330 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



posed by Professor C. I. Bray, of the Colorado Agricultural 

 College.* In view of its excellence, and because it very 

 appropriately follows the preceding discussion of wool, it is 

 herewith reproduced. 



The shearing of sheep is an important operation that 

 requires skill and a good system of handling. Briefly de- 

 scribed, the sheep is placed on its rump, the back resting 

 more or less against the knees of the shearer. There are 

 several methods used by skilled shearers to remove the fleece, 

 of which the following is one. The shears are started in at 

 the right front flank and the fleece is cut close to the body 

 in a direct line to the hind flank. Then, by successive 

 strokes, the wool is shorn over the belly, beginning at the 

 brisket, and running the shears from the right side to the 

 left, so that the wool here may be laid over like a blanket to 

 the left side. Next the wool is removed from the hind legs, 

 working from the right to left side, cutting it away about 

 the thighs and just over the tail head, so that the sheep 

 may rest on a shorn rump. In doing this part, the sheep 

 should be placed in a reclining position, so that the end of 

 the rump may be covered with the shears. 



The sheep is then placed more erect, the shearer hold- 

 ing it by the jaw with the left hand, while cutting the fleece 

 upward from the brisket along the lower right side of the 

 neck to the end of the jaw. After the fleece is removed 

 from the lower side of the neck and over the left front leg 

 and shoulder, the shearer removes the fleece about the head, 

 and then in successive strokes, beginning at the top of the 

 neck, removes the fleece to the back of the neck, and then 

 down, from the line between the two left flanks, he runs his 

 shears around to the middle of the back, turning the sheep 

 meanwhile as needs be. Having removed the fleece on 

 the left half of the neck and body, the shearer starts at the 

 top of the neck again, and continues down as before, but on 



*Breeder3' Gazette, October 13, 1921. 



