DIPPING LIVE STOCK.
—There are only two satisfactory methods of treating animals with a dip. The first is hand treating, where the number of animals are few and easy to handle. In hand treating the animal the dip is applied with scrubbing brushes, sponges, etc., and all parts of the body liable to infection should then be thoroughly and vigorously rubbed. If hand treating is properly performed it is an excellent method. The second method consists of immersing the diseased animals in the dipping solution. There are two forms of vats in use for this purpose. The cage vat is designed for comparatively few cattle. As its name implies, it consists of a cage in which the animal is placed and then lowered into a vat containing the dip. Where a large number of animals are to be dipped, the swimming vat is very popular. The animals are forced to pass through the vat, which contains sufficient dip to completely immerse them when they plunge into the solution.
The coal-tar dips are made from some of the products of the distillation of coal tar. When mixed with water they form a milky emulsion, having a strong odor of coal tar. The coal-tar preparations, in addition to being used as parasiticides, have become very popular disinfectants in hospitals. These preparations are used with good success on all open wounds, where a disinfectant is required. In poll evil and fistulous withers they are extremely valuable, owing to the fact that in addition to their power as a germicide they have been perfectly safe to place in the hands of persons not accustomed to handling drugs, because of their non-poisonous nature. They have been found quite efficient when used in three per cent solution.