188 MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP. 



sack is 3 yards. A truss hoop is used, around the rii.i of which 

 the mouth of the sack is twisted, and is then placed on a square 

 frame just large enough to permit the rim of the hoop to rest. 

 The elevation should be sufficient to clear the sack from the 

 lower floor, when suspended. Some half dozen fleeces are 

 then thrown in for a layer, followed by a man who carefully 

 adjusts and treads each successive layer, till full. Gener- 

 ally, there is quite too much haste in this matter, and conse- 

 quently the wool is too loosely packed, and an extra quantity 

 of canvass is made necessary. It will be well before the 

 packing commences, to stuff the bottom corners of the sacks 

 with wool clippings, and tie them, which aflbrd handles for 

 lifting the bales. 



THE SHEEP TICK — {Acarus reduvius.) 



This disgu^ng insect infests sheep of all ages, but none 

 others so much as yearlings. While they tend to impoverish 

 the animal, if collected in large numbers, they stain the 

 wool in such a manner as to make it difficult to cleanse. 

 But they are so easily and effectually eradicated, it is inhu- 

 mane in any flock-master to permit their torments to any 

 portion of his sheep. The following fs the modus operandi 

 for destroying them : 



For 100 lambs, use 5 lbs. of inferior plug tobacco, or 10 

 lbs. of stems ; the former should be chopped into small 

 pieces, that its strength by boiling may be more fully extract- 

 ed. This will require some hours to do, and the most ef- 

 fectual way will be to apply at first two pails of water, which 

 may boil for half an hour, and Aen take one pail of liquor 

 from the kettle, and at "the same time add another of water, 

 and so on till 30 gallons of decoction is made, for which 

 the quantity of tobacco named will be adequate. 



A half hogshead will be the best thing for the deposite of 

 the liquor, upon one side of the top of which should be fast- 

 ened a rack, to rest the lambs after their immersion, in order 

 that the liquor may drain from them. If this is not done, 

 much of it will be unnecessarily wasted. About a week 

 after shearing the ticks will have left the ewes and fastened 

 themselves upon the lambs, which will be the proper time 

 to have them got up for this purpose. The lambs must be 

 held by the head with both hands, and then dipped to the 

 ears, using great care that none of the decoction passes into 

 the eyes or mouth 



