206 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



shear twice as many with the machine as he will 

 with hand shears. 



Then the work is far better done with the ma- 

 chine. There are no shear wounds and the fleeces 

 are taken off closely and evenly. There need be 

 made no second cuts, which cause short fibers little 

 better than shoddy. 



The machine shears in careful hands will cut in 

 two every tick and leave the sheep clean of that 

 vermin. 



Against its use is the cost of the machine, about 

 $15.00 for a hand machine, and the cost of repairs. 

 If well oiled and cared for, however, it will last for 

 many seasons with occasional renewal of cutting 

 parts. 



Then there is needed a boy to turn the crank, so 

 that its use requires two persons to shear a sheep. 

 As the boy is unskilled and may usually be had for 

 a small sum this is not important. Altogether the 

 writer advises the man who has not available skilled 

 shearers of the old-fashioned type, and does the 

 shearing himself, to use the machine. If he must 

 hire shearers he had better let them furnish their 

 own tools. 



There are power machines for large plants. These 

 are operated very successfully by gasoline engines, 

 and there are small power machines with two sets 

 of shears. These are entirely practical, but it is not 

 usually profitable to install a power plant for fewer 

 than 500 sheep. 



When sheep are to go to market after being shorn 



