436 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



readily obtained by purchase. The sheep are lifted into 

 the vat by two men. When dipped sufficiently long, they 

 are held for a short time on a draining board or table that 

 will carry the ooze back into the vat. The dripping may 

 be hastened by squeezing the wool while the sheep are 

 on the draining board. 



The season for dipping The dipping of sheep may be 

 done at almost any season of the year. Should it be as- 

 certained that sheep are affected with scab when tem- 

 peratures run low, the deferring of the dipping until the 

 arrival of warm weather will unquestionably result in 

 greater loss than any loss that may accrue from judicious 

 dipping in the winter season. This will also apply to 

 sheep that are much infested with ticks, the presence of 

 which, because of their numbers, may give rise to great 

 suffering on the part of the sheep. The loss resulting 

 from the presence of those parasites will be much greater 

 than the loss that may arise from judicious dipping in the 

 winter season. Experiments have shown that dipping 

 may be conducted with a measurable degree of safety 

 even in the winter season, and as far northward as the 

 parallel 45 degrees, when the sheep are properly cared 

 for after the dipping. Such care includes providing them 

 with quarters that are reasonably warm and that are com- 

 pletely protected from drafts. That dipping may be thus 

 conducted without hazard to the sheep has been amply 

 demonstrated in experiments conducted at the Wisconsin 

 station by the late lamented Prof. John A. Craig. 



The fact remains, nevertheless, that there are seasons 

 for dipping that are more favorable for the prosecution 

 of this than other seasons. The best time for dipping 

 sheep, all things considered, is just after the sheep have 

 been shorn in the spring. When dipped at that season, 

 the amount of dip called for is much less than at other 

 seasons, because of the absence of wool on sheep that are 

 thus dipped. If the lambs are dipped at the same time, 

 and if due precautions are observed to prevent re-infection, 



