o38 Journal of the Department op agriculture. 



mucosa of aboniasiini, moutli, and pharyjix were noinial, and likewise 

 other internal organs. 



The veterinary officer ascribed death as being due to the absorp- 

 tion of some poison from tlie dip. 



The Government xVnalyst at liloemfontein, to whom the matter 

 had been referred, suggested that the sheep had taken some of the 

 dip down the windpip*^ ; bat this hypothesis did not explain wdiy 

 there was over 30 per cent, mortality among-st the first 33 sheep dipped 

 and none amongst the last 35. Furthermore, the owner noticed no 

 coughing' or other eaily signs of distress amongst the animals. 



The proprietois of the dip appear to liave ascribed the mortality 

 to pneumonia caused by a too cold dipping fluid ; the absence of 

 moitalitv amongst the last 35 dipped being due to the warming of 

 the dip by the first 33. 



That there have been numerous comi)hunts from farmers who 

 have dipped in this type of dip would appear to be obvious from the 

 following extracts tiken from a booklet of instructions issued by the 

 proprietors of one of these " carbolic " dips : — 



" Dip in a solution not weaker than 1 in 150 nor stronger than 

 1 in 125, and keep in the tank for two minutes BY THE CLOCK." 



(Presumably a greater concentration than 1 in 125 and a longer 

 immersion than two minutes would be unsafe for that particular dip.) 



The following comes under the heading "Two Warnings": — 

 " Every spring and early summer some farmers I'ose sheep after 

 dipping. They choose a ' splendid dipi)]ng day,' but forget that the 

 water is as cold as ice. The si^eep that die are always am.ong those 

 first dipped. Before death they wheeze and rattle when listened to 

 carefully. When the water is cold, the warmer the day the greater 

 the shock to the sheep. The first forty or so warm up the water and 

 take the chill off in a small tank,* but don't forg'et, they take the chill 

 away with them.* From one to eight days after this they are dying 

 of pneumonia, while you curse the particular dip you used, and 

 swear never to use it again, and to warn your neighbours about it. 

 The dip w^as not at fault: plain water would probably have been a 

 good deal worse, not containing any stimulating value to counteract 

 the cbill." 



During the course of correspondence the owner of these sheep 

 stated that he knew of six other cases in which sheep dipped in 

 "carbolic dips " had died, and as in his own case ilie mortali+y w^as 

 confined to the first sheep dipped; he also stated that Assistant Chief 

 Sheep Inspector Fincham had expressed the opinion that the reason 

 why the first sheep to be dipped die is owing to tlie water used being 

 hard ; and also that his experience of carbolic dips is that where they 

 are mixed with hard water the first few sheep put through the dip 

 suffer badly. 



It woubl seem clear every one is agreed that, when " carbolic " 

 dip is used, the first sheep dipped may suffer more or less, while the 

 last do not suffer owing to some change which takes place in the 

 dipping fluid. 



Examination of dip " A " showed that it did not contain arsenic, 

 that true phenol was practically absent, but that it contained higher 

 phenols, pyridin, hydrocarbons, soda and water. 



* The italics are mine. — A. S. 



