66 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



lower the slieep into the vat or to raise them 

 out again; they may as well be thrown in or 

 made to jump in at one end, and that end of 

 the vat should go down perpendicularly; at 

 the other end there must he a gradual incline 

 up which thef can walk. For a small flock the 

 bottom level of the vat need not be more than 

 four feet long, with an incline beginning there 

 aaid running gradually out to the level and to 

 a draining platform from which the drip 

 should be collected and discharged into the 

 vat again. A width at the bottom of 6 inches 

 is ample, as only the feet go clear down and 

 the less width the less liquor is required to 

 charge the vat. In case there is genuine and 

 serious affection of scab, the sheep should be 

 held rigidly in for two minutes, and in that 

 time the head should be immersed briefly 

 twice. If there is only suspected infection, 

 however, and not yet any outbreak, the sheep 

 may be run through as rapidly as convenient, 

 being only sure that each one is completely 

 immersed in the liquor, for they will remain 

 wet for 24 hours at least after emerging from 

 the dip. In a practice of many years the 

 writer has never had scab break out in a flock 

 thoroughly dipped once by simply running the 

 sheep through. There are other essential con- 

 ditions to be obser\^ed, however, which will, be 

 mentioned now. 



The dip must be hot. This does not mean 

 warm, nor boiling, but as hot as the operator 

 can endure to plunge in his bare arm. It is 

 better to test the temperature in this manner 



