to me for
treatment. had prepared several pens,
clean and dry, and subjected them in
rotation, to the following treatment for
five days:
In pen No. l, the sheep were first
placed, fed with oatmeal cruel with
strong solutions of common table salt.
The excavations were filed with the
animalculae, and the diseased parts Of
the mucous membrane. This was fol-
the first day, then they were removed to
Pen No. 2, where they were fed with
Steamed oats" soaked in strong solu.
ton of salt and water, and allowed tC
drink freely of linseed tea with lime
water. The excavations were of the
same character but much less in quaint
ty and of mitigated appearance. The
next day the same animals were removed
to
Pen No. 8, and were here fed upon
steamed barley" as being more
nutritious, with the same solutions o
salt and lime water. The animals were
fast improving, as the excavations were
of decidedly improved character.
Inpen No. 4. For the fourth days
treatment, dry barley, soaked in salt ant
lime waters, was given. The "fukes'
had all disappeared and the sheep in
greatly improved condition.
In per, No. s.. The last days treatmen
was with the same dry food as before
with short grasses, and drink Of tn
lime and salt waters and the SHEEP
apparently weH.
The experiments were made with NV
sheep at time. The pens built on
side hill for dryness, thoroughly cleanse'
each day, and the animals feet washes
daily in cold water.