Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-07-13
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS or INTEREST TO
ACRICULTURiSTS
Some Cp-to-Date Hints About Cuitiva-
tion of the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticulture. xiticulturs aud Fioricul-
tuEe.
Dipping Sheep.

Dipping Sheep.
The dipping OF sheep is an annual
duty for every sheep breeder to fol-
low or should be so considered. Many
shepherds from laziness or some other
similarly senseless reason or none. neg
lect to dip their sheep with the result
that they lose good deal of growth
that might otherwise be set down to
profit and also run the risk of getting
skin disease among their sheep which
will be found very hard to eradicate
after it has once become well rooted.
There was a time when the dipping
of sheep was rather a formidable un-
dertaking for the reason that people
did not have the proper appliances and
at the same time had to concoct won
derful brews of dope in which to i'm
merse the unfortunate animals. AT
that time the dipping tank with its
runways and dripping platforms was
unknown and dips used were largely
home productions of a highly poison
GUS character. Numbers of sheep were
poisoned annually, some from absorp-
tion of arsenic or corrosive sublimate.
others from taking the arsenic into
their stomachs while grazing pastures
where sheep had been turned out after
dipping in arsenical dips. Nowadays
the construction of proper dipping
tanks is well understood and there are
numbers of effective dips upon the
market which merely require the ad-
d1tlon of water to make them ready
for effective work either for the de-
struction Of ticks or for the cure OF
scab. OF the dips referred to the most
easily prepared for use are those made
from tar and of these may be cited the
popular, economical and effective ones
advertised in our columns. There has
been vast deal of discussion pro
and con as to the merits and dement's
of sulphur and lime concoctions, but
the weight of testimony has in our
opinion been clearly against the use
of this combination which while fair
lY effective has the draw back of being
highly detrimental to the wool. On the
other hand there are many who claim
with good reason that dips of the tar
product variety are a positive advan-
tage to the wool in that they keep it
soft and full of vigor and when used
after Shearing stimulate a rapid and
healthy growth. That noted authority
upon sheep Richard Gibson of Can
ada advises that sheep should be
dipped three times a year not because
there will be three crops of ticks, but
because increase of both wool and
mutton will result. He adds:"A rich
man may discard the use of dip; a
poor man cannot afford to do So"
This is a fair view of the matter and
we are strongly of the opinion that
any reader of this paper who has not
made it a practice to dip his sheep at
| least once a year will find 1t a very
Dr0f1fa n
future. The best time to dip sheep is
just after shearing in that the dip then
| gets into closer contact with the skin
and will therefore prove most effective
both in destroying any ticks that may
| be present, curing skin trouble which
| may be in the incipient stage and in
stimulating fresh growth of healthy,
long stapled wool. At this time too
all of the young lambs should be
/ dipped for the reason that the ticks
will have largely migrated to their
tender bodies causing untold misery
and at the same time retarding growth
and health. 1t has further been found
that where sheep and lambs are prop
erly dipped at the season of the year
indicated that the dip will retain suf-
| ficient strength for some time to keep
away both CAD fiies-whose larvae en-
ter the nostrils causing the grubs
which later torment the victims and
even lead to fatal results in some in
stances, and the other common fly
which deposits eggs about the anus
or in any sores that may exist upon
| the body, later producing a crop of
horrid maggots which prove a source
of suffering and emaciation to the
sheep and disgust to the owner
| Viewed from every standpoint we can
think of the dipping of sheep is SEN
sible and hygienic-