DIPPING SHEEP FOR TICKS AND SCABS 44! 



dip in disinfecting the premises, especially when this can 

 be done immediately after the dipping of the sheep and 

 before the dip has lost any of its strength? Such use of 

 the surplus dip should certainly be economical. The noz- 

 zle of the sprayer should be such as to apply the dip in 

 suitable quantity ; that is freely enough and without un- 

 necessary waste. Whitewashing following the spraying 

 will be an additional safeguard as to the effectiveness of 

 the work. 



Removing parasites by other methods Before dip- 

 ping was introduced for destroying parasites on sheep, 

 other methods of combating them were of necessity fol- 

 lowed. These included: (i) Pouring liquids from a ves- 

 sel ; (2) applying unguents to the skin ; and (3) by feed- 

 ing certain preparations. Compared with dipping, these 

 methods were of necessity laborious, costly and not al- 

 ways effective. They were laborious because of the time 

 and effort called for to treat sheep singly. They were 

 costly because of the large amount of the materials called 

 for. They were not always effective, for the reason that 

 the application seldom reached all parts of the carcass. 



When liquids were applied by pouring, three persons 

 were called for to do the work effectively. The liquid 

 most commonly used was a decoction made by steeping 

 tobacco leaves or stems. One person held the sheep to 

 be treated ; a second person opened the wool along one 

 side, a little below the backbone from the neck to the 

 tail, and a third person poured in the liquid where the 

 wool had been thus shed. In some instances the sheep 

 was then set upon its buttock and more or less of the 

 liquid was poured on to the lower part of the paunch, 

 beginning at the brisket. This method has rendered rea- 

 sonably good service in killing ticks, but for treating 

 scab it was not greatly helpful. In the absence of a dip- 

 ping plant there may be times when this method of com- 

 bating ticks may be resorted to with profit, especially in 

 the autumn season. 



