The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-06-22
WEEKLY DIGEST
Of Experiment Station Bulletins.
No. Is.
SHEEP SCAB.

This Is the subject of Bulletin SO, of
Colorado Station. Scab in sheep, itch
In man, and mango in other animals
are all caused by minute animal para
sites, or mites that feed upon or just
below the skin. They are spider like,
having six legs. Tough of the same
family, the scab, itch, and mango mites
are all of different species.
Sheep-feeding having become a most
important industry in Colorado, the
Station of that State has been studying
and experimenting with various pre-
ventives and remedies for sCab for q
year past.
Scab usually begins along the back
ofsheep, and the presence of the trouble
is indicated by efforts of the sheep to
pull the wool from the infected spot to
enable it to relieve the intense itching
by digging at it with it's teeth. Unless
given immediate attention, the mites
soon spread to other parts. But for
| tunately, they do not scatter, but
spread in solid mass, so that only the
infected spot need be treated. In later
stages, the infected spot is covered
with sort Of dapdruff, and later still
scales or scabs form, the mites keeping
in the wool about the edges, where
they lay their egg. They may be seen
by the aid Of good hand magnifying
glass. A few cling to the locks of wool
pulled out by the sheep. and thus spread
TO others. The mites have no wings,
and can travel but a short distance
during their brief life time. This
period is so short, that it is impossible
for those in the manure and soil of q
corral to live over from spring till fall
or from fall to spring. It is found that
4 or degrees below zero kills both
eggs and mites. Hence, an infected
corral may be purified by leaving it
unoccupied over winter.
To prevent scab, be careful never to
introduce scabby sheep into the flock,
and dip just after shearing, each year,
when there is no wool to interfere.
This kills ticks and other parasites as
we'll as scab mites.
Of % kinds of sheep dip used, the
cheapest and most effective was home
made dip made by mixing 8 pounds
first class lime and 80 pounds sulphur
in little water and boil for hours
and then add enough water to make
100 gallons, and use when cooled to 11O
degrees. Dip again in two weeks to
kill the mites Matched sinc9 first dip
ping. Dipping costs to cents per
head, including cost of making up loss
of flesh from the set back caused by
dipping.
The same bulletin states that the
trees Of pear, apple, plum, and cherry,
In the mountain districts of Colorado
have their foliage rendered pale and
sickly by attacks Of the brown clover
mite. The remedy is to wash the limbs
and stems and particularly crotches,
during late fall with kerosene emulsion
or whale oil soap, one pound dissolved
in q gallon of water.
The codling moth is also very de,
structive to the apple crop of Colorado.
Spray just before the blossoms open
and just after they fall with Bordeaux
mixture in which Paris green has been
stirred at the rate Of pound to 100
gallons.
PRODUCE YOUR OWN NITROGEN.
OF the three most essential fertilizing
elements-nitrogen potash, and phos-
phoric acid, nitrogen costs more than
twice as much per pound as either of
the others. Yet nitrogen exists in great
abundance in the atmosphere, and the
scientists are about to master the prob
, lem of capturing this atmospheric
nitrogen and utilizing it in the growth
of farm crops.
i Bulletin 46, of Louisiana Station, de
scribes some very interesting expert
ments in this line at that Station. Ii
has long been known that the legumi-
nous (podded) family of plants, such
as the clovers, peas, beans, vetches,
lupines, etc. possessed the power of i'm
proving the fertility of the land on
which they grow, but just how they
did so was not known till recently, and
it is not yet fully understood. But it is
now known that these plants store up
in their roots, stems, and leaves large
quantities of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash, getting the nitrogen from
the air and the potash and phosphoric
acid largely from the subsol When
: such a crop, or even its roots and stub
3 BILE, is left on the land to decay, the
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