The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-06-03
Kerosene Emulsion For Sheen Scab.

Press Bulletin No. 20, of South Dakota Experi.
ment Station. :,
4 recent press bullctinof the Station report
ed the successful use OF kerosene emulsion for
lice on stock. Since publishing it, we have
been enabled to test the same remedy for
sheep scab. This disease, as is well known,
is produced by the work ola small mite in the
skin. These mites differ from lice in many
characteristics of structure and habits. They
are much more difficult to kill, as is i~llustrat.
ed by the fact hat wo specimens placed in
strong alcohol continued to exhibit signs Of
life for nine and fourteen minutes respectively.
Under such conditions, lice would live but a
few seconds.
Our emulsion was made as follows: Twen-
ty gallons Of soft water was heated to the boil
ng point, ten pounds of hard soap 1--WE used
Kinks "Coronct,' a cheap brandt was dissol-
we'd in it, and five gallons Of kerosene added,
the mixture was then pumped briskly through
i cheap spraying pump back into the vessel.
The violent agitation thus produced caused
the materials to emulslfy in about five min
utes. After allowing the emulsion to stand
two or three minutes a little free kerosene
rose to the top and was skinned off with a
shovel, perhaps to the extent of 4 pint in all
We then diluted the emulsion by adding
forty-five gallons of water, so that it contain.
ed about 7 per cent Of kerosene. We were
careful not to dip any sheep while free OF.
was floating on the surface.
In all seven sheep were dipped during the
progress OF the experiment. These were at.
iected by the scab in all degrees, some but very
little and Others so badly as to be almost en-.
tircly naked from its effects, and barely able tc
walk. They also varied greatly as to the
amount Of wool they carried. One was q
yearling that had never been shcared and had
a very heavy fleece; another had been shear.
ed about six weeks; others, just previous tc
dipping; while two, although not sheared this
season, were almost naked from scab, as
stated. These last ones were dipped just as
the experiment was about to return to Brook.
ings and it was therefore IMPOSSIBLE to study
the effect upon them: Although the weather
was rainy and the sheep dried of very slowly
not the slightest injury to skin or wool wa:
shown. On the contrary both seemed to be
improved. The dip was used about blooc
warm, and it penetrated the scab to a yer,
surprising deglee. Except in the very wors'
cases, it seemed unnecessary to scrub thu
scabs with a brush las is recommended will
our dip)because they were perfectly s%aturatee
in an instant without it. The yellow deposi
which clings to scabby wool close to the ski
was almost wholly dissolved and washed out
On making a tolerable close examination o
the sheep twenty-four hours later. using
hand lens, no live mites were found, and bu
very few dead ones, even in situations wher
they were known to be living and abundan
before dipping. Two days after dipping,
sheep was selected which we had examined
several times previously and knew to hav
been badly infested; this sheep was laid on
table in a good lig t and tied down, the scab
by places were clipped bare and a careful ex
animation of over an hours duration wa
made. with lhe same hand lens used al
through the work. The result was that on
single live mite was found and quite a larg
number of dead ones, 1t is a singular fac
that the whole number found was not NOR
than one-tenth of what were alive on til
same area two days before. Perhaps pal
were washed out in dipping, but this is nc
well explained at present.
1t was the opinion Of several sheepme
who saw the wool after dipping that IL,
cleansing properties Of the emulsion Houl
make it a very valuable dip, even whel
sheep were free from parasites. The WOO
certainly came out looking. remarkably clea
and soft. Further experiments are now a
ranged for to ascertain just what effect, upo
the value Of the wool, is produced by til
dip.
The finding of single live mite upon IL
dipped sheepwe do no regard as ~surprisin:
considering the th%oroughness of our Sc .rc
1t is Customary to dip twice or three times ft
scab with any remedy.
The cost Of this dip will depend entirel
upon the price of soap kerosene. At the ra
Of FIVE centsa pound for soap and eightee
cents a gallon for kerosene, the emulsion cos
two cents a gallon. We do not figure Il
cost Of the pump, for a two dollar sprayir
pump ought to be regarded as a househo.
! necessity. and will pay for itself many tim,
in applying poisons to plants and in 9th,
s. uses. J.. M. ALDRIcI.