THE CARE OF SHEEP 383 



tank is usually set about two feet in the ground, and rises 

 about two and one half feet above the surface. A width of 

 22 inches at the top, and 12 inches at the bottom, and a 

 length of 10 feet at the top and 6 feet at the bottom, with 

 one end having an inclined rise of 45 degrees, on which a 

 metal ladder or concrete, non-slipping steps may be laid, 

 gives the proportions for a common farm flock. The tank 

 is filled to a depth of about 3 feet with a 2 to 5 per cent 

 lukewarm solution, according to the dip used. A run- 

 way should lead up to the vertical end of the tank, while 

 at the other end a drainage platform should be provided, so 

 that the dip dripping from the sheep will run back in the 

 tank. The sheep is dropped into the tank and entirely 

 submerged, the head being pushed under for an instant. 

 The sheep is then left in the dip about a minute, after which 

 it is driven up the incline to the drainage platform. When 

 the flock is reasonably free from ticks or lice, one dipping in 

 the spring, following shearing, and another in the fall, pridr 

 to going into winter quarters, will answer. If the sheep are 

 very ticky or lousy, two dippings at about 14 daj^s interval 

 are recommended. The first dipping kills the live parasites, 

 but not the eggs; but the second treatment will catch the 

 crop of young ticks from the newly hatched eggs. 



Intestinal parasites in sheep, more especially the stom- 

 ach worms and tapeworms, cause serious injury in many 

 flocks in the eastern part of the United States. 



Stomach worms are about an inch in length, of the size 

 of a small needle, and reddish in color. The female worm 

 lays a large number of eggs, which pass off in the manure 

 when the sheep are on pasture. Here the eggs may hatch 

 in as soon as two days, and, in due time, after going through 

 some changes, the embryo worms climb up on the fresh 

 blades of grass, which are eaten by the sheep, and thus the 

 worms are conveyed to the stomach. This process is re- 

 peated over and over, so that enormous quantities of the 



