442 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



The process of applying ointments, usually spoken of 

 as smearing, was very common before the dipping age 

 began. Mercurial ointment was the favorite unguent 

 used. The work of an expert in this line was done some- 

 what as follows : He caught the sheep, laid it carefully 

 on its side and seated himself on a good-sized batting of 

 straw. The head of the sheep rested on the operator's 

 shoulder when stooping over it and the body was between 

 his legs. To his left wrist the horn of a heifer was at- 

 tached, filled with the ointment. This left both hands 

 free to shed the wool, the ointment being taken from the 

 horn by the middle finger of the right hand and smeared 

 in the opening. Two strips were opened down the side 

 on one shoulder, and in most instances it was applied on 

 some other parts. This method of fighting ticks was quite 

 helpful, but to fight scab by this method was greatly 

 laborious and more or less dangerous, because of the ex- 

 ceedingly poisonous character of the ointment. 



The opinion has been commonly expressed that if 

 sulphur is fed to sheep in small quantities, either at short 

 intervals or continuously for long periods, that it will ma- 

 terially reduce the liability of infestation by ticks. When 

 so fed the sulphur is added to the salt in the proportions, 

 of, say, two to three parts of sulphur in loo parts of the 

 mixture. While sulphur used as a part of the mixture 

 in dipping is more or less of a protection against speedy 

 re-infection, since its effects linger for a time in the wool, 

 it does not follow that the same results may be looked 

 for from feeding sulphur to the sheep in the manner men- 

 tioned. The influence, if any, is not enough to be very 

 material. It has also been claimed that when tobacco is 

 fed to sheep, it will tend to protect them from internal 

 parasites (see page 39S), such as stomach worms, and that 

 the same or similar results may be looked for from feed- 

 ing certain mixtures, proprietary and otherwise. In re- 

 gard to these it may be said that their efficacy has not 

 been fully demonstrated. 



