Dipping . 73 



ing the activity of the dip which had become dried on 

 to it. The effects of dipping are thus never so complete 

 in a dry spell following dipping as in a moderately wet 

 season. These remarks particularly apply to the use of 

 the poisonous dips of lasting properties. Quickly acting 

 dips of the carbolic or non-poisonous liquid class are of 

 more transient effect. It should be added that the use 

 of any home-made, unscientifically prepared dip is re- 

 prehended by all wool and sheep experts, and dips com- 

 posed essentially of lime and sulphur or crude arsenic 

 are not only destructive to the wool directly, but pre- 

 judicially affect it also by their inimical effect upon the 

 skin of the sheep, which is, after all, the soil upon which 

 the wool grows. 



The nature of the water used in dipping is of im- 

 portance. When the water is hard the difficulties not 

 only of imperfect mixing but also of penetration through 

 a greasy fleece affect results. These difficulties can, 

 however, be greatly lessened by adding common soda 

 to the bath water, at the rate of about 21b. to every 100 

 gallons of water. This soda requires, of course, to be 

 first dissolved in hot water before being stirred into the 

 bath. A very general means of mitigating the detri- 

 mental effects of hard water is to add to the bath water, 

 into which a poisonous dip has already been mixed, a 

 non-poisonous fluid dip at the rate of about one-third 

 gallon to every 100 gallons of bath water. This most 

 effectively augments the penetrativeness of hard water, 

 and, at the strength mentioned, it can be safely added 

 to the poisonous dip without the least risk. In using 

 short baths this advice is increasingly important. Every 

 sheep owner should have a dipping bath on his own 

 farm. It is a valuable asset, for it insures the chance for 

 dipping to be done properly and without the annoyances, 

 loss of time, and risks attending the travelling of sheep 

 for it to be done elsewhere. 



