n8 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



stains up in the centre of the fleece. A good many farmers say 

 that it does not pay to go to the trouble of classing and skirting 

 their wool, as they get ^d. or 4d. per Ib. less for the wool they take 

 off and no more for the fleece. This is not so, as skirted wool will 

 bring from id. to 3d. per Ib. more than the unskirted fleeces, 

 according to the quantity of dirty or burry wool which is taken off. 

 I sent ten bales of Merino wool to the Melbourne sales shorn 

 off the sheep in one paddock. Five of the bales I had skirted, the 

 other five were sold just as they were taken off the board, except 

 that all the locks were kept out, and the stained britch taken oft" 

 the fleece. 1 received just i|d. per Ib. more for my skirted lot. 

 Both lots were sold on the same day and they were very even in 

 condition and quality, as each alternative fleece was skirted. Some 

 farmers place the same value on their wool every year. This is 

 often the cause of trouble between themselves and the selling 

 brokers, as it is no unusual thing for wool values to fluctuate from 

 10 per cent, to 30 per cent, in a season. 



In commencing to shear his sheep, the first thing the farmer 

 should do is to thoroughly clean out the shed or barn in which he 

 intends to have his sheep shorn, to avoid any foreign matter such 

 as straw, chaff, or twine being mixed with the wool. The next 

 thing to get ready is the wool table, which should have half an inch 

 or so between each batten of i inch or i J inches wide. This space 

 allows the locks or second cuts to fall from the fleece through the 

 table on to the floor. A very good wool table can be made out of 

 small round branches about the size of an ordinary broom-handle. 

 The table should have four boards nailed at the bottom to prevent 

 the locks from becoming scattered over the floor. Another thing 

 is the sheep-yard, which should be covered with grass ; this can 

 easily be done by letting no sheep into it for three or four weeks 

 before shearing. If it has become very dry and dusty, it should be 

 sprinkled with water so that the dust will be kept down, because 

 nothing is more injurious to the appearance of the wool than dust. 



Very often the farmer has two types of sheep, such as Merino 

 and Cross-bred. He should draft the Merino from the Cross-bred 

 and shear each lot separately. The fleece should be picked up by 



