DISEASES OF CATTLE 379 



successfully applied in ridding sheep of scabies has been found 

 equally efficacious in the treatment of scabies of cattle. 



In 1898 the Bureau of Animal Industry issued Bulletin No. 

 21, entitled Sheep Scab: Its Nature and Treatment, which gives a 

 description of this disease in sheep, its cause and treatment, with 

 numerous formulas for the preparation of dips, and illustrations of 

 the methods of applying them, together with directions for their use 

 on both a large and small scale. The treatment of such large animals 

 as cattle, which are difficult to handle, because of their size and the 

 conditions under which they live the latter making them more or 

 less intractable would require a considerable amount of any prep- 

 aration to wet thoroughly all parts of their bodies. Next to effect- 

 iveness, therefore, small expense is the first object that must be con- 

 sidered. In the treatment of cattle for scabies, it seems fortunate 

 that the dips of lime and sulphur, both of which are inexpensive, 

 have proved effective and entirely satisfactory. 



The dip previously used contained an excess of lime, and fre- 

 quently proved quite irritating to the eyes and tender parts of the 

 skin ; hence the lime-and-sulphur dip now adopted and recommended 

 for the treatment of scabies of cattle is made with the following 

 ingredients : 



Flowers of sulphur 24 pounds 



Unslaked lime 12 pounds 



Water 100 gallons 



Place the unslaked lime in a mortar box or some suitable vessel 

 and add enough water to slake it and form a lime paste or lime 

 putty. Sift into this lime paste the flowers of sulphur and stir the 

 mixture well. Be sure to weigh both the lime and the sulphur, and 

 do not trust to measure them in a bucket or guess at the weight. 

 Place the sulphur and lime paste in a kettle or boiler with about 

 25 or 30 gallons of boiling water, and boil the mixture for two hours 

 at least, stirring the liquid and sediment. The boiling should be 

 continued Until the sulphur disappears, or almost disappears, from 

 the surface. The solution is then of a chocolate or liver color. The 

 longer the solution boils the more the sulphur is dissolved, and the 

 less caustic the ooze becomes. Some writers advise boiling from 

 thirty to forty minutes, but this is not sufficient ; a good ooze can be 

 obtained only by boiling from two to three hours, adding water 

 when necessary. Pour the mixture and sediment into a large tub 

 or barrel, placed near the dipping vat and provided with a bung- 

 hole about 4 inches from the bottom, and allow it ample time (from 

 two to three hours or more if necessary) to settle. 



The use of some kind of a settling tank provided with a bung- 

 hole is an absolute necessity, unless the boiler is so arranged that it 

 may be used for both boiling and settling. An ordinary kerosene 

 oil barrel will answer very well as a small settling tank. To insert 

 a spigot about 3 to 4 inches from the bottom is an easy matter. 

 Draining off the liquid through a spigot has a great advantage over 

 dipping it out because less commotion occurs in the liquid, which 

 therefore remains freer from sediment. When fully settled, draw 



