Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 91 



amount of yolk will surely be found in their wool 

 when they are sheared, without waiting for grass 

 to put yolk into it. Washing before shearing is 

 no longer practiced since the woolen mills can 

 clean the wool much better and more cheaply 

 than the sheepman. 



Shearing is now done mostly with machines, 

 which are great improvements over hand shears. 

 The shearing machine has the following advan- 

 tages over the hand shears: First, the work is 

 done more rapidly than with a hand shears; sec- 

 ond, it is a neater and smoother job; third, sheep 

 are not cut into nearly as much as with a hand 

 shears; fourth, it is easier to learn shearing with 

 the machine; fifth, using a shearing machine is 

 not so hard on the shearer's wrist as using a hand 

 shears; and sixth, a larger amount of wool is ob- 

 tained because the sheep can be clipped closer. 

 When a man is once familiar with the use of the 

 machine he can shear many more sheep a day, 

 and he can hardly be induced to go back to the 

 use of the hand shears. A careless shearer should 

 not be employed to shear either with hand shears 

 or with a machine, for a rough, careless man can 

 hurt the sheep badly by either method. Such a 

 shearer, however, will cut the sheep worse with a 

 machine than with the hand shears. If the cutter 

 is held down too far on one side a furrow is plowed 



