FOR SHOW RING AND MARKET. 29' 



Shearing. 



The rules governing the shearing of show sheep stipulate- 

 that no sheep must be shorn earlier than April i. That, 

 very many of the sheep shown have a most phenomenal 

 tendency to wool growing, or their owners have a tendency 

 of creeping around the rules, must be evident to any one 

 who has had the merest experience in the handling of sheep 

 especially show stock. That individual sheep, even of one 

 and the same breed, do carry wool varying in large decree in 

 length of staple, cannot be denied, but not to the extent 

 usually noticeable in animals presented for competition in the 

 show ring. Perhaps one cannot be blamed for leaving the: 

 newly shorn -sheep in a pretty snug little coat of wool, con- 

 sidering that the weather during the month of April is 

 ofttimes cold and bleak. Blankets should be provided in 

 case the weather should prove cold; they should be made of 

 some warm material. 



Blocking Out. 



Many experts take the opportunity of blocking out, or 

 giving shape to their show animals at shearing time. Whether 

 much benefit accrues from this method is a matter of opin- 

 ion and taste; the writer fails to see the real benefit. If a 

 judge is what the word indicates and a showman of the high- 

 est order himself, which he should be, he is not usually 

 "fooled" by tricks of the trade. To the author's mind a 

 short, close, compact fleece is preferable to a long one; the 

 body coming under the hand in a firmer and more pleasing 

 condition. 



