HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITYEE ON AGRICULTURE. 49 
eT Cuarrman. Do you not find that lime is a little injurious to the 
woo 
Mr. Satmon. Lime does injure the wool somewhat. It depends 
upon whether it is used properly or not. Then it also depends on the 
length of the wool at the time the sheep are dipped. If they are dipped 
soon after shearing, I do not think the effect of the lime is sufficient 
to take into account. 
Mr. Scorr. What is the cause of scab in sheep? 
The Cuarrman. Scab is a microscopic parasite. It is large enough 
so that you can see it with the naked eye, but it is rather hard work. 
Mr. Scott. If you get it cleaned out of a State, what assurance have 
you that it will stay out? 
Mr. Saumon. Some countries have cleaned it out entirely, and it 
never has reappeared. Australia, for instance, cleaned it out some 
forty years ago. 
Mr. Henry. Do I understand there is no sheep scab in Australia at 
the present time? 
Mr. Satmon. That is what they claim, and have claimed for thirty 
or forty years. 
The Cuatrman. I think that is a most wonderful result, driving it 
out of Australia, where there are those immense flocks. 
Mr. Bowtr. I suppose it is understood generally what you mean by 
dipping, but I do not understand the process. Of course, I have an 
idea from the use of the word; but would you mind explaining what 
your method of dipping is? 
Mr. Satmon. A large dipping vat is constructed, which is sufli- 
ciently wide and perhaps 100 feet long, and deep enough so that a 
sheep can be put entirely under the liquid. 
Mr. Bowrn. Head and all? 
Mr. Satmon. Head and all. They are driven in one end of it and 
allowed to swim through it, and somewhere, during the course of the 
swim, the head is put under. They come out at the other end of 
the vat. 
Mr. Bown. They are required to go through the whole 100 feet? 
Mr. Satmon. They are required to go the whole length of the vat. 
The Cuarrman. They remain in about a minute, do they? 
Mr. Satmon. About two minutes. 
Mr. Bowre. It takes two minutes to go from one end of the vat to 
the other? 
Mr. Satmon. Yes; and, of course, there is a string of them in all 
the time. 
The Cuarrman. They dip cattle the same way? 
Mr. Satmon. The same way. 
Mr. Bowie. Except, of course, that cattle require much larger vats, 
I imagine. ne ; 
Mr. Satmon. A larger vat, but’ it is the same principle. That is 
one direction in which we will have to increase our force somewhat 
for the handling of cattle scab, which was introduced two or three 
years ago, and is spreading all over the range country and also getting 
into the farming States. 
Mr. Henry. Is that conveyed from sheep to cattle? 
Mr. Satmon. No. 
Mr. Henry. It is a different disease, is it? 
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