SHEEP DIP TRIAL

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6094, 9 November 1887, Page 6

SHEEP DIP TRIAL

The following notes of the result of the trials of sheep dip under the auspices of the Committee of the jCanterbiiry Agricuftural and Pastoral Association, have been condensed by Mr Murphy, the Secretary of the Association:—

"Your readers will remember that the Committee, in response to several agents of sheep dip, undertook to conduct a trial of the various dips offered for sale in the local market. Accordingly arrangements were made with Mr W. Boag, of Burnside who provided the necessary sheep. As the preliminary arrangements have been already commented upon in the paper on April 21st last, it is not necessary now to do more than give a resume of the subsequent investigations, and the final comments of the judges and experts engaged in the work. (The report in full will appear in the Keiv Zealand Country Journal, the organ of the Association in the issue now bei«g published.) The following are the dips experimented upon •— No. 1, Murton and White ; 2. Zealandi'a • 3, McDougall; 4, Hatch; 5, Little- 6' Thomas; 7, Brooke; 8, Cooper. Eight sheep were not dipped; these will be referred to as No. 9. As the objects to be attained by dipping are the. protection of sheep from re-infection, with the least possible injury to the wool, the following points were taken into consideration—lst the best conditioned wool at shearing' having especial regard to strength of staple, degree of stain and brightness of the wool; 2nd, the most efficient destroyer of parasites; 3rd, the most effectual preventative from re-infection; 4th, effect on sheep at dipping, and general charicter of the ~ dip. The ' cost of the dip was not; tafuen into, account, a\s on inquiry- there was found to be no material difference. The general result of the trial, wSSjudged according to the following scale Of points:—Condition of wool at shearing, 10 points; most effectual destroyer of .parasites. 8 points; most effectual preventative .from re-infection, 8 points; effect on eheepnt dipping, &c, 6 points; total of points. 32.,- The following points were awarded'in the order above given :—Murfon anflWhite" 8, 8, 6. 6, total 2? points;. Thomas.6, 7> 6, 6. total 25points; Brooke'7, 7, 4, 6, total 24 points; Zealandia 8,7,4,4, total Little 4, 7, 6,5. total 22" Joints; HASch 3, '7, 6, total 22 'points; Cooper 4,_fi, 4, 6, total 20 points • McDougall 0, 7, 4, 0, total 17 points; No. 9, undipped, 8, 0, 0, 0, total 8 points. - Then follow the judge's remarks on the several diDS, as to mixing and use in the bath. The manager of the Kaiapoi Woollen : Factory kindly undertook to scour twofleeces of each lot, one of which he had' dyed. This was for the purpose of taining what effectjf any, the dips had: on the wool. are somewhat ■' singular, inasmuch as the undipped wool' stands second best of those dyed. No 4: stands first; whiles NO9. 5 and 3 are de-scribed-«sr not being of a good white • The-following is the report on the wool! alone, as .presented by the Committee arid/ byMr Kittlewell, who examined the fleeces ; independently. The Committee nlaced : as follows :-Murton and i Zealandid. equal ;• Bwok^raomas;,. Cooper, Little, equal Hatch;-McDougal.. Mr. Kittlewell's report:—Zealandia, Undipped Mm+nn nnH" White, Thomas, Little Mr Kittlewell', Iv **&[£s% J&4 exhaustive, to which h appended the following P.S.:-» The above is judged from the effect or non-effect of 'dipping, and not from any values or qualities. _ The thanks of the Committee are especially due to Mr Fester ch£f inspector of sheep, and to his assistant, to Mr Kittlewell and to the manager Kaiiboi Woollen Factory. "for their gratuitous services in carrying out the above important trial.