72 THE COMMON SHEEP- SCAB. 



of shepherds who know all the individuals, and who notice, 

 almost immediately, if anything is wrong with them, the 

 presence of the scab-mite is quickly followed by the proper 

 remed3^ The shepherds, although they frequently do not 

 know that a mite is the cause of the trouble, search for 

 the infested spots, remove the wool already loosened, and, 

 scraping away the scab, apply a little extract of tobacco, 

 Avhich they always keep on hand, or apply a gray salve, 

 made of mercury, to which is added a little oil of turpen- 

 tine. In this way the young colonies made by the mites are 

 soon destroyed. 



To kill the scab-mites in any given locality, and to pre- 

 vent infection of healthy sheep, two operations have to be 

 carried out, and ought to be enforced, if necessary, by law; L e. 



1. Direct destruction of the mites, and 



2. Disinfection of stables, etc. 



Both are most effectively carried out immediately after 

 shearing, as at that time the scabs are exposed to view. The 

 sheep, after being dipped, should be kept away for some 

 time from their old stables to prevent new infection. 



To kill the mites in a thorough manner, it is best to ap- 

 ply the remedy over the whole surface of the animal, and not 

 alone to the region showing scab. For this purpose two 

 baths, or dips, are required, one to loosen the scab, so as to 

 permit the scab remedy to reach the mite, and the other to 

 perform the actual work of killing the parasites. 



For the first bath, or dip, it is best to make a solution of 

 two parts of potash, one part of lime, and fifty parts of 

 water, or, in other words, dissolve in 100 quarts of water 

 101b of potash and 51b of lime. 



For the second bath, a good dip is composed of 80 gal- 

 lons of water and 401b of tobacco. In both baths the water 

 should be warmed to a temperature of 100° to 110° Fahr. 

 This second bath should be applied twenty-four hours after 

 the first one. With proper appliances, each sheep, after shear- 

 ing, requires about two gallons of either fluid, and in winter, 

 or \vhen the wool is long, about four gallons. 



It requires four men to do the work thoroughly, one to 

 hold the front legs, one the hind legs, and one the head. The 



