58 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 309, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



1 — clean wool; No. 2 — clean mats; 

 and No. 3 — all other wool, includ- 

 ing; soiled wool. 



Put each grade in a separate 

 paper bag without packing too 

 tightly. Tie the bags and place 

 them in burlap sacks or corrugated 

 boxes for shipment. 



If the wool is to be stored, place 

 it in a tightly covered container. 

 To protect the wool from moths. 



put mothballs or crystals in a small 

 sack before placing this in the 

 container with the wool. 



Some Angora breeders spin the 

 wool on an old-fashioned spinning 

 wheel and knit the yarn into gar- 

 ments for home use or for sale. 

 Others sell wool to organizations 

 or individuals who collect large 

 quantities and these organizations 

 or individuals in turn sell to mills. 



MARKETING 



Slaughtering and Skinning 



Slaughter in clean, sanitary 

 quarters. Obtain information on 

 regulations and restrictions from 

 local health authorities. 



The preferred method of slaugh- 

 tering a rabbit is by dislocating 

 the neck. Hold the animal by its 

 hind legs with the left hand. Place 

 the thumb of the right hand on the 

 neck just back of the ears, with 

 the four fingers extended under the 

 chin (fig. 28). Push down on the 

 neck with the right hand, stretch- 

 ing the animal. Press down with 

 the thumb. Then raise the animal's 

 head by a quick movement and dis- 

 locate the neck. The animal be- 

 comes unconscious and ceases strug- 

 gling. This method is instantane- 

 ous and painless when done cor- 

 rectly. 



Another method is to hold the 

 animal with one hand at the small 

 of the back, with its head down, 

 and stun it by a heavy blow at the 

 base of the skull. 



Suspend the carcass on a hook 

 inserted between the tendon and 

 the bone of the right hind leg just 

 above the hock (fig. 29). Remove 

 the head immediately to permit 

 thorough bleeding so the meat will 

 have a good color. Remove the 

 tail and the free rear leg at the 

 hock joint, and cut off the front 



feet. Then cut the skin just below 

 the hock of the suspended right 

 leg and open it on the inside of the 

 leg to the root of the tail, con- 

 tinuing the incision to the hock of 



83078 B 

 Figure 28. — How to hold a rabbit for 

 disclocating neck in slaughtering. 



