State Agricultural Society. 473 



shearing as far around the sheep as practicable, while holding it in tho 

 position described, which will be two to three inches past the spine. On 

 reaching the hind leg, say about the stifle, you will then insert the 

 shears at the inside of the hocks (wool below that point is commonly 

 tags), and shear around that leg back to where you left off on the stifle 

 joint. Should the sheep persist in kicking at this stage, place the palm 

 of your k'f:, hand on the stifle joint, which causes the leg to lie out 

 straight. Shear clear around to the breech or the place shorn when 

 working on the belly- f'aggings, and go clear around past the tail, so 

 that, were the sheep standing on its feet, everything on its left side, 

 including one to three inches on the right side from the spine, from 

 head to tail, and including the whole tail, shall be shorn. Now, taking 

 the hind-leg (the one that is shorn), in your left hand, swing the sheep 

 around with its spine directly towards you, being careful that some of 

 the fleece goes under him, for his left hip-bone, which is shorn and bare, 

 now comes in contact with the boards, causing him to lie uneasily. 

 Now, return with the shears to the head or neck, and go down the right 

 side (the "winning side" as it is called), taking in the two legs, and 

 the right hand side of the brisket and belly. You may now finish up, 

 trimming off any t;igs that may have escaped, including that wool on the 

 legs below the knee and hock joints. Now, see that the fleece is all 

 clear from the sheep, and let the animal go. Next gather up all bits of 

 fleece and tags, together with the fleece itself, and give them to the man 

 who ties up wool. If the floor and bench round about be clean, proceed 

 to catch another sheep; if they be not clean, and any excrement have 

 passed, it is to be taken up and thrown out of the pen. It will be seen, 

 by this description, that the wool, all through the operation, will hang 

 down, and have a tendency to fall apart. This is counteracted, in a 

 greater measure, if the sheep be shorn on the floor, than on a bench, 

 tor though the same manner of opening up and shearing is pursued, 

 still, as the shearer goes down each side, the sheep lies on the opposite 

 side, and the distance from that point of the' fleece whence the wool is 

 hanging, to that point on the floor where it is resting, is not so great as 

 where the sheep tits " up on end." 



THE SHORN SHEEP AND WOOL. 



All sheep that are cut in shearing are to be attended to at once. 

 Mere nicking does not much matter, but they may receive ugly wounds 

 that require immediate attention. I use simple salt and water; some use 

 the mixtures they have on hand for scab, rubbing it into the cuts — such 

 as corrosive sublimate, coal oil, bluestone, or any of the patent sheep 

 washes. 1 have not found them good on fresh cuts, particularly the 

 first three, though they do quite well on old sores. If the cut is a very 

 bad one, and the skin hangs down, it should be cut off at once or-stitched 

 back into place; if this be not done, the new skin will form over the 

 wound, leaving the old skin hanging like a great wart, or what is known 

 as the dewlap mark in cattle, and is sure to be cut off at next shearing, 

 making almost as bad a wound as at first. 



At A, in the above diagram, stands the person who ties up the wool. 

 Many growers, with common sheep, think this arrangement too refined, 

 etc.; but it pays if you have the right man there, for it is he who ought 

 to superintend the whole gang of shearers. When shearing by tho 



60 — ( a s rl ) 



