CHAPTER XVI. 



SUMMER MANAGEMENT, 







MODE OF WASHING SHEEP UTILITY OP WASHING CONSID- 

 ERED CUTTING THE HOOFS TIME BETWEEN WASHING 



AND SHEARING SHEARING STUBBLE SHEARING AND 



TRIMMING SHEARING LAMBS AND SHEARING SHEEP SEMI- 



ANNUALLY DOING UP WOOL FRAUDS IN DOING UP 



WOOL STORING WOOL PLACE FOR SELLING WOOL 



WOOL DEPOTS AND COMMISSION STORES SACKING WOOL. 



MODES OF WASHING SHEEP. Sheep are now washed, 

 in the Northern States, somewhat earlier than formerly 

 usually between the first and fifteenth of June as early 

 as the warmth of the streams will admit. When it used 

 to be considered an object to sell clean wool, it was the 

 common practice to wash fine-wooled sheep under the fall of 

 a mill-dam ; or to make an artificial fall by damming up a 

 small stream, conducting its water a few feet in a race, and 

 having it fall thence a couple of feet into a tub or washing vat. 

 The vat was a strong box, large enough to hold four sheep 

 at a time. It was from three and a half to four feet deep, 

 about two and a half feet of it rising above the surrounding 

 platform for the washers, and the remaining portion being 

 sunk in the ground. The sheep were penned close at hand, 

 and the lambs immediately taken out to prevent their 

 being trampled under foot. Two washers generally worked 

 together, and a catcher brought the sheep to them. If the 

 sheep were dry, four were usually placed in the vat together, 

 so that two were soaking while two were being washed. 

 Every part of each fleece was exposed for a short time to the 

 full force of the descending current. The dirtier parts, the 

 breech, belly and neck, were thoroughly squeezed, (by 

 pressing the wool together in masses between the palms of 

 the hands,) and these operations continued until the water 

 ran entirely clear from the fleece. The animal was then 



