Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-20
DISEASED SHEEP
Farmers Are Warned
Against Buying

]
was issued today by the University
OF Maine College Of Agriculture, Ex-
tension Service, Leon 8. Merrill di-
rector, being published in furtherance
Of the cooperative extension work in
agriculture and home economics, pro-
vided for in the act of Congress of
May s, 1914:
DR.. l.. Sherman Cleaves, Extension
Agent in Animal Husbandry of the
Agricultural Extension Service. Uni
versity of Maine. finds internal par
asites very prevalent among the
| sheep flocks Of this State and feels
! that II Is of the highest Importance
that flock masters and prospective
| .ock- masters should be warned and
| advised against buying sheep for
| breeding purposes at random. Dur
! ing the past few months many in
! stances have come to DIR. Cleaves' no
/ ice where fiocks have become affect
ed with the parasites through buying
! and bringing them into them an af-
/ fected ram, also cases where being
/ unacquainted with the disease farm
/ crs have purchased diseased flocks
which have in turn contaminated the
healthy animals. pastures and graz
ing ground as well.
! In some instances men who have
been successful owners for many
! years have come to woe by the on
/ slaught of the parasites in their
/ uocks. the cause of which they were
entirely ignorant. some saying that
( their pastures had run out" others
that the sheep had poisoned the
} pasture. The unthriftinesS of the
flocks and the loss of "A few sheep or
lambs from disease brings forth the
above remarks from their owners.
The real cause of the run OUT or
poisoned" pasture, the unthrlfty and
dead sheep, in the majority OF cases.
/ is internal parasites, stomach worms,
| tape worms and the worm causing
nocular disease. are the three prln-
cipal parasites with which we are
coming in daily contact.
There are curative and preventive
| treatments and measures to be resort
ed TO and the preventive is by far the
safest. If your flock is healthy and
your farm free from this menace, do
not trust to luck in buying stock to
take onto your farm but use every
method available to determine
| whether or not this stock you are
buying is affected or has been ex-
posed to the disease.
Do not buy on description: always
make it n point to see your animals
before purchasing. If you are buying
the whole flock be sure to get the true
history of that flock; find out how
many have died out Of the flock dur
| ing the past year or two and the
| same method should be applied if
| only buying one or few of the flock.
One can much better afford to spend
"a little time and money in an investi-
CATION to keep the disease out of their
! flock than they can to spend a lot of
time and money to eradicate it.
Besides getting a true history of
| the flock in question one should look
/ them over thoroughly for the follow
| ing symptoms: General unthriftiness
! OF the flock but often of different de-
grecs. some much thinner in flesh and
more omaciated than others. Diar-
rhoea or chronic looseness of the
bowels which is often very much in
evidence. Occasionally dropsical
swellings under the jaw and about
the face and neck, also anemia (pale-
ness of the skin and membranes of
the eyes and MOUTH
1t appears that in a few cases dis
eased animals have been sold for
breeding purposes by men who were
fully aware of their diseased condi-
ton. In most instances this is not
/ true. as the flock owners generally
are not familiar with the true condi-
tions. In all cases purchasers SHOULD
he particularly careful to protect
themselves as the menace from dis
cased animals is spreading rapidly.