| Flowers of sulphur | 24 | lbs. |
| Unslaked lime | 8 | „ |
| Water | 100 | gallons. |
In case of fresh scab Formula No. 4 will act as efficaciously as the dips with a greater amount of lime, but in cases of very hard scab a stronger dip, as the Fort Collins dip, should be preferred; or, in unusually severe cases, an ooze with more lime in proportion to the amount of sulphur, such as the Victorian (No. 1) or the South African (No. 2) dip might be used.
Prejudice against Lime-and-Sulphur Dips.
There is at present great prejudice (a certain amount of it justified, no doubt) against the use of lime and sulphur, emanating chiefly from the agents of patent or proprietary dips and from the wool manufacturers.
In the first place, it is frequently asserted that lime and sulphur does not cure scab. Experience in Australia and South Africa, as well as in America, has shown beyond any doubt that a lime-and-sulphur dip, when properly proportioned, properly prepared, and properly used, is one of the best scab eradicators known.
It is claimed by some that it produces “blood poisoning.” But the cases of death following the use of lime-and-sulphur dips have been infinitesimally few when compared with the number of sheep dipped in these solutions, and when compared with the deaths which have been known to follow the use of certain proprietary dips. The details of such accidents, so far as they have been reported, have not shown that death was due to any property prepared and properly used lime-and-sulphur dip. It is highly probable that the cases of so-called “blood poisoning” of shear-cut sheep are generally due to an infection with bacteria in stale dip containing putrefying material.
The greatest objection raised against the use of lime-and-sulphur dip is that it injures the wool. This objection is raised by many wool manufacturers and echoed with ever-increasing emphasis by the manufacturers of prepared dips; while, after years of extensive experience with properly prepared dip, its injury to the wool is strongly and steadfastly denied by the Agricultural Department of Cape Colony.
It is believed that a certain amount of justice is attached to this objection to lime and sulphur as generally used; unless, therefore, lime and sulphur can be used in a way which will not injure the wool to an appreciable extent, we should advise against its use in certain cases; in certain other cases the good accomplished far outweighs the injury it does. Let us, therefore, examine into this damage and its causes.
Fig. 258.—A more advanced case of common scab.