22 FARMERS BULLETIN 713. 



EXPENSE OF DIPPING. 



The cost of dipping naturally varies in different sections; it also 

 varies in the same section, depending on the number of sheep to be 

 dipped, the location relative to the necessary supplies, and the facili- 

 ties available for the work. The labor, fuel, and cost of the materials 

 are the three principal items of expense. In the sheep-growing sec- 

 tions of the West the average cost of dipping sheep varies from 2 to 

 3^ cents per head for each dipping. 



CHOOSING A DIP. 



There are many dipping preparations on the market. The farmer 

 or sheepman should not be deceived by exaggerated statements made 

 by manufacturers. He should know the nature of the dip he is 

 using and its effects upon the sheep when used in the kind of water 

 which he has available. If a ready-made dip is to be used, one 

 should be selected that will kill the parasites and not cause undue 

 injury to the sheep. Almost any of the better-known ready-prepared 

 dips will prove satisfactory if used according to directions and with 

 pure water. If the dipping plant is not supplied with pure, soft 

 water, a dip should be selected that will work well in the kind of 

 water available. Lime-and-sulphur dip mixes properly and is effec- 

 tive with almost an}^ kind of water. The coal-tar-creosote and 

 cresylic-acid dips apparently do not mix uniformly with some of the 

 hard waters, and they should not be used with such waters. 



The dips on the market to-day can be divided into five general 

 groups — those containing arsenic, the cresylic-acid group, coal-tar- 

 creosote dips, nicotin, and lime-and-sulphur. Of these the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry recognizes only two groups for the official dip- 

 ping of sheep for scabies, namely, lime-and-sulphur and nicotin-and- 

 sulphur. 



It has been determined from actual experience over a large field 

 that dips deteriorate by use; that is, after a number of sheep have 

 passed through the vat the active principle of the dip falls below the 

 standard required for effective work. In order to overcome this 

 difficulty and keep the dip up to standard while being used, chemical 

 testing outfits have been designed that can be used at the vat to 

 determine the percentage of the active principle in the dip at any 

 time.^ In this way the strength can be kept up to the required 

 standard. Before approving a dip for use in the official dipping 

 of sheep, one of the requirements of the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 is that there shall be a practical field test for such dip. Of the 

 five general classes of sheep dips named above, excluding arsenical 



1 Seo U. S. Pepartraent of Airricxiltnre Bulletin I'O.I, A Fiold Test for Limeand-Sulphnr 

 Dipping Baths, by Robert M. Chapin. Washington, lt)15. 



