No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 419 



grade, a qualiiy i'l'om which the higher class of fabrics can be made. 

 Evennes.s of fleece and fineness of fibre are two things to be consid- 

 ered." He says further, that the Tasmanian fleece grown on an 

 island near Australia is our strongest competitor. 



JS'ot only is the fibre to be considered but the oil and difference 

 in shrinking from scouring. The preparation of wool is very im- 

 portant. Several years ago, all sheep were driven to the creek, or a 

 dam made in the meadow brook on the farm, and were washed before 

 being sheared. When the owner did this himself he could have 

 reasonably clean wood, but when some one else had to be employed 

 to do~ the work it was not so well done. Then when time was given 

 for the wool to dry on the sheep before being shorn, it accumulated 

 a good deal of dirt. Some was tub washed ; that is, afier being shorn, 

 was washed by hand and dried in the sun, and some was shorn and 

 sold without being washed. In this way there were too many grades 

 and too many prices, the washed wool not being of the same quality. 

 Now no one washes his sheep nor his wool, but all is shorn and sold 

 as it comes from the sheep. 



It is a good plan with breeding ewes to tag them; that is to clip 

 aw^ay the locks from the hind legs and udder, before lambing time. 

 This relieves danger of the accumulation of filth and the breeding 

 of worms that often results from the neglect of this. This wool 

 should be kept by itself and sold as such. 



PROFIT IN SHEEP 



That sheep are one of the best money makers on the farm cannot 

 be denied. Our own experience has proven to us that with a flock 

 of sheep, after counting off one-half for feed and care, as the share 

 man usually gets, has yielded a profit of 33^% on our worst year, 

 on the money invested, while better years have given us 70%. I wish 

 to quote from a clipping in our own county paper. The gentleman 

 named is my own neighbor of about three miles distant: "D. W. 

 Anderson, of Parkwood, a progressive farmer, has demonstrated to 

 his own satisfaction, that there is money in sheep in this country. 

 He brought 55 lambs to Indiana on Thursday. They weighed 5,200 lbs. 

 or nearly 95 pounds each and brought |7.00 per head. Half of the 

 number were twin lambs. Counting the wool secured from the ewes 

 which raised the lambs, each ewe has brought about flO.OO this 

 summer. The entire flock has made Mr. Anderson more than a dollar 

 a day for the past four years." 



The price of wool is stronger at the present time. 



Great Britain has proclaimed further, though not definite limits on 

 the exportation of wools from her colonies. Foreign markets are 

 stronger than in the recent past, while prices are higher than a year 

 ago in Australia, Africa and South America. The advance amount- 

 ing to 50 to 75 per cent, on most grades. Even if prices were not 

 higher on other continents the advance on ocean rates would add 

 to the cost of wools here. Ocean transportation is at a premium 

 these days, and there is no commerce commission to prevent vessel 

 owners from charging all they can get. As a natural result of these 

 conditions and the big orders now in hands of the mills our wool 

 market has shown strength in recent weeks, and if the present war 

 continues the chances are in favor of the producer. 



