298 DK. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 



provided with a cleated inclined floor to enable it to make its 

 way out and reach an inclined dripping platform where the cat- 

 tle are detained a short time. This device has a working capacity 

 of about one thousand head per day. It is, perhaps, not desira- 

 ble to burden this report with the details of the construction of 

 the vat. Those who are seriously interested in the subject will 

 be provided with plans and dimensions. In our earlier studies 

 of the subject we began testing the different varieties of sheep 

 dips, with the view of finding a suitable and efficient commercial 

 preparation that could be supplied in large quantities and be of 

 uniform quality. We selected a certain one which seemed to be 

 typical of the carbolic acid group. Of this we made up 4000 

 gallons of a 5 per cent strength. The cattle were then forced to 

 swim through it. The results were not satisfactory, because it 

 irritated the animals considerably and did not kill all the ticks. 

 We also tried other carbolic preparations in a similar manner, 

 but found ourselves confronted with this condition: That some 

 of the ticks would survive solutions that would probably be fatal 

 to the cattle if immersed in it. On one occasion we seriously 

 scalded about ninety animals by using a too concentrated car- 

 bolic preparation. We found, also, that carbolic emulsions are 

 very unstable, and undergo changes very rapidly, which makes 

 them almost worthless for dipping purposes. Our attention was 

 next engaged with an arsenical sheep dip, which w r e used in a 1 

 per cent solution. Of this we made up 4000 gallons and forced 

 cattle to swim through it. This preparation was stable, uniform, 

 and non-irritating, but its action on the ticks was so indifferent 

 that it was discarded. Emulsions of kerosene and decoctions of 

 tobacco were also tried in a small way with no practical results. 

 We next began using oils. The first season we used cottonseed 

 oil to which had been added 10 per cent crude carbolic acid and 

 5 per cent pine tar. We filled the vat with water and added 

 about 100 gallons of the oil mixture, which made a layer on the 



