210 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



pus formation eats away so much of the tissue that 

 the labels drop out or they are caught and torn out 

 by some branch or nail. They may remain in place 

 for years and they may become lost in a short 

 time. There is a right and a wrong way to put 

 these metal tags in. 



The right way is to use a punch, cutting out an 

 oval. bit of the ear tissue and to make the hole some 

 days before the label is inserted, giving the ear time 

 to heal in the meantime. 



Then the hole must be so carefully gauged that 

 the label will not compress the ear, yet will fit snug- 

 ly and present little of projection to catch and cause 

 it to be torn out. If this course is taken most of 

 the labels will remain in place. 



THE TATTOO MAKK. 



The best method permanently marking a sheep is 

 by the tattoo mark. This is especially applicable to 

 sheep with light-colored ears, though it is used on 

 some of the down breeds. 



The tattoo properly put in is absolutely per- 

 manent. It does not annoy the sheep, and once put 

 in is a sure record as long as the animal lives. 



There are sets of tattooing instruments sold by 

 dealers in shepherds' supplies. These consist of a 

 frame with handles like pinchers in which are set 

 removable letters and numbers. These letters and 

 numbers have a great number of sharp points, form- 

 ing the characters, and the handles when closed 

 cause these points to prick the required characters. 



