ON THE CHEVIOT BREED OF SHEEP. 117 



upon suitable weather; hut, wlien the advautaires derived arc in 

 the one case substantially Lji'eater than in thcj other, the incon- 

 venience of one or two delays and disappointments may very 

 well he submitted to. The dips which give most satisfaction are 

 those in which carbolic acid is the active ingredient. Of the 

 use of arsenic many farmers liave almost a superstitious horror, 

 it never occurring to them tliat in many of the dips wliich they 

 freely use this useful though poisonous material is present. 

 Instead of burning the wool, or brintjing out the teeth of the 

 animal, arsenic lias been found by extensive Hock-masters to be 

 exceetUngly efficacious, so long, of course, as it is used with care 

 and judgment. One mixture which has been used liy a few, 

 year after year, with uniform success is very simple in its cha- 

 racter, it being possible for any farmer to prepare it for himself : 

 it consists of 1 gallon of soluble carbolic acid, adding about 

 90 gallons of water, and then mixing with these 2 lbs. of arsenic 

 which has been dissolved by being slowly boiled in 2 or 3 

 gallons of water with about 4 lbs. of pearl ash or wasln'ng soda. 

 With this dip stock can be treated at the cost of about 4s. 6d. 

 per 100, — the price of 1 gallon of carbolic acid, which, with the 

 proper addition of water, is sufficient for this number, being 4s., 

 and of the arsenic and soda, 6d. 



The old custom of smearing with tar and butter, which was 

 common enough thirty or forty years ago, has, it should be 

 mentioned, almost died out. Whether or not it was formerly 

 the case that an unsmeared sheep was generally a lean sheep, 

 the experience now-a-days in the south country is, that the 

 aninuils derive no benefit from the o^^eration, or, at all e\'ents, 

 no benefit which will repay the necessary expense. 



The October dipping over, the next matter to engage attention 

 is the stock-keeling of the different hirsels, each of which has its 

 own mark. At this time account is also taken of the number of 

 the stock. 



Then follows the tupping of the ewes, as to the proper time 

 for which hill-farmers are more agreed than they are about any- 

 thing else, the 22d November being the day almost invariably 

 recognised as the beginning of the tupping season. Witliin ten 

 days after the rams are sent out to the hill, the hoggs, not being 

 wanted to breed, are bratted. To one tup the nmnber of ewes 

 commonly assigned is three score. Where tup landjs are bred — 

 and it need hardly be said it is always a useful thing to have a 

 number of this class of stock — proper care should be taken to 

 see that a select number of ewes are "shed" to a select ram. 



As to the bringing in of the tups, some little difference of 

 opinion has arisen, a number, and no doubt this section is in the 

 majority, keeping by tlue 1st January as the proper time, while 

 others delay for ten or twelve days longer. Wlien the tups are 



