142 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



SHEAEING SHEEP. 



An Ohio correspondent asks for an article on 

 this subject. We should much, prefer to shear a 



(FIG. 1.) — THE FIRST STAGE OF CLIPPING A SHEEP. 



we have had engraved for the Genesee Farmer. 



He says : 



Clipping consists of three stages, the first of 



which is represented in fig. 1. After setting the 

 sheep on its ramp, and on the supposi- 

 tion that the clipper is a right-handed 

 man, he rests on his right knee, and 

 leans the back of the sheep against his 

 left leg a, bent. Taking the shears in 

 his right hand, and holding up the 

 sheep's mouth with his left, he first clips 

 the short wool on the front of the neck, 

 and then passes down the throat and 

 breast between the fore legs to the belly. 

 Then placing the fore legs b under his 

 left arm c, he shears the belly across 

 from side to side down to the groins. In 

 passing down the belly and groin, where 

 the skin is naturally loose, while the 

 shears d are at work, the palm of the 

 left hand e pulls the skin tight. The 

 scrotum/ is then bared, then the inside 

 of the thighs g g, and lastly, the sides of 

 the tail h. . These are all 'the parts that 

 are reached in this position. For the 

 clipping of these parts small shears suf- 

 fice; and as the wool there is short and 

 of a detached character, it is best clipped 

 by the points of the shears, as carefully 

 held close like d. 



Fig. 2 represents the second stage of 

 clipping. Its position for the sheep is 

 dozen sheep than to attempt a description of the I gained by first relieving its fore legs o from their 

 operation. I P ^' 011 m figure 1, and gently turning the sheep 



It is a matter of surprise 

 to us that so few farmers 

 know how to shear sheep. 

 The operation is not a diffi- 

 cult one. Every farmer's 

 son should learn as soon as 

 he is old enough. When 

 a boy, it was our delight 

 to assist the shearers — to 

 catch the sheep, turn them 

 up, and shear the wool 

 from the belly, etc. And 

 by-and-by we could make 

 further progress, and final- 

 ly could go through the 

 whole operation. The 

 work can not be expected 

 to be done perfectly at 

 first, but no farmer should 

 hesitate to let his son learn, 

 even if he does not turn 

 out the sheep at first as 

 smoothly and handsomely 

 as could be desired. 



Stevens, in his "Book ( FIG - 2.)— the second stage of clipping a sheep. 



of the Farm," gives a minute description of the I upon its far side,, while he himself, resting on both 

 operation accompanied with illustrations, which | knees, supports its far shoulder upon his lap. Yoa 



