SHEEP SHEARING. 131 



mainly controlled by the system of wintering the sheep, and, 

 to some extent, by the openness of the wool. Sheep kept on 

 arable land, especially on sandy land, get much dirt into fleece, 

 and it is almost impossible to shear them properly unless the 

 dirt is washed out. Sheep kept altogether on grass land, however, 

 collect little dirt on their skins, and the need for washing is far less 

 pronounced ; and where this happens, washing is less practised. 



Sheep washing is performed in various ways, though most 

 commonly in running streams, the sheep being thrown into it to 

 soak for a few minutes, and then well rubbed with long-handled 

 scrubbers, the operator standing on the bank. Advantage of a 

 bridge over a small brook can be taken to dam back the water, 

 and a landing place cut in the bank a few yards up stream, a 

 washing place being thus very quickly formed. When large 

 numbers of sheep are to be washed it is desirable to give the 

 washing hole a more permanent form. It is necessary that the 

 water be deep enough to allow the sheep to be thoroughly im- 

 mersed. The sheep should be dropped in rump first, as the 

 water thus breaks through the wool more easily. Particular 

 attention should be paid to the back about the loin, as most 

 dirt accumulates there. The most effective sheep washing place 

 is found where water can be brought from a higher level by 

 means of a trough, as in the case of the overshot water-wheel, 

 as the falling water forces out the dirt more thoroughly, and less 

 scrubbing is required. In such cases it is common for the shepherd 

 to have a tub sunk convenient to the spout, in which he can stand 

 dry, so that he can hold the sheep in the required position. Occasion- 

 ally sheep are washed in tubs of hot water, but this is generally 

 practised in warmer climates than that of England. 



At the same time, it is a mistake to shear sheep after washing 

 until the " yelk " is up again. Here the buyer has a point. The 

 natural yelk, an excretion from the skin, is beneficial in the sub- 

 sequent treatment of the wool : this is washed out, and it does 

 not rise for a few days after washing ; the time depends on the 

 temperature, it being quicker in warm than in cold weather. The 

 farmer loses the weight of the yelk if he does not allow it time 

 to rise. Washing renders shearing easier, and the sheep is more 

 marketable than when shorn badly, as it must be when its back 

 is full of dirt, for the shears will not keep a good edge, and they 

 will not face the dirt. In some districts, however, shearing is 

 so badly executed that, dirt or no dirt, the sheep are roughly 

 turned out. Sheep shearing is performed by the ordinary shears, 

 or by the mechanically driven shears made on the principle 

 of horse clippers, actuated by any convenient power, such 

 as steam, horse, hand or water ; but more generally by oil 

 engines, except where very small plants are used. There is con- 



