Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-07-04
Dipping sheep for scab.


A bulletin sent out by the Missouri
State Board of Agriculture says:
BY far the most rational and salts
factory, and the cheapest method of
curing scab is by dipping the sheep in
some liquid which will kill the para
sites. The dipping proce-s is as fol-
lows.
~ Select a dip containing sulphur.
II prepared dip Is used which does
not contain sulphur, it Is always safer
to add about 1914 pounds of sifted
flowers of sulphur to every 100 gallons
of water, especially If, after dipping,
the sheep have to be returned to the
old pastures.
(2) Shear all the sheep at the one
time. and Immediately after shearing
confine them to one-half the farm for
two to four weeks. Many persons pre-
fer to dip Immediately after shearing.
(3) At the end of this time dip ev-
cry sheep land every goat also, If there
are any on the farm.
(4) Ten days later dip the entire
flock second time.
(5) After the second dipping, place
the flock on the portion Of the farm
from which they have been excluded
during the previous four or five weeks
co. Use the dip II a temperature OF
100 degrees to 11e degrees F.
Cd Keep each sheep in the dip for
two minutes by the watch-do not
guess at the time-and duck its head
at least once.
go Be careful in dipping rams. as
they are more likely to be overcome in
the dip than are the ewes.
90 Injury may, however, result to
pregnant ewes, which must. on this ac-
count, be carefully handled. Some
farmers arrange a stage with sides, to
hold the pregnant ewes. which is low
cred carefully into the vat. and raised
after the proper time.
(10) In case patent. or proprietary,
dip, especially an arsenical dip. Is
used, the directions given on the pack
age should be carried out to the let
ter
Whatever dip is selected, the farmer
should not forget that there are two
ways to use that dip. One way is to
prepare and use 1t in accordance with
the directions given; the other way Is
to attempt to economic time. labor, or
money by using the dip in weaker pro-
portion than advised, by hurrying the
sheep through the swim, or by later
placing the dipped sheep under unfav-
orable conditions. IL the former meth
cd Ia adopted with any of the estab-
lished dips, the treatmens ought to De
followed with favorable results. II the
latter method is adopted, the farmer
himself must assume the responsibility
of failure, no matter which dip he de-
cides to use. Every farmer should.
therefore. remember that when he has
decided upon the dip he is to use. his
work has only begun; to use the dip
properly is fully as important as to
use dip at all.
Sulphur is one of the Oldest known
remedies for scab, its use dating back
to Columella in the early part of the
Christian era. AS a scab eradicator.
it must be placed among the best sub
stances at our disposal. It is one Of
the constituents of certain proprietary
dips, but its use to the farmer is best
known in the tobacco-and-sulphur dip
and in the lime-and-sulphur dip. These
homemade mixtures are the two dips
which have played the most important
roles in the eradication Of scab from
certain English colonies. and their
use, especially the use as we'll as the
abuse Of lime and sulphur. is quite ex-
tensive in this country.