AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM 23 



lirs neisjhbors and comnarincf them, taking care to draw 

 them from the same part of the body i because in most 

 sheep there are different qualities of wool on the different 

 parts ; half way down the side adjoining the slioukler is 

 the best place to draw from, for quality and uniformity. 

 I do not think it ir. desirable to wash the wool, as some 

 practise on the sheep — It is a disagreeable process to the 

 operator and to the sheep, and as I believe endangers 

 their health. I would recommend that they be shorn un- 

 washed. Let the finest wooled sheep be separated by in- 

 spection before shearing, let the fleeces of these be made 

 tip carefully without breaking; and when the wool is to be. 

 washed, let them be opened on a plank floor and stretched 

 out with the skin side next the floor, thus the parts of the 

 fleece may be readily distinguished. Take off the breeching 

 or hinder part, the most of the belly, and the tags, thro^v 

 these among the coarse fleeces, and there will be left the 

 better parts of the best fleeces, and an easy assortment 

 will have been made of the fine from the coarse for family 

 purposes, A telerable selection cannot be made after ali 

 ^he fleeces have been mixed and broken in tiie process of 

 washing and drying. 



As to myself, I have, as yet, been fortunate in knowing 

 but few diseases to which sheep are subject, and there- 

 fore am not acquainted with many remedies. The prin. 

 oipal disease from which I have suffered, and from which 

 I did suffer sorely for several years, after I began to raise 

 this stock, my people called the country distcmj^rr — i 

 have already described it; dirty noses, coughs, wheezing, 

 roached backs, pinched flanks, loss of wool before shear- 

 ing time, great mortality in lambs, and frequent deaths 

 among the old sheep, so that I had often to buy in to keep 

 my number up ; it was tho ght infectious, and the worst 

 were separated. In some years they all had it, and then I 

 had often thoughts of getting rid of the whole on any 

 terms, and procuiing afresh and more healthy stock ; at 

 length it struck me, on observing a flock at a friend's 

 fiouse on an exciirsion ia a neighbouring state, feeding at 



