TEXAS FEVEK. 497 



ing for a few minutes with the soda before the arsenic has been added 

 will show how much residue may be expected from this source. 



In order that dipping in arsenic may be both efficacious in destroy- 

 ing ticks and also harmless to the cattle at all times, it is of the 

 greatest importance that the dij) be of the proper strength, and that 

 so far as practicable it be maintained at that strength. Due care in 

 making the dip and in calculating the capacity of the vat will, of 

 course, assure the correct initial strength of the dip. Providing the 

 vat with a waterproof cover will do much to maintain the dip at its 

 proper strength by preventing, on the one hand, concentration by 

 evaporation, and, on the other hand, dilution by rains. A cover will 

 also reduce the risk of cattle being poisoned between dippings, espe- 

 cially when the vat is not protected by a fence. During rains the 

 water from the draining pen and chute should not be permitted to 

 run into the vat and dilute the dip. 



Precautions in the use of arsenic. — Because of the fact that arsenic 

 is a poison, great care should be observed in caring for it after it is 

 purchased from the druggist, in order that persons and animals may 

 not be accidentally poisoned. The dip at the time it is being made 

 a^d also after it is diluted should be handled and protected as a 

 poison. Unless such precautions are observed accidents are very 

 liable to occur. When, however, arsenic is handled with the proper 

 care, there is no more danger in its use on the farm than in the use 

 of a number of other poisons that are commonly and regularly used 

 by farmers for destroying insect pests of plants and obnoxious 

 rodents. 



Persons using the dip, especially with the spray pump, should not 

 subject their hands and other portions of the body (by permitting 

 their clothing to become wet) to the action of the dip any more than 

 is necessary, and it is well to wash the hands thoroughly after each 

 spraying, especially when they are frequently exposed to the dip. 

 At the time the dip is being prepared, care should be observed not to 

 inhale the vapor arising from the caldron or kettle, and during 

 spraying the same precaution should be exercised against the inhala- 

 tion of the spray. 



In making the dip, weights and measures should not be guessed at, 

 and the arsenic especially should be weighed with the greatest care. 



Cattle should always be watered a short time before they are 

 dipped. After they emerge from the vat they should be kept on a 

 draining floor until the dip ceases to run from their bodies ; then they 

 should be left in a yard free of vegetation until they are entirely 

 dry. If cattle are allowed to drain in places where pools of dip 

 collect, from which they may drink, or if they are turned at once on 

 the pasture, where the dip will run from their bodies on the grass 

 and other vegetation, losses are liable to result. Crowding the ani- 

 33071°— 16 32 



