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The sheep-scab; its nature, prevention an

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THE SHEEP-SCAB:

Its Nature, Prevention and Cure.

A

HANDBOOK’ FOR AMERICAN SHEPHERDS.

BY

HENRY TEMPLE BROWN.

TO WHICH IS ADDED, BY- REQUEST,

THE CLASSIFICATION OF WOOLS, AND THEIR
MARKETABLE VALUES.

AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE MissouRI STATE WOOL
GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION, AT SEDALIA, Mo.,
APRIL 5, 1882.

BOSTON:

PUBLISHED BY A. WILLIAMS & CO.,
FOR WALTER BROWN & CO.

1882.

Copyright, 1882.

BosToN STEREOTYPE FouNDRY,
4 Peagy STREET.

THE SHEEP-SCAB.

BETWEEN the Mississippi River on the east,
the Pacific Ocean on the west, and extending
south to the farthest extremity of Texas, lies a
vast area of country peculiarly favorable to the
raising of live stock. It possesses advantages in
the way of grazing, climate and adaptability to
the handling of large flocks or herds, equalled by
few, and perhaps surpassed by no other countries
of the globe. During the past thirty years the
great resources of this region have become fully
appreciated, and the progress made in the propa-
gation of stock, within the last decade, has been
something enormous; and not the least impor-
tant feature,'in this remarkable development, is
the great increase in sheep. So rapid a growth
in any industry, where the management is on a
large scale and without due regard to details, is
almost always accompanied by an increase of the

4 The Sheep-Scab.

evils which attend that industry; and so has it
been with sheep and their diseases, particularly
those of a contagious nature. :

The natural or normal condition of all organic
structures is that of healthfulness; the unnatural
or abnormal condition or state, is disease. To
prevent the latter should be the earnest desire of
all who are engaged in sheep husbandry; but if
any one is so unfortunate as to have disease of
whatever nature in his flock, the question pre-
‘sents itself at once to the thrifty owner, how shall
it be cured?

Among all the ills that sheep are subject to,
by far the most prominent is the “ Scab,” which
is placed at the head of the black list, as having
done more damage and caused greater losses to
the owners of sheep ranches, than all other dis-
eases known in the United States.

A deep interest in the welfare of the sheep
culture throughout the west and south has
prompted us, after a thorough investigation of
the various authorities on the subject, and a care-
ful analysis of information obtained from prom-

The Sheep-Scab. 5

inent sheep men throughout the country, to issue
this little HANDBooK on the Scab, with the hope
that it may be of some use in the sanitary work
of removing this pestilence from our flocks.

Irs History AND NATURE.

The sheep-scab, or a disease analogous to it,
has existed in some part of the world from time
immemorial. We do not learn of its being men-
tioned in the Bible, but it was certainly well
known to ancient shepherds. Ovid, in writing
‘of a pestilence that prevailed in the Island of
/Egina, thirteen hundred years before the Chris-
tian Era, describes the falling off of the wool of
the sheep and their wasting away. Livy, the his-
torian speaks of a disease, scabius, as being very
virulent among sheep, in the neighborhood of
Rome, in the year 424 before Christ. A most
graphic and exact description of the scab in
sheep is given by the poet Virgil in his Georgics.
All the early English writers on sheep husbandry
speak of it, and there is not a French, German or
Italian writer on the subject, who does not men-

6 The Sheep-Scab.

tion the scab as a prevalent, infectious and mor-
tal disease among sheep. :

Until.a comparatively recent date, however,
the cause of the disease was not known. Youatt
in his work on the sheep, published in 1840, and
re-issued in a new edition in 1878, mentions that
the scab may be produced by a variety of causes,
such as bad keep, starvation, hasty driving, dog-
ging and exposure afterwards to cold and wet;
thus producing suppression of the perspiration.
At the same time he admits the presence of the
parasitic mite known to all who have been
troubled with this disease in their flocks. W.C.
Spooner, veterinary surgeon of Southampton,
England, when treating of sheep-scab, pertinently
stated that the scab is similar to the 7fch in
man and the mange in dogs and horses, being in
fact, like these diseases, usually propagated by
contagion; but he adds that “poverty and filth
well produce wt!”

That the scab may or can be produced spon-
taneously, by poor keep or insufficient nourish-
ment, has never been established as a fact in the

The Sheep-Scab. 7

United States;-it is contradicted by Professor
Pasteur, an eminent French chemist, whose
views are endorsed by Professor Tyndall, the
distinguished and enthusiastic student of science.
The latter states that Professor Pasteur has car-
ried out his experiments with a thoroughness
quite apparent to the instructed scientific reader,
and accompanied by a logic as complete, and has
thus established the conviction that even in the
lower reaches of the scale of being, “life does not
appear without the operation of antecedent life.”
The position of M. Pasteur, although often
assailed, has never been shaken; on the contrary,
it has been strengthened by practical researches
of the most momentous kind.

It is granted, that the mismanagement of
sheep, lack of nourishment, exposure to cold and
wet, etc., favor the increase and spread of the
disease, owing to their general debilitating influ-
ences; but that such conditions are the originat-
ing cause is stoutly denied by the latest scientific
authorities on the subject. Such being the case,
the question arises—

8 The Sheep-Scab.

WHAT IS THE SCAB?

The scab isa contagious skin disease of sheep,
due to the presence of animal parasites belong-
ing to the class arachnida (spiders); order
acarida (mites) ; sub-order crawling mites; fam-
ily sarcoptes, of which there are three genera:
—the sarcoptes, that burrow in the skin; the
dermatodectes, that simply bite and hold on to
the skin; and the symbiotes, that live together
and pierce no farther than the epidermis, in
search of food.

The variety of a@carus we have to consider is
the sarcoptes ovis (that which burrows in the
skin of the sheep). It is a spider-like mite
from one one-hundredth to one-sixtieth of an
inch in length. They have no trachee or other
respiratory organs, as yet discovered by investi-
gating naturalists, hence respiration is supposed
to be cutaneous.

There are different species of the genus
acarus, of which the one under consideration is
peculiar to the sheep, for although the disease of

THE ACARUS WHICH CAUSES SCAB.

2

The figure at the left represents the female of 360 times the natural
size, provided with eight legs; four before, and four behind.
@,—The sucker.
b, b, b, b,—The four anterior feet, with their trumpet-like appendages.
€,C€,— The two interior hind feet.

d,d,— The two outward feet, the extremeties of which are provided with
long hairs, and on the other parts of the legs are shorter hairs. To
these hairs the young acari adhere when they first appear from the
pustule.

é,— The tail, containing the anus and vulva.

The figure at the right, is the male on its back,seen by the same
magnifying power.
a,— The sucker.
b, b, b, b,— The fore legs.
c, C,— The outer hind legs.
a, d,— The rudimentary abdominal legs.
e,— The tail.

The Sheep-Scadb. 9

scab corresponds with the itch in man, and
mange in dogs, the parasite is in each case a
different one, and the acarus which causes scab
in sheep will not cause either of the other. dis-
eases, neither will the acari which produce those
diseases cause “ Scab.”

The male acarus is smaller than the female,
and is migratory in his habits. One male sufhi-
ces for many females, and is longer lived than
the female. The latter is of a sedentary nature
and may be more easily discovered than the
male. The adult acarus has eight legs, four
before and four behind, although of the latter, in
the male, the inner two are rudimentary...

M. Walz, a German veterinarian, who has
given much investigation to the subject, has
graphically described the mode of operations by
these parasites.

If a female acarus be placed on the wool of a
sound sheep, it quickly travels to the root of it,
and buries itself in the skin, the place at which it
penetrated being scarcely visible, or only distin-
guished by a minute red point. On the tenth or

Io The Sheep-Scab.

twelfth day a swelling may be detected with the
finger, the skin changes its color and has a green-
ish blue tint. During this period the eggs are
deposited and are undergoing the process of
incubation. The pustule is now rapidly formed,
‘and about the sixteenth day breaks, and the in-
sect again appears with its young attached to its
legs and covered by a portion of the shell of the
eggs from which they have just escaped. Every
litter of these parasites comprises according to the
best authorities, from eight to fifteen young ones,
who set to work to penetrate the neighboring
skin, and bury themselves beneath it, where
they find their nourishment and grow and prop-
agate, until the poor animal has myriads of
them preying upon him, and it is ‘not. sur-
prising that he speedily succumbs under the
infliction.

One female acarus, through the reproduction
of its young will give an increase of one million
five hundred thousand of progeny in three months,
as shown by the following table: —

ih

l

In the above cut, upon the denuded spot of the sheep, made bare by removing the
wool, is shown the acfwal size of the acari as they appear to the naked eye.

The Sheep-Scab. yee

Generation, Days. Females born. Males born.
Ist 2. 1 2 1 IH ew we IO. - 6 . 5
2d. dw & GOs & & TOO s & « % 50
BOE ee is GG. OR Re 1,000. . se 500
At sae oe SOO wr 8 10,000 . . . + 5,000
Sth . . . . 75). « + « 100,000 . - . « 50,000
6th . . . . gO. « «. « 1,000,000 . . « .« 500,000

This wonderful propagation explains the seri-
ous nature of the disease, and shows the neces-
sity for immediate action with energetic remedies
or effective preventives. .

The male acarus placed on the body of a
sound sheep, will burrow its way into the skin;
in due time the pustule is noticeable, but the
itching and the scab will soon disappear without
the employment of any specific remedy.

The deductions arrived at from the foregoing
description of the acarus and its habits, which
are well authenticated by practical experience
and scientific research, establish the fact that
the existence of the disease is not to be attrib-
uted to any accessorial circumstances pertaining
to the general condition of the sheep; but is
directly accounted for by the introduction of the
acarus through the medium of—

12 The Sheep-Scab.

CONTAGION.

There is an old British adage that, “One
scabby sheep will infect a whole flock,” which
is a truism that cannot be gainsaid, provided the
proper means are not taken for the eradication of
the parasites. Ifa single scabby sheep be herded
with the flock, it is a question of but a short
time when the whole flock will become infected.
If a neighbor's sheep be scabby, running in a
contiguous pasture, there is danger of contagion.
So is there in putting sheep onto a range from
which a scabby flock has lately been removed;
the posts, stones, fences, etc. against which the
diseased animals have rubbed themselves, in the
endeavor to find some relief from their torture,
being a fruitful source of infection; for on such
objects the acari have been deposited with the
bunches of loose wool, and are communicated
to the next comer.

One noticeable feature in connection with the
contagious nature of this disease, is the fact that
the old and unhealthy sheep are the first at-

The Sheep-Scab. 13

tacked, and the long, coarse-woolled sheep of
open fibre in preference to those of shorter fibre.
The close-grown fine-woolled Merino sheep
will long withstand the inroads of this parasite,
but not even they are exempt from the conta-
gion. The power of the healthy merino sheep
to resist for a time this insinuating insect is
probably due to an abundance of yolk and the
density of the fibre acting as an obstacle to its
penetrating to the skin.

SYMPTOMS OF SCAB.

It is seldom the case that the first attack of
the acari is observed, even by the careful super-
intendent, for the mites are barely visible to the
naked eye, and their presence causes no partic-
ular irritation to the sheep, until they have been.
located in the skin for several days. The earli-
est evidence that sheep are infected with this
plague, is a certain restlessness and uneasiness,
and unless the shepherd is on the alert, this
symptom is passed by unnoticed; consequently
the disease is rarely discovered until it is fully

14 The Sheep- Scab.

established. As it progresses, about twelve days
after the sheep are attacked, they are seen rub-
bing themselves against trees, fences and other
hard objects, manifestly to gain relief from an
irritating itching sensation. An examination at
this time will show the following result: pim-
ples have formed and are filled with pus, which
by rubbing, become broken and in the course of
a few days, the acrid matter escaping from the
pustules dries and forms a scab; hence the name
of this disease so much dreaded by sheep breed-
ers.

The parts chiefly affected are the neck, back,
and flanks; the belly and legs being compar-
atively free from these parasites during the early
stages of the disease. With the formation of the
scabs, the sheep obtains no deliverance from its
misery, but the itching continues with redoubled
force, and in the vain endeavor to find some
relief, the animal is noticed scratching itself with
its feet, biting at the parts affected, tearing off
the wool both in this way and by rubbing, until
it becomes a most wo-begone creature, denuded

The Sheep-Scab. 15

of its natural covering, a mass of nauseating,
festering sores. ;

In such a condition externally, it is no wonder
that the general health of the sheep should dete-
riorate, no matter how well fed it may be; the
frequent result being diarrhcea and the formation
of tumors in various portions of the body, until
the animal finally succumbs under the disease.

It is often remarked that the scabby sheep are
the poorest animals of the flock, the observer
seeming to forget that the sheep are in a poor
condition because they are infested with myriads
of parasites that draw nourishment from their
bodies; that their condition is the resu/¢ and not
the cause. It has already been shown that
“there is no life without antecedent life;” hence
poor keep, uncleanliness, and low diet, do not
produce spontaneous life. Let this be kept in
mind when considering the origin of the mzty
diseases, to wit, that there are no mites without
antecedent mites, and these must have come in
the case of sheep-scab from scabby sheep.

The locks of wool that fall to the ground from

16 The Sheep-Scab.

biting at the sores, or that adhere to the rubbing
places, are the frequent means of conveying the
parasites from sheep to sheep, and from the old
flock to the new; for these insects have a won-
derful vitality, enabling them to live for weeks
or even months, away from the source of their
nourishment and the field of their propagation.
So insinuating is this disease, and when once
established, so rapid is its diffusion, that, of the
sheep breeder owing an infected flock, one is led
to exclaim, with the poet Dryden, —

‘‘He sees the diré contagion spread so fast,
That where it seizes, all relief is vain.”

The Sheep-Scab. 17

TREATMENT AND CURE OF SCAB.

Havine presented a sketch of the systematic
history of the acarus, which individually might
seem so insignificant, but which, collectively,
forms an army capable of working incalculable
destruction to the interest of sheep husbandry;
and having also given a diagnosis of this parasitic
skin-disease, with the fatal results likely to arise
from its introduction onto the sheep-range; the
question next to be considered is, how can we
most effectually and economically eradicate it
from our flocks. In answer I would say, that
the most effectual and perhaps the most eco-
nomical way, is to carry out the old proverb that

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.

Let the legislature of each state where sheep-
husbandry is a prominent industry, enact laws
making it a penal offence for any one to have in
his possession a sheep affected by the scab, and
let the penalty be sufficient to ensure that the
disease shall be extirpated “root and branch.”

18 The Sheep-Scab.

As with the cattle disease, pleuro-pneumonia,

both in Great Britain and in the United States,
the pithy, pertinent, and most significant motto
is, “Stamp it out” by the isolation and slaughter
of the animals, if need be, rather than to permit
this terrible malady to spread: so of the scab;
if it be in a flock of sheep stamp it out, at what-
ever sacrifice. There is this difference, how-
ever, between these two plagues; the former is
deemed incurable, while the latter, as will be
shown, zs curable. :
It may be argued by the ignorant or malicious,
or by the novice, that the scab cannot be cured.
To those I would mention an instance that
comes within my personal knowledge, and of
recent date; the party interested being an en-
terprising Scotchman residing in one of the
Western States. Said he, “I coom here, a few
years ago, with only eight. sheep and vary leetle
mooney, and now I have twa thousand sheep and
mooney in the bank.” He had earned his money
and his flock by purchasing and curing scabby
sheep!

The Sheep-Scab. 19

As a matter of interest to the reader, I will
give the principal points of the statutes in
England which affect the Sheep-Scab.

“Every person having in his possession or
under his charge a sheep affected with scab shall
observe the following rules: —

He shall, as far as practicable, keep that
animal separate from animals not so affected.

He shall, with all practicable speed, give
notice of the fact of the animal being so affected
to a constable of the police establishment for the
place where the animal is.

The constable shall forthwith give notice
thereof to the inspector of the local authority.

The inspector shall forthwith report the same _
to the local authority, and to the Privy Council;
and shall continue so to report it once each
month until the disease has ceased.

Sheep affected with scab shall not be exposed
in any market, or fair, or other public place
where animals are exposed for sale, nor caused
to travel by railway or other means.

They shall not be placed or kept on any

20 The Sheep-Scab.

common or unenclosed land, or in any field or
other place insufficiently fenced, or on the side
of any highway.

Every person having in his possession or under
his charge a sheep affected with sheep-scab, shall
treat such sheep, or cause it to be treated, with
some proper dressing, or dipping, or other remedy
for sheep-scab.

Animals affected with sheep-scab, or having
been in contact with, or in the same field, shed,
or other premises, with a sheep so affected, shall
not be removed from such field, shed, or other
premises, except by license of removal for that
purpose, granted by the District Inspector.

The penalty for every offence against the fore-
going rules is £20, or £5 for each animal, besides
costs.”

In some of our own States there are laws
covering the question quite essentially, as the
following from the statutes of the State of Illinois
will exemplify.

“ Any person who shall knowingly or wilfully
‘bring or cause to be brought into this State, any

The Sheep-Scab. 21

sheep or other domesticated animal, infected with
contagious disease, or who shall knowingly suffer
or permit sheep or other domesticated animals,
infected with contagious disease, to run at large,
shall be fined in any sum not exceeding one
hundred dollars, and shall be liable to civil action
for all damage occasioned thereby.”

But in the States farther west and south, where
such legislation is most needed, the laws are
crude and comparatively of little effect. .

That the disease can be cured is not to be
doubted, there being sufficient evidence to that
effect; but what security has the thrifty farmer
in getting rid of this pest in his own flock, if that
flock is continually exposed to further contagion
from the infected sheep of his neighbor, who,
either from laziness or ignorance, will not apply
the proper remedies to eradicate the nomadic
parasites; what security, I repeat, has he, if the
laws will not protect him? Hence I say to all
sheep breeders having the, mutual interests of
this industry at heart: let each man of you use
your best endeavors to force from the law makers

22 The Sheep-Scaob.

of your state the proper legislation to ensure
immunity from the inroads of this destructive
malady.

“ But however wise and praiseworthy preven-
tion may be deemed,” says the sheep owner of
the west, “I find that my flock is infested with
the scab, and I am anxious to cure it. How to
do this in the most sure and economical way
is what I most desire to know.”

If the flock be small the first thing to do is to
separate the diseased sheep from the rest of the
herd; if they have become enfeebled from expo-
sure or the ravages of the disease, the treatment
should begin with a liberal diet and attention to
their general health. A low physical condition
is a great obstacle to the cure of scab, and
measures should at once be taken to remove this
difficulty. If the malady is in its incipient stages
and the animal, in other respects,‘ sound and
strong, means should be adopted to prevent any
general falling off in. the condition.

The next point is to strike at the root of the
evil; namely, to annihilate the @carz, which have

The Sheep-Scab. 23

been shown to be the first and only cause of this
quickly spreading disease. No more safe and
certain cure can be prescribed than a decoction
of —
Tosacco AND SULPHUR

with soap or concentrated lye. Tobacco, how-
ever, should always constitute the chief ingre-
dient of the dip prepared to destroy the parasitical
mites causing the scab.

There are a number of patented prepared dips
which are more or less effectual; most, if not all
of them, having tobacco as the base of their
composition; there are also certain arsenical
preparations, mercurial ointments and other com-
pounds of mineral poisons, that are sometimes
used; but to handle the latter with safety, a
greater knowledge of chemistry is required than
usually falls to the lot of the average shepherd.

Much has been said and written on the various
prescriptions and modes of treatment, and a more
definite statement concerning the poisonous and
non-poisonous remedies or dips, may not be
deemed out of place. A large sheep owner in

24 The Sheep-Scab.

Australia and a man of much experience in
chemistry, writes: —

“T should like to say a word to those who are
ready to praise the so-called non-poisonous pre-
scriptions. I say so-called, because there is
really no such thing. How can a non-poisonous
decoction destroy one of the most tenacious forms
of parasitic life? Taking the advantages and
disadvantages of poisonous and the so-cadled non-
poisonous dips, I am strongly in favor of the
poisonous compounds. I speak the words of
experience. I have dipped and had dipped
under my direction or supervision, thousands of
sheep with both kinds, and at all seasons of the
year. I-dip with a preparation of arsenic when
I am left to be guided by my own knowledge
and experience, and can truly say that I have not
had a complaint of any description; but I use
the so-called non-poisonous prescription for dip,
when requested to do so, and I find that sheep so
dipped require the operation ¢wzce to once of
the former.”

On the other hand, experience has taught the

Lhe Sheep-Scab. 25

danger of using arsenical or mercurial solutions,
particularly if strong, or applied in cold weather,
for it has served to remove the sheep from a
world of parasitical affliction. Hence the reason
for cautioning flock-masters in regard to recipes
compounded with mineral poisons. Non-pro-
fessional men are not so likely to destroy sheep
with the non-poisonous dips, so-called, as they
are, when they undertake to use such powerful
agents as the mineral poisons mentioned above.

Tobacco is a very poisonous plant, as every-
body knows, and the wrangle between the two
contending parties, is not really between poison-
ous and non-poisonous sheep dips, but between
the more and the less poisonous decoctions.

Assuming the shepherd to have selected, from
his knowledge and experience, the proper decoc-
tion to serve as a cure, the next point in order
is the mode of application. The method of pre-
paring the different dips is so fully explained in
the various recipes given in the Appendix, that
it is not necessary to allude to them here.

If the number of sheep to be treated is small,

26 The Sheep-Scab.

the preparation for dipping need not be elabo-
rate. A tub with its appendages similar to the
cut below and made large enough to allow the
immersion of the sheep, will answer every pur-
pose.

Two men should take the animal by the feet,
plunge it into the bath, where it is held for one
or two minutes, until the wool is thoroughly |
saturated; then place it on the slatted drainage
table, fixed on an incline, so as to allow the
drippings from the sheep to flow back into the
tub. While there, the wool should be well
pressed to remove all the surplus wash before
releasing the sheep.

The cut represents a dipping tub with two
draining tables. One table would answer the
purpose; but, as it takes longer to press the sur-
plus liquor from the wool than to dip the sheep,

The Sheep-Scab. 27

the arrangement recommended admits of a con-
siderable saving in time.

DippiInGc ON A LARGE SCALE.

Where the flocks are large, as in the West
and in Texas, comprising not unfrequently many
thousand sheep, it is altogether preposterous ‘to
think of dipping by hand. To a prominent
wool grower in Kansas, we are indebted for
the following description and the annexed dia-
gram of a dipping tank, as generally used in
Australia.

The dip should be sunk level with the ground,
and made either of timber, or brick and cement,
so as to be water-tight, and so situated that
water can be led into it, with also a discharge
pipe. The draining yards are usually made with
battens and corrugated iron sheeting underneath,
so as to lead all the drainage back into the dip.
The bottom of the tank should be three feet
wide and spreading to the top, so as to have as
little liquor left over as possible; and by its side
should be placed large boilers to keep the dip-

28 The Sheep-Scab.

decoction at a tepid temperature, renewing the
infusion from time to time.

From a succession of yards, the sheep are
brought rapidly through the “

to admit of their turning around for a retreat;

race,” too narrow

thence they plunge into the tank, steaming with
the preparation for the destruction of the para-
sites, and emerge therefrom upon the battens of
the draining yards, there to stand until the
drippings have run off, after which they pass
out.

A man should be stationed on each side of
the vat, with a crutch to dip each sheep over
the head; one at the end of the double race,
also with a crutch, to compel every sheep that:
hesitates, to jump into the dip; three men yard-
ing and one attending to the boilers and draining
yards. With such an apparatus and seven men,
there is a capacity for dipping ten thousand
sheep a day.

Either of the above mentioned processes will
kill all the parasites that exist at the time of the
operation; but it will not destroy the eggs that

The Sheep-Scab. 29

lie in a state of incubation beneath the surface
of the skin; the shells being impervious to the
effects of the decoction. There is no prepara-
tion strong enough to destroy the eggs, which
does not, at the same time, endanger the life of
the sheep. In the course of from one week to
fourteen days, these eggs will hatch and become
living parasites, that in their turn will follow
the natural instincts of their being, and continue
the process, already explained, of preserving
their species. It is possible that enough of this
solution may be retained in the wool, to anni-
hilate a portion of the young acari as they hatch,
but experience proves that this cannot be de-
pended upon, for the wool continues its growth
and forms a layer next to the skin, which is
entirely free from the dip and protects the incip-
ient breeders of the disease as they come from
the shell. ,

Therefore if the shepherd thinks that his labor
has ceased with the first dipping and the appar-
ent checking of the disease, he will be sadly dis-
appointed, as well as surprised, to find it break-

30 The Sheep-Scadb.

ing out again within a few weeks, and that he is
as far as before from effecting a cure.

When the young are hatched, they can be
destroyed, but not before, and until each and
every acarus is exterminated, the sheep owner
cannot feel confident that a positive cure has
been established. The period of incubation does
not exceed sixteen or eighteen days; the first
dipping will destroy all living parasites and
those that acquire life during the ensuing seven
days; at the end of that time the operation must
be repeated, in order to kill all those insects that
are hatched during the following week; while a
fortnight from the time of the first immersion,
the sheep should be submitted to a third and last
plunge into the decoction. This final treatment
will effectually dispose of all the acari that may
come after, leaving the animal free from this
noxious disease, and giving to it a new lease of
life and enjoyment, as well as remuneration to
the owner for the time and labor expended.

The best time to dip the sheep is when the
wool has attained a moderate growth, say about

The Sheep-Scab. Bi

one inch in length, rather than immediately after
shearing, as the wool then retains more of the
solution, giving a better chance for the de-
struction of the young brood as it appears.

An impression prevails among some sheep
men, that the dipping of sheep improves the
character of the wool. That it does have in-
directly an advantageous effect, in relieving the
skin of the animal from a contagious pest, and in
enabling him to restore a debilitated physical
condition, there is not a doubt; but that there is
any dzrect action upon the wool, of a beneficial
nature, is an erroneous supposition.

There are yet further precautions necessary to
avoid a recurrence of the disease; after dipping,
the sheep should be placed on a new range or in
a fresh yard, well removed from the one inhab-
ited before the treatment began, and on no ac-
count shoul they be allowed on the old ground,
until at least two months have elapsed. The
cautious shepherd will carefully collect all de-
tached locks of wool remaining in the infected
pasture and have them burned. Every care

32 The Sheep-Scaob.

should be taken to destroy the germ-mites which
lie in a dormant state in the yards, fences, rubbing
places, sheds, etc., all of which, including the
feeding-troughs, ought to be washed with a |
strong solution of chloride of lime or with some
of the dip, before the cured sheep, or any others,
be brought in contact with them.

Enough has been said to impress all who are
engaged in sheep husbandry with the fact that
_ the disease known as “Scab” is the most formi-
dable foe that farmers, enlisted in wool-growing
in the United States, have to contend with, and
that the prosperity of this industry consists in
expelling it from their flocks.

In Australia tens of thousands of pounds ster-
ling have been spent in the eradication of this
ruinous disease, which deteriorates the quality
and quantity of the wool and ultimately causes
the death of the parasitically infested animals. A
history of the rise, decline and almost complete
extermination of the scab in Australia would be
exceedingly instructive and interesting to the
owners of sheep ranches in our western States,

The Sheep-Scao. 33

territories, and in Texas. The sum of such a
history is briefly expressed as follows: many a
ruined man has traced his downfall to.the scab in
his flock of sheep; many a sheep owner now
looks back upon years of labor and anxiety, when
nothing but the most indomitable pluck and per-
severance were equal to the emergency; and now
they can entertain a sincere feeling of thankful-
ness that the scab is a thing of the past. May
this historic fact from a far-off land, infuse new
courage and zeal into the efforts now being
made, in our own country, by those whose flocks
are infested with the scab, to eradicate it from
their sheep; for either the acari or the sheep
must go, as they cannot live and thrive together.
If sheep proprietors of Australia can say that
“they have deep feelings of thankfulness that
scab (where formerly so prevalent) is a thing
of the past,” then may owners of sheep in the
United States feel stimulated to persevere until
they, too, may exclaim with profound gratitude,
that the scab, here as there, is a thing of the past.

34 The Sheep-Scab.

THE CLASSIFICATION OF WOOLS, AND
THEIR MARKETABLE VALUES.

Mr. President and Gentlemen: In consider-
ing the classification, or grading, of wool, as it
is termed in the Eastern markets, let us first look
into the causes that led to such-classification.

Fifty years ago, when wool growing and
manufacturing in the United States, as compared
with to-day, may be said to have been in their
infancy, it was the custom, among a majority of
the large manufacturers, to go into the country
about shearing time, and to purchase from the
farmer, either directly or through their agents,
enough wool to supply their mills for the entire
year. In so doing, they accumulated a great
variety of wools; among them some grades not
adapted to their wants, and which they were
obliged to sell.

At that time, before the railroads had formed
so complete a network over the Western States,
and before every village had its newspaper with
daily or weekly market reports from the Eastern

The Sheep-Scab. 35

cities — and, I may say, before the now irrepres-
sible wool circular reached the hands of almost
every grower throughout the country — the wool
buyer was able to take advantage of the igno-
rance of the farmer, and to buy his wool at prices
frequently 15 to 20 cents per pound below the
values ruling in the East.. In fact, there were
instances where washed wools, bought in Ohio
at 40 cents per pound, were sold in the East at 65
cents, and that was done during a period when
there was no material change in the market.
Such a state of affairs, however, could not go
on without an end. The growth of the country
brought increased facilities for distributing infor-
mation and commercial reports; the wool circu-
lars spread over the land like a cloud of locusts,
and from their periodical quotations of prices,
the farmers were apprised of the values of their
staple. We will admit that the farmer is as
liberal as any other citizen of the country; at the
same time, he is quite as determined to get value
received for his product, if he knows it; and this
fact was quickly demonstrated by a decreased

36 The Sheep-Scab.

margin in the price of wool between the West
and the East; the difference, in a great measure,
being to the advantage of the grower.

Manufacturers, finding that the success of their
mills no longer depended upon the profits to be
made out of their wools, but that competition ne-
cessitated a closer application to special styles of
goods, were compelled to buy only such grades
as were adapted to the production of their partic-
ular fabrics; hence arose the importance and
advantage of commission houses, to receive and
assort the wools to that end.

The classification of wools consists in assort-
ing the fleeces, as they come from the sacks,
into different grades (each fleece being left:
intact), in order to offer to the manufacturer,
as nearly as possible, the particular quality of
wool he may require. By obtaining just the wool
he wants, and no more, the consumer can afford
to pay its full intrinsic value, while each grade
goes into the-place to which it is adapted, and
thus nets a better result to the owner than by

any other method.

The Sheep-Scab. 37

In handling the wools of Missouri and adjoin-
ing States, the following classification is usually
made: First, as to guality, of which there are
four grades — Fine, No. 1 Medium, No. 2, or
Low Medium, Coarse and Common. . Second, as
to staple, or length of fibre, namely, Fine De-
laine, No. 1 Combing, Medium Combing,
Coarse or Low Combing.

Fine wools, or X and above, as they are
classed in the washed fleeces of Michigan,
etc., are from such sheep as will grade three-
quarters blood Merino and above; the second
cross of thoroughbred Merino ram with a pure
Southdown ewe will yield this quality. The
fleeces are usually graded into two classes ac-
cording to condition of grease and dirt, namely,
Light Fine, being such as will lose in cleansing
63 to 66 per cent; and Heayy Fine, which in-
cludes bucks, heavy wethers, and ewes that will
shrink 70 to 78 per cent. These wools are used
in the manufacture of flannels, overcoatings,
cassimeres, and a variety of the finer qualities of
smooth finished goods.

38 The Sheep-Scab.

No 1 Medium, the next in order of quality, is
the half-blood Merino fleece, arrived at most
directly by the first cross of 4 pure Merino ram
with a pure Southdown ewe. The wool is soft,
and works freely, with little waste; it is adapted
to the same class of goods as those just men-
tioned, but of a more medium quality, and is
particularly suitable for hosiery and knit goods.
This wool is also frequently used in the manu-
facture of fine heavy cloths, as a warp wool,
with the higher grade as woof or filling, the lat-
ter being brought on to the surface of the fabric,
and a fine finish thus obtained.

No. 2, or Low Medium, is a more difficult
grade to classify as to blood. It is generally the
result of mixed breeding, with more or less want
of purity in both sire and dam, being } to $-blood
Merino. It is not uncommon that sheep of a
higher grade, where they have been neglected in
food and care, will yield fleeces that have to be
thrown with this class. The wool is used in the
production of rough-faced goods, such as Chev-
iots, etc., and is sometimes worked in connection
with cotton, to make satinets and jeans.

The Sheep-Scab. 39

Coarse and common. The mongrel sheep, the
Cotswold, Leicester, or whatever breed it may be
of coarse-woolled sheep, that has been neglected
by its owner, poorly fed, ill-cared for, or fleece
grown, finds but little use for its wool outside of
blankets and carpets. The fibre is wiry and
hairy, being deficient in the beard, which con-
stitutes the most important feature in the spinning
qualities of all wools.

The other grades in our classification are the
staple wools, delaine and combing, which, in
quality, coincide with the so-called clothing
grades just enumerated. Let it be the result
of carefully breeding the Merino, or a series of
crosses of the Merino with the long-woolled
sheep, the fleece must have a uniformity of length
to the staple, the latter must be elastic and sound
throughout its entire growth, and particularly in
these wools should the fleece be free from all
extraneous matter, such as dung, heavy sweat
locks, burrs, straw, etc.

The peculiar method of working consists in
passing the wool through a machine called a

40 The Sheep-Scab.

comb; hence the term combing, as applied to
these grades. This process, in result, is similar
to the manipulation of a handful of cleansed
wool with an ordinary comb; the fibres are all
brought out, so that they lie parallel, and, when
twisted, form a strong, hard, and brilliant yarn.
On the comb will be found an accumulation
of the short fibres, from half an inch to one inch
in length, which are called zozls. These noils
the manufacturer is obliged to sell, as they are
not adapted to his particular class of goods. It
is evident, therefore, that fleeces which are not
of sufficient length, or that are at all weak in
fibre, or that, while long enough on the shoulder
and back, yet run short and fribby on the belly,
are not suitable to the classification of delaine
and combing wools.

There is still another impediment that applies
particulariy to fine, unwashed wools, and which,
to a certain extent, stands in the way of their
being sold as fine delaine, even should they have
the other necessary qualifications. The bellies
and skirts of the blooded Merino sheep are so

The Sheep-Scab. 41

impregnated with the natural oil, sweat, etc.,
that it is impossible to scour them white. The
importance of this drawback lies in the fact that
many of the mills using this class of wool, manu-
facture it into yarn, which is sold to other
mills that cannot afford the additional expensive.
machinery; therefore, the yarn must be white
and perfect, ready for any use to which it may
be applied.

Having given the leading characteristics of
combing wools, there remain to be mentioned
the requisite length of staple, and some of their
uses. Fine delaine wool should be, on the
shoulder 33 to 33 inches in length, and not less
than three inches on the belly. These wools go
principally into the fine, black worsted suitings
for men’s wear, particularly into spring and
summer fabrics. In this connection I would
mention, that, for light weight summer goods, a
finer wool is required than is necessary for the
heavy winter cloths. No. 1 combing requires a
uniform length of 4 inches or more, which, com-
bined with the other qualifications, produces a

42 The Sheep-Scab.

wool well adapted ‘to shawls, heavy worsted
suitings, and ladies’ fine dress goods. Medium
combing, in quality, corresponds with No. 2
clothing; its length averages 41 inches or over;
its use, the better classes of alpacas and worsted
braids. The yarn is sometimes used sparingly
in cassimeres, to give a worsted effect to the
pattern of the goods. Coarse or low combing is
mostly obtained from the pure or nearly pure
Cotswold, Leicester, and other long-woolled
sheep. It has entered but to a limited extent
into the wants of manufacturers during the past
two years, and for its consumption has been
almost entirely confined to cheap alpacas, ladies’
dress goods, and braids.

The second question assigned to me by your
executive committee is, “ The Marketable Value
of Wools,” by which, I take it, is implied, the
comparative value of the different grades of
Missouri wools, as resulting in the returns per
sheep to the grower. First, let us notice the
method pursued by the manufacturer in making
his purchases. Given a pile of wool of the

The Sheep-Scab. 43

required quality, length, and strength, the all-
important question to consider is, what will it
lose in cleansing? ‘The consumer can afford to
pay a certain price for his scoured wool; and,
starting from that basis, he calculates the prob-
able shrinkage, in order to arrive at its value in
the grease—that is, in its natural unwashed
state. In such estimates of shrinkage, the expe-
rienced manufacturer will approximate very
closely to the actual result; but he is not infal-
lible, and ‘serious mistakes in judgment are
sometimes made; hence it is often the case that
before buying a large pile of wool, he will wish
to test sample bags.

Taking an average of the last six months of
1881 as a basis for the comparative values, in the
order of scoured value, shrinkage, and grease
value, the following result is obtained: Light
Fine, scoured, 77c; shrinkage, 65 per cent;
grease value, 27c. No.1 Medium, scoured, 66c;
shrinkage, 55 per cent; grease, 30c. No. 2
Medium, scoured, 54c; shrinkage, 50 per cent;
grease, 27c. Coarse, scoured, 41c; shrinkage, 45

44 The Sheep-Scab.

percent; grease, 223c. Heavy Fine,scoured,75c,
shrinkage, 74 per cent; grease value, 19}c. It
will be noticed that the cleansed value of Heavy
Fine is 2c below that of Light Fine, while the
wools are of the same quality. This discrepancy
is accounted for by the fact that bucks’ and
heavy ewes’ fleeces require a greater expense in
sorting and cleansing; also the heavy sweat
locks and fribs cannot be scoured white, which
depreciates the average value of the fleece.

The next point to consider is the comparative
gross returns obtained per fleece of the different
grades of wool. ‘Taking an estimate of the
average weights of the fleeces, as nearly as they
can be approximated, we find the result to be as
follows: Light Fine — say 10 lbs. a 27c, = $2.70
to the fleece; No.1 Medium, 8 lbs., a 30c,=$2.40;
No. 2 Medium, 7 lbs., a 27c,—=$1.89; Coarse,
4 Ibs., a@ 224c, = $1.57.

In regard to the marketable value of Delaine
and Combing wools, referring to Fine Delaine,
the defects already mentioned are a serious
drawback. To induce the manufacturer to buy

’

The Sheep-Scab. 45

such wools for delaine, the grower must remove
those objectionable features before doing up the
fleeces, and let them be sold with his heavy. By
so doing, the Delaine fleeces would probably
bring 2 to 4c per pound more. From 1 to 1}
Ibs. would usually cover the weight of such
skirting, which, if sold @ 19}c, and the remainder
of the fleece @ 30c, the result would be $2.84 per
fleece, against $2.70 if sold as clothing, or about
tic per pound gain. Before taking this step,
however, the owner should be well assured that
the fleece has the other necessary qualifications
of Delaine wool. The other grades of Combing
’ are more free from these fribby locks, and have
usually commanded for Medium, 2 to 3c, and for
Coarse, 2 to 4c more than for the corresponding
clothing grades; although during the past year
the limited call for Medium and Low wools has
restricted the sale of Combing grades, and the
margin above clothing prices has hardly been suf-
ficient to cover the expense of grading them out.

In considering the comparative value of the
different breeds of sheep from a wool standpoint,

46 The Sheep-Scab.

it is clearly evident that the most profitable to
the grower are the fine-woolled sheep, either the
high grade Merino or the pure blood; and,
furthermore, for the past few years there has
been an increasing tendency towards the produc-
tion of a finer class of goods. The prosperity of
the country has created a demand for better
clothing; and so long as we can look forward to
continued success in our great agricultural and
industrial enterprises, there is little prospect of a
retrograde movement towards cheaper fabrics.
No clearer evidence of the prevailing demand
for better woollens is shown than in the case
of one of the largest corporations in New Eng-
land, whose machinery is adapted to, and whose
consumption consists in the working of medium
and low combing wools. The prosperity of this
mill, in past years, has been so great, that its
shares of stock were worth, a year ago, about
threefold their par value; whereas the decline in
the prices of low-grade goods during the past
twelve months has depreciated the stock, from that
point, more than 35 per cent.

The Sheep-Scab. 47

In closing, I would say, emphatically, to those
of you who have been breeding the coarser wools,
or who have been negligent as to the quality of
your flocks, lose no time in raising the standard of
your wool; cull out the defective sheep, replace
them with full bloods or high grades, and use the
thoroughbred Merino rams for the increase.

Missouri has the name of being a coarse-wool
State. Not more than two months ago, a manu-
facturer called on us for fine wool. We showed
him a pile of fine, unwashed Missouri; when he
remarked that he had not known before any fine
wools were grown in that State. Within recent
years a strong effort has been made, by a com-
paratively small number of growers, to establish
fine-woolled sheep in Missouri. They have made
good progress, but, gentlemen, the work is only
begun; and let me encourage you all to use your
best endeavors to make your State what it is
capable of being, — equal to any in the produc-
tion of fine, deep-grown staple, that it may take
its proper place in the foremost rank of wool-
growing districts of the world.

48 The Sheep-Scab.

APPENDIX.

To render the foregoing sketch on the SHEEP-
SCAB complete, it is necessary to append thereto
some of the most popular prescriptions and the
methods of preparing them for the effective cure
of this parasitic disease.

WaLtTEeR Brown & Co., of Boston, through
their connections in the west and south-west, as
well as from other authoritative sources, have re-
ceived letters relating to the treatment of the
scab, and containing in many instances, prescrip-
tions with directions for compounding them.
Several of these recipes are here offered to the
reader, with the sincere hope that, should the
necessity arise, he may find among the various
formulas, at least one that will be efficacious in
ridding his flock of this dreaded disease.

Recipe No. 1.

Four ounces of tobacco to one ounce of sul-

The Sheep-Scab. 49

phur, for one gallon of water: bring the water
to the boiling point, then put in the tobacco and
let it steep until its strength is exhausted: then
stir in the sulphur with a little soft soap: these
are ratios to be used according to the quantity of
“dip” required: it should be tepid or moderately
warm, and kept so during the process of dipping
or application to diseased sheep.

Reciee No. 2.

James Law, professor of veterinary science,
Cornell University, N. Y., recommends the fol-
lowing:

Tobacco 16 lbs., oil of tar 3 pints, soda ash 20
Ibs., soft soap 4 Ibs., water 50 gallons: steep the
tobacco and dissolve the other ingredients in a
few gallons of boiling water, then add water to
make up 50 gallons of the temperature of 70°
Fahrenheit: this will suffice for 50 sheep: keep
every sheep in the bath about 3 minutes, two
men meanwhile breaking up the scabs and work-
ing the liquid into all parts of the skin: when
taken out the sheep is laid on a sloping drainer,

50 The Sheep-Scab.

and the liquid squeezed out of the wool. A
second and even a third bath may be necessary
to cure inveterate cases of scab.

Recipe No. 3.

{The following communication by I. P. Roberts, Professor of
Agriculture in Cornell University, and who was formerly engaged
in farming and sheep husbandry in the State of Iowa, where he had
occasion to use the prescription he recommends, will be read with
interest.]

As soon as the disease is discovered, the whole
flock should be inspected and the diseased ani-
mals placed in a separate field. The disease is
likely to be most virulent in the spring of the
year, one or two months before shearing time.
When the wool is long it is too expensive to dip
the sheep, and the disease may be palliated until
the time of shearing arrives, by opening the wool
and pouring upon the diseased part a strong de-
coction of tobacco. An entire cure is seldom
effected in this way. It is customary to shear at
the first opportunity, and-then the following
remedy may be applied: an ooze made of strong
plug tobacco steeped in hot water, and diluted in

The Sheep-Scadb. 51

the proportion of eight gallons of water to one
pound of tobacco. This diluted ooze, as hot as
may be, is applied by dipping the sheep in a
potash kettle or in a wooden box in which it is
contained. After dipping and rubbing off the.
scabs with a common horse-brush, the sheep
should be lifted to a trough, made as wide as the
box, with a few slats in the bottom and having
one end slightly elevated, and there as much of
the ooze as possible should be carried off and
allowed to run back into the trough. Hot ooze
is to be added from time to time as it is used up.
If frosted, inferior or stem tobacco be used as is
usual, two or three times the quantity specified
will be necessary.

Some recommend that a tablespoonful of
turpentine be added after dipping every half
dozen sheep; I deem this unnecessary. After
the process the sheep should be placed in a close
pen or shed for a few days, where they will keep
warm and steaming. ‘To make sure of a perma-
nent cure, they should be re-dipped 15 days
afterwards. The English use arsenic, but where

co” The Sheep-Scab.

tobacco is so cheap and so certain a remedy, no
one should use the more dangerous substance.

Recipe No. 4.

Mr. A. Symes, Vice-President of the Texas
State Wool Growers’ Association, of Taylor,
Texas, writes: “I never use anything for scab
but tobacco and a little lye to soften the water:
take 35 lbs. of the best leaf tobacco (sheep dip),
13 lbs. of concentrated lye, boiled together in 100
gallons of water until the strength is all extracted:
dip the sheep in this decoction when as warm as
you can hold your hand in it, and keep them in
the bath two or three minutes: repeat this dip-
ping in 12 or 14 days: put yoursheep on a clean
range and I will ensure a cure. I have dipped
thousands and I know whereof I speak.”

Recipe No. 5.

50 lbs. of tobacco and to lbs. of sulphur to 100
gallons of water. After steeping the tobacco
sufficiently, add the sulphur and heat the liquor
when used, to 120 degrees. “This will cure,”

The Sheep-Scab. 53

says J. S. Codding, President of the Kansas State
Wool Growers’ Association; of Louisville, Kan-
sas.

Recipe No. 6.

[From Mr. E. W. Wellington of Ellsworth, Kansas, comes the
following prescription and interesting letter.]

Recipe for sheep dipping ysed Iz gely in Aus-
tralia, as very cheap and effectual:

Take 60 lbs. of sulphur, 30 lbs. of quick lime,
60 gallons of water; boil, and keep boiling for
ten minutes, when a clear orange solution will
appear; add this to 180 gallons of water. Heat
the dip to at least 100 deg. (Fahr.), and soak
the sheep in it for at least one minute.

©The custom is in Australia to use the above
dip three times at intervals of one week between
each dipping, and at any time of the year. Ow-
ing, however, to the bad effects upon the wool, I
have found by experience, that it is only advisa-
ble to use the lime and sulphur dip immediately
after shearing, and then but once; making the
second and third dip of tobacco and sulphur.

54 The Sheep-Scao.

Always use the strongest kind of tobacco and
never let it boil, but simply steep it. Put the
tobacco into gunny sacks, from 25 to 50 lbs. in
each sack; then soak three or four hours, then
remove the sacks, put them into the boiling vats
and steep; thus getting all the strength out of
the tobacco. On the day of dipping the sheep
(which should be the next day after the liquor
is prepared) the two solutions thus obtained,
one by soaking and one by steeping should be
heated together. One reason why there are so
many failures in curing the scab is because most
men prepare their liquor the same day they use
it, and being hurried, do not extract the entire
strength of the tobacco. In case it is necessary
to dip before the fleece is removed, do not use
any lime, but dip zAvee times in tobacco. Each
dip should be exactly one week from the pre-
ceding one, or as nea. that as the weather will
permit. It will be found that the tobacco used
after the lime dip, will bring back the life into
the wool and counteract all the injurious effects
of the lime. Two applications will generally

The Sheep-Scab. 5

cure; but three are sure, provided the tobacco
be properly prepared, and the sheep, after the
final dipping, be changed on to a new range and
into mew (not cleansed) corrals. It is never
safe to put sheep back into an old corral, even
after it has been whitewashed, unless at least
two months have elapsed.”

Recipe No. 7.

Mr. F. H. Austin of Colorado Springs, Colo-
rado, says: a decoction of tobacco, 25 Ibs., ar-
senic 23 Ibs.; sulphur, 5 lbs.; to 100 gallons of
water, is the standard Colorado dip; preferable
to anything else; that they use a tank 30 feet
long, and make the sheep swim in the solution,
through its entire length.

Recrre No. 8.

Mr. W. D. Currier of Lookout, Wyoming
Territory, writes: “ We know tobacco is a sure
cure, i Ib. (stems and waste) to the sheep, and
it can be bought at 2 to 3 cents per pound. In
California and Oregon they use sulphur and

56 The Sheep-Scab.

lime; but I think it injures the wool, unless used
just after shearing. I prefer tobacco to anything,
although it is some trouble to boil it down and
get it ready for use.” .

The “ Prairie Farmer,” published in Chicago,
being interrogated as to the best mode of treat-
ment and cure of the scab in sheep lately re-
sponded as follows:

“Scab on sheep is a troublesome and vexa-
tious affair. Various remedies are in use for
its eradication, among which the following is
recommended as harmless and easily prepared
by any one: For 100 sheep, take 25 lbs. of coarse
tobacco and steep it in as many gallons of boil-
ing water, just taken from the fire. Stir it oc-
casionally until it is cold, when it should be
strained. Add to this fluid as much cold water
as to make the whole quantity 100 gallons. Soft
soap may be added, say 6 lbs., to the above
quantity of fluid. The soft soap should first be
dissolved in a sufficient quantity of hot water,
and added to the strained liquid, before the cold
water is added. The addition of the soap will

The Sheep-Scab. 57

facilitate the loosening of the patches of scab.
The compound should be put into a large tank in
which each sheep should be dipped during three
to five minutes by two men, one of whom holds
the head above the surface to prevent the sheep
from swallowing any of the fluid. The sheep
should then be lifted out and laid on an inclined
plane, such as a door, which should be con-
nected with the tub so that the fluid wrung out
of the wool is not lost. While lying on this
plane the head of the sheep should be thoroughly
wetted with the fluid by the hand. A mild day
should be chosen, and if treatment be inaugu-
rated during the cold season of the year, the
sheep should be kept warm and dry afterwards
at night. In summer, the sheep should be shorn
previous to treatment, as they are then less
trouble to dress. If not thoroughly eradicated
the disease will be sure to show itself again.
The partial cure of a scabby flock is a great
cause of the disease being perpetuated on a
farm. It will be necessary to repeat the dress-
ing on the eighth or tenth day, because the scab

58 The Sheep-Scab.

remedies do not destroy the eggs, which hatch
out in the course of a week. The second dress-
ing, properly done, will then effectually cure the
disease.”

NN RRR
“ \\ AN
RAN

NW