SHEEP—CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



217 



and a little turpentine, is popular in Eng- 

 land, nevertheless, and is regarded as im- 

 proving the yield of wool. Experiment 

 proves that the acarus will live in arsenic 

 and sulphur for some hours; potash is 

 more fatal, and tobacco is more deadly 

 .still, killing in a few minutes. But carbolic 

 acid is probably the most potent remedy 

 used. When combined with one hundred 

 times its bulk of water, it has killed acari 

 in two minutes; when used with fifty 

 times its bulk of water, a degree of poten- 

 cy harmless as a dip, it kills in forty to 

 ninety seconds. Professor Brown thus 

 describes the manufacture of the carbolic 

 acid dip, which, it is claimed , has never 

 failed when properly used. 



First, it is necessary that carbolic acid 

 should be obtained of uniform strength, 

 and experience has proved that the crys- 

 talline product is less efficacious in the 

 destruction of parasites than the liquid 

 residue, which is sold under the name of 

 terebane, or cresylic acid, which can al- 

 ways be obtained of the manufacturers. 

 The liquid is, when fresh, of a very light 

 straw color, becoming dark brown on ex- 

 posure to the atmosphere. The pure car- 

 bolic acid was employed in many experi- 

 ments, at first with only partial success, 

 but even had it proved to be superior 

 to the liquid terebane, the price would 

 have been a serious objection ; terebane, 

 however, is very much cheaper, and in 

 every experiment was found to be more 

 active as a remedial agent than the 

 pure carbolic acid, while its fluid con- 

 dition at all temperatures renders it more 

 easy of manipulation. 



To effect perfect combination between 

 the terebane and the water used for di- 

 lution care is essential, as imperfect 

 mixtures are capable of doing injury, 

 and may cause the death of some of 

 the sheep, particularly of those which 

 are first introduced into the bath. The 

 reason of this is obvious. An incom- 

 plete mixture allows the separation of 

 the terebane, which floats on the surface 

 of the fluid in the form of a brownish, 

 oily, or rather tarry scum; the first few 

 animals which are dipped become cover- 

 ed with the undiluted acid, which acts at 

 once and energetically as a caustic, caus- 

 ing prostration and death, unless immedi- 

 ately on observing the symptoms of dis- 

 tress, means are taken to wash off the 



agent with warm water and soap; this 

 treatment is not, however, at all times 

 successful. 



An accident of the kind never ought to 

 occur, and, in fact, never can occur if the 

 dip is properly prepared and used. It is 

 scarcely probable that agriculturists will 

 attempt to make the compound, and the 

 following directions, therefore, may be 

 taken as meant for the instruction of the 

 practical chemist or the veterinary sur- 

 geon who has charge of the diseased 

 flock : . 



A quantity of terebane, proportioned to 

 the number of sheep to be dipped, is to 

 be placed in a convenient vessel of iron 

 or earthenware, and, if possible, the ves- 

 sel should be suspended in a larger one 

 containing water, and so arranged that 

 heat can be applied. In all chemical la- 

 boratories a water-bath will be available ; 

 but for the purpose of making small quan- 

 tities of the dip, an iron bucket suspend- 

 ed in an ordinary copper filled with wa- 

 ter, which may be kept hot, but not up to 

 the boiling point, will answer perfectly 

 well. As soon as the terebane is placed 

 in the temporary water-bath, a certain 

 proportion of soap, one bar weighing over 

 two pounds to each gallon of terebane, is 

 to be added. The mixture should be 

 stirred with a wooden rod until the soap 

 is entirely dissolved, care being taken 

 that the fluid does not boil. When the 

 solution is complete the compound should 

 be removed from the fire, and as soon as 

 it ceases to give off vapor, oil of turpen- 

 tine is to be added in the proportion of 

 one pint to each gallon of terebane. The 

 mixture, when cold, may be poured irito 

 carboys or casks ready for use. 



While the above remedies may be en- 

 tirely efficacious, and are to be recom- 

 mended as the best, it may not be amiss 

 to give a few which have been popular 

 heretofore : 



An infusion of arsenic, half a pound of 

 the mineral to twelve gallons of water. 

 The sheep should be washed in soap-suds 

 and then dipped in the infusion. 



Mercurial ointment, incorporated thor- 

 oughly with four times its weight of lard, 

 rubbed upon the head and upon the skin 

 (the wool being carefully parted) in par- 

 allel lines from head to tail, four inches 

 apart. The mixture applied should not 

 exceed two ounces, and a half an ounce 



