SHEEP-DIPPING EXPERIMENTS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 35, 9 January 1884, Page 3

SHEEP-DIPPING EXPERIMENTS.

The following is the report of the committee appointed at a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, held at the society's rooms, Napier, on the 3rd of August last, to take the necessary steps by experiment to discover the best dip for the destruction of ticks, lice, or other parasites in sheep, and the method of curing hoggets affected by lung-worm; the committee to consist of Messrrs. Coleman, Shrimpton, and Fitzßoy, and Captain Bussell: — We regret that Mr. Coleman having resigned his position as a member oi committee of the A. and P. Society we had not the benefit of his experience and advice, but he rendered us valuable assistance by placing the dip at Longlands at our disposal, without which it would have been very much more difficult to carry out the experiment, and our thanks are specially due to Mr. Scruby for his untiring personal assistance and the readiness with which he placed yards, fuel, Ac., at our command.

Applications to be allowed to compete in the trial were received from the agents of the following manufacturers, —viz., Messrs. Little, M’Dougoll, Gillard, Thomas, Hall, Cooper, Tomlinson, and Hayward (the glycerine), Logan Wilson, and Jeye, and in every ininstance the necessary material was supplied to us free of cost. Mr. Knight, of Mangateretere, furnished us with 500 sheep to experiment upon, nearly every one of which was badly infected with lice. We determined to follow precisely the directions sent with each dip by the makers, and demanded from the agents the selling price in Napier, and a written guarantee that they would supply their respective dips in bulk at the price stated. On the 17th of October we assembled at Longlands, where many of the agents of the dips were present, and commenced our work by dividing the 500 sheep into ten lots of fifty each. We examined each sheep carefully previous to dipping them, and though on an occasional sheep we failed to discover lice, it may fairly be stated that all were infected. The weather was bitterly cold, with sharp 3u*lls of zain from the south, which is worthy notice only from the fact that though some of the sheep were dipped late in the afternoon no harm resulted in any case, and so far as we can judge no ill effecte are perceptible in the wool. As soon as each mixture was prepared 50 sheep were put through it and well crutohed under as they swam down the bath. It took on an average from 88 to 40 seconds from the plunge until the sheep crawled out at the opposite end of the bath, which was fifty feet in length. When the sheep had stood to drain for a short time they were examined to see if the immediate effect of the immersion had been to destroy the parasites, Forty-five were then sent away to a paddock in the neighborhood and completely isolated, and the remaining five sheep were run in with a lousy flock. Exactly the same course was pursued with each separate lot of sheep. One compound we had expected called 11 Hall’s concentrated” did not arrive, and at Mr. Tanner’s request two lots of fifty were dipped in Hall's mixture. It fook two days to dip all the sheep, as the bath had to be emptied completely and cleaned before each mixture was used. The committee decided that the three objects of most importance to ascertain were which mixture was—First, not only most fatal to the parasites, but also durable in its effects; second, was least injurious to the wool; third, was cheapest. To decide these points we dipped the sheep as has been described, examined them immediately after: again a month later (on 18th October and following days), and finally on the Sth of December, by which time we imagined if any eggs had not been destroyed by the dipping the parasites would be fully developed. The result of the first examination half-an-hour after immersion proved that all the dips had destroyed the parasites except Logan Wilson’s, which has killed the ticks but not the lice. At the second examination on the 18th of October we found the sheep dipped with Little’s mixture, free from parasites, but the wool seriously discolored. M’Dougall’s, free from parasites; wool in good order. Gillard’s, free from parasites; but the wool badly stained. Thomas’, live tick eggs on them, but otherwise free from parasites, and wool in good order. Hall’s, free from parasites; but the wool badly stained. Cooper’s, free from parasites; the wool in good order. Tomlison and Hayward's, (glycerine), free from parasites; wool in good order. Logan Wilson’s, free from parasites; wool in good order, but three sheep died, and others were suffering from severe and extensive excoriations of, and nearly all from eruptions on, the bare part of the thighs and arms. Jeye’s, two live ticks were found on these, but no lice; wool in good order. Owing to the incessant rain we were unable to examine the sheep mixed with the lousy flock, which, consisting of ewes and lambs, could not be mustered until wanted for shearing, but Mr. Scruby, under whose charge they were, informed us some of them he had seen were infected with lice. Our final examination was made on the society’s ground at Hastings on the Sth December in the presence of a considerable number of sheepowners. All the different lots of sheep were yarded in contiguous pens, and we found all the sheep which had been isolated were absolutely free from parasites except those dipped in M’Dougall’s mixture, on every one of which that were examined live ticks were found. The remarkable discoloration of the wool which we had notice at our examination on 18th of October of the wool of the sheep dipped in Little’s, Hall’s, and Gillard’s mixtures had to a considerable extent disappeared, but there was a perceptible difference in favor of UtP wool of the sheep dipped in Cooper’s,

Wilson Login’s, and Thomas’s mixture! trnd any others, Mr. Fergusaon, of the Hawke’s Bay Boiling-down Company's works, and Mr. Murton, both accustomed to dealing in wool, kindly examined the wool for us, and reported that the wool dipped in Messrs. Cooper’s, Logan Wilson’s, and Thomas’s mixtures, in the order named, was in “ the best and most saleable condition.” Undoubtedly the difference in the appearance of the discolored wool at the inspections of 18th October and sth of December was very great, and such being the case in full-fleeced sheep, we do not attach much importance to the discoloration; for suppose the dipping to take place in the autumn, the shorter fleece retaining less of the mixture, and being washed by the winter rains, would probably evince no signs of discoloration by shearing time. Most likely, however; had not the spring been most unusually wet tlie discoloration of the wool would have been much more permanent. Sears were very perceptible on the inside of the thighs of the sheep dipped in Logan Wilson’s mixture, but they were all hdaldd and very liftie eruption was visible. On examining the sheep which had* been mixed with the lousy flockj We found those dipped in Little’s, M’Dougah’a, Gillard’s, Tomlison’s* and Hayward’s (glycerine), were infectedwith lice; the others were free from all parasites, and the important fact has therefore been established that, if properly wed, Thomas’s, Hall’s, Cooper’s, Wilson Logan’s, and Jeye’s mixtures are preventives for at least some time against direct infection, and consequently each of these fulfils that which we consider the first essential, viz., ” being not only fatal to the parasites, but durable in its effects.”

The second and next important consideration—which is “ least injurious to the wool ” — is a difficult question to decide. Hall’s mixture unquestionably discolored the wool, and was not even mentioned by Messrs, Fergusson and Merton in their report on the wool, and so cannot be called one of those “ least injurious to the wool.” Logan Wilson’s, though noi injurious to the wool, was excessively so to the sheep, and if it should be urged that the committee were unaccustomed to the mixture, and the injury to the sheep was owing to that inexperience, we would point out we were infinitley more careful in our experiment than the ordinary flockmasters would be* and that any mixture re* quiring such extremely careful use is not suitable for ordinary purposes. We decided then on eliminatingthese two from the ” most suitable” class. There remain then only these mixtures—Thomas’s, Cooper’s, and Jeye’s—all of which are effective and not injurious to the sheep or wool. Of these the wool on Cooper’s, by the report of Messrs. Fergusson and Murton, ranks first, and Thomas’s second, as “ in the best and most saleable condition.” Jeye’s not having been mentioned by the wool experts, we consider the contest is narrowed down to Messrs. Cooper’s and Thomas's, more particularly as the cost oi Jeye’s is considerably higher than either. The question of cost still remains to be considered. Varying prices according to quantity of the material supplied we did not take into consideration, as arrangements could probably be made for a reduction in price with every agent according to the size of the order. Nor did we take any notice of assertions we read in some instructions that a definite number of sheep could be dipped for a stated sum of money, as the size of the sheep, time of dipping arrangement of apparatus, <fcc., &0,, really govern that question, but taking as a basis the cost of preparing a bath of one thousand gallons we found ihc cheapest in succession to be—

Hall’s mixture was quoted at a price which would make it the cheapest of all, viz., £3 per thousand gallons ; but that quotation was not the ordinary market price, and further, we believe that it is not now being manufactured. Thomas’s has the advantage over Cooper’s of being cheaper, and being made up in a paste mixes more easily, and is, if anything, more convenint to handle and transport, and is not soiavowedly poisonous; both mixtures being made up in small packets are more pleasant to use than any others. The wool on the sheep dipped in Cooper’s was pronounced in best condition bv the wool-classers, but believing as we do that neither mixture does any material injory to the wool, and particulrrly if used as it should be within two or three monthas after shearing when the fleece is still short, we consider the balance inclines in favor of ” Thomas’ carbolised sheep-dipping composition,” but that there really is little to chose between the two.

We beg to place on record the flreat assistance and nearly co-operation received from those gentlemen who so kindly depastured the various lots of sheep for a period of two months, over which the experiment extended.

Samples of wool have heen forwarded to London for special examination and report, and samples are forwarded herewith for the inspection of the A. and P. Society’s committee and members. We also attach the report of Messrs. Fergusson and Murtou, and a table showing cost of the experiment. It was impossible to carry on any experiments for curing-lung worm, as the disease is only latent in the spring, but we strongly recommend a committee being appointed for tne purpose in the autumn. X W. B. Bussxxt, Chairman. C. A. Fxtzkoy, W. Shbxmmok, January 4,1884.

Thomas’s, per thousand gallons £ . 3 a. 7 d. 6 Cooper’s do . 3 12 11 Jeye’s do . i 1 8 Logan and Wilson’s do . 4 10 0 Little's do . & 0 0 Tomlison and Hayward’s, glycerine, do, heating extra . B 0 0 M’Dougall’s, heating extra . 5 18 0 Gillard’s per thousand gallons . 6 17 8