SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT. 67 



than by use of a thermometer. If the latter 

 is used a temperature of 110 deg. Fahrenheit 

 will be about right, but the bare skin is the 

 best thermometer. 



The water used must be softened or ' ' broke ' '. 

 To do this use ordinary concentrated lye, 

 enough to make the water a little biting and 

 give it an oily feel like soap. This is an inex- 

 pensive process. 



The dip, whatever it is, must be used of good 

 strength. There are various good preparations 

 in use, most of which are effective if used of 

 sufficient strength. 



On the farm of the writer the coal tar prep- 

 arations are used almost always, because they 

 prove effective and cheap, and are pleasant to 

 operate with. They are healing to the skin 

 and effectually dissipate any tendency to eye 

 disease and are sure death to all forms of in- 

 sect life whatever. These coal tar dips are 

 given various names as "Zenoleum," "Nap- 

 tholeum," "Daytholeum," etc., and are simi- 

 lar in composition and effect. The directions 

 often say to use them at a strength of 1 to 100, 

 that is of one part of dip to 100 parts of water; 

 this is not safe in combating scab, and as the 

 cost of dipping is mostly in labor, the writer 

 always uses them at a strength of one to forty, 

 and has had no failure to cure every sort of 

 parasitism and has never injured a sheep by 

 its use. 



In truth, one winter when scab broke out 

 among some undipped sheep (that had been 

 dipped in Chicago, but imperfectly) and the 



