SHEEP TICK AND ITS ERADICATION BY DIPPING. 17 



made of half -inch round iron and firmly held in the handle by an 

 iron ferrule. These forks can be bought ready-made or may be 

 made by any blacksmith. 



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 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 a head for each dipping. 



WATER FOR DIPPING PURPOSES. 



Water is so good a solvent that it dissolves and holds in solution 

 large quantities of the various mineral salts. Waters containing 

 such salts are commonly spoken of as being " brackish," " hard," or 

 " alkali," depending upon the amount and character of the mineral 

 matter contained. Much of the water on the semiarid ranges of 

 the West is hard or alkaline and not suitable for diluting all kinds 

 of dips. The thickly settled farming communities, being located in 

 areas of greater rainfall, do not experience so much difficulty in 

 finding a supply of reasonably good water. However, hard or alka- 

 line waters are found more or less frequently in all parts of the 

 United States, and where it is possible to do so their use for dipping 

 purposes should be avoided for tw^o reasons: First, to lessen, the pos- 

 sibility of injury to animals; second, to increase the wetting powers 

 of the dip and consequently the curative effects. 



The wetting power of a dip is influenced by several factors, but 

 observations indicate that when soft water is used for diluting dips 

 the fluid has greater whetting power than when some of the hard 

 waters are used. The term "beading" is commonly used in con- 

 nection with dips of low wetting power. Such dips have a tendency 

 to form in small bead-like drops over the wool instead of spreading 

 in a film around each wool fiber and becoming evenly distributed 

 over the entire exposed surface. By increasing the wetting power 

 of the dipping fluid its efficiency is enhanced, because the active 

 principle is more evenly distributed and all exposed parts receive 

 the maximum possible wetting. Experience has demonstrated that 

 good dips sometimes are rendered ineffective by being diluted with 

 alkaline water. 



Before diluting coal-tar-creosote or cresol dips with hard or alka- 

 line water, a test should be made to determine whether a separation 

 occurs in such water. In a clean bottle or jar of clear glass place a 



