32 
SHEEP SCAB. 
The next best gain, ten pounds, was in lot 6, but these were 
only dipped once. The others that were fed grain, lots 7 to 10, 
were dipped twice and made a gain of eight pounds each. 
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PREVENTING AND CURING SCAB. 
A little pi’evention will often save many dollars of expense 
and much trouble in dealing with this disease. 
If one has sheep that are free from scab, he should not 
allow sheep that may have the disease to be put with them. 
Suspicious sheep should be kept in a yard by themselves until 
it is quite certain that they are free from the infection. 
Persons who are purchasing lambs or sheep from a locality 
w’here scab is known to be present should not put them at once 
into the yards where they are to be fed for the market. They 
should, if possible, be kept out of these yards until dipped, 
at least once, and it would be better if they could be dipped 
twice. The experiments to determine how long the mites may 
live off the sheep prove that they may live at least twenty 
days. There is no certainty then of eradicating the disease with 
the best dip, even in two dippings, fourteen days apart if the 
sheep are put back in the old }^ards. A single surviving female 
would be sufficient, if she could find her way back on the 
sheep, to start the disease afresh. 
Where sheep are kept the year around it will be much 
cheaper to dip soon after shearing when the wool is short, as 
it will take less material. 
If lime and sulphur, or potash and sulphur are used, boil 
thoroughly before using in order to get a more perfect com- 
bination of the ingredients. Also, do not use more than one 
pound of lime to three or four pounds of sulphur, as it is the 
excess of lime that does the injury to the wool. 
Do not get the idea that the disease may be spontaneous 
under any possible conditions, for it is not. As well think of 
horses or jack rabbits coming into existence without parents. 
Every sheep that contracts scab does so by getting the mites 
or their eggs directly or indirectly from other animals. 
I wish to acknowledge the assistance received from the 
farm department in carrying on these experiments. 
Prof. Cooke has taken much interest in the work, has helped 
with good suggestions, and by putting at my disposal the dip- 
ping vat belonging to the farm department and such of the 
farm help as was needed in carrying on the work. 
