AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



Shearing and Sorting. It is necessary that the wool 

 be cut as nearly as possible to the same length all over. 

 When the shearer makes a cut which is not quite so near the 

 skin as the others, he should not be allowed to take it off 

 with a second cut, for that piece of wool is of no use in the 

 fleece, and if found there reduces its value ; but if left on 

 the sheep could be shorn off the following year to better 

 advantage. After the fleece is shorn, it should be spread 

 fleshside down, on a table made of battens placed an inch 

 apart, that all the small pieces of wool may fall below, and 

 leave the fleece perfectly free from locks. It then should 

 be carefully skirted, the stained parts taken off and put 

 by themselves ; then the hind legs and britoh, which also 

 should be kept separate, and called second pieces ; next the 

 fore legs and neck, and any other wool which is not of the 

 same quality as the fleece. These should also be kept by 

 themselves and classed as first pieces. The pieces may be 

 divided into five classes, viz.: First pieces ; second pieces ; 

 third, stained pieces ; fourth, belly pieces ; fifth, locks. 

 After the fleece has been properly skirted, it should be 

 rolled up, taking care to have the shoulder part on the 

 outside, as the best wool is on that part. 



Sheep in Small Flocks. The merino continues, and 

 is likely to continue the leading breed in Australian sheep 

 farming. It is as suitable for small flocks as for flocks of 

 tens of thousands. But crossbreeds for farmers and export 

 purposes have many recommendations where the feed is 

 good enough, to bring on early lambs and carcases fit for 

 exporting. Such sheep first of all fill the requirements for 

 butcher meat in the owner's family. They clean up stubble 

 and land that will become foul from weeds developed 

 during cultivation, as no other stock do. And they enrich 

 the land for further cropping for grain, potatoes, grass, 

 &c. Of the many heavier framed sheep available for 

 crossing with the merinos, the improved Leicester is held 

 in high esteem by men in the wheat and dairy districts 

 inland, who farm heavy land. The Merino- Lincoln cross 

 gives very good returns. The wool of these crossbreds is 

 dense, of good fair average quality, and the sheep mature 

 rapidly on rich soil. The crossbred wethers at two years 



