FARM ANIMALS 279 



and then travel into the North Temperate Zone 

 with the advance of spring, so that their work, 

 as just indicated, continues the year round. In 

 the United States they begin shearing in Texas 

 and Arizona and New Mexico in early spring, 

 January or February, and gradually travel north- 

 ward, completing the season's work in Montana 

 and British Columbia in June and July. On 

 these large ranches the shearing machines are 

 coming into greater and greater favor. The 

 clippers are connected by means of flexible or 

 jointed rods with a long shaft providing power for 

 twenty or thirty or even more clippers, depending 

 on the extensiveness of the business. A good 

 sheep shearer averages about one hundred sheep 

 per day and the record made with hand shears is 

 the same as with the machines. Such men are 

 capable of shearing sheep either by the machine 

 or by hand in about four minutes. The advan- 

 tages in favor of the machines are that the sheep 

 is sheared somewhat closer, is cut less and more 

 wool is obtained. Most men who have tried both 

 methods find that from three-quarters to one 

 pound more wool is obtained by the machine 

 clipper than by the hand shears. At first it was 

 thought that sheep clipped closely by machines 

 would be subject to sun scald but such has not 

 been found to be the case. 



Sheep Scab. This is the most serious disease 

 of sheep throughout the western range country. 

 The disease is due to the attack of a small mite 

 which burrows under the skin and causes irritation 

 and shedding of the wool in the infested patches. 

 The presence of the mite causes intense itching 

 and this in turn causes the sheep to rub on anything 

 convenient and this tears out the wool and leaves 



