HANDLING SHEEP ON THE RANGE 



149 



Dipping. After the spring shearing the sheep are 

 generally dipped as a precautionary measure. The dip- 

 ping rids the sheep of ticks and lice as well as scab 

 parasites and, it is said, improves the grade of wool. 

 This latter point, however, is not accepted by all wool- 

 growers as being true. 



Time of Lambing. The ewes are bred so as to bring 

 the lambs as early in the spring as will be safe. In the 



A Band of Range Lambs and Ewes On a Hot Day. 



Southwest the sheepmen who take their herds to the 

 Salt River Valley on the alfileria deserts breed their ewes 

 to lamb in February and March. In Arizona, New 

 Mexico and Texas the general lambing season is be- 

 tween the middle of April and the middle of May. In 

 the northern ranges the lambing season is somewhat 

 later, owing to the fact that the lambing grounds are 

 not always available, being too wet to use on account of 

 late snows. 



