208 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



the machine is a saving since it takes off more wool 

 than hand shears can. The saving is from 2 to 8 

 ounces. A saving of 4 ounces, or % pound, would 

 pay the cost of shearing. All sorts of sheep are 

 shorn by machines, though they work especially 

 well on downs, long-wools and Dorsets. They 

 are harder to operate on western lambs that have 

 been dipped and placed on feed in winter, owing 

 to the peculiar condition of the wool which seems 

 to be affected by the shock of transportation and 

 dipping and to be dead at that point and consequent- 

 ly hard to get the shears into. 



A fat sheep nicely shorn with the machine shears 

 is a very attractive object and appears fatter than 

 when shorn by hand. 



The shearing machine should not be used in mid- 

 summer, or if it is it should not be set to run very 

 close, else there will not be enough wool left on to 

 protect the sheep from flies and sunburn and it will 

 suffer severely before the wool has grown out again. 



It is in some situations a good plan to shear a 

 flock of ewes twice a year, once very early, say in 

 late March, and again in August. The wool will 

 not be quite so valuable, for it will be shorter, but 

 the relief to the sheep in getting rid of its warm 

 coat at this sultry time is remarkable and it will 

 thrive far better than unshorn, lambing stronger if 

 it is to drop fall or early winter lambs and conceiv- 

 ing earlier if it is not yet bred. The writer has 

 practiced this and has not had to take more than 

 one cent per pound less for his short wool, which 



