MODERN SHEEP I BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 135 



but a limited number of sheep. There is no system of breeding, 

 feeding or shearing. The larger proportion of sheep on the island 

 are running wild. They are rounded up only when some enter- 

 prising native wants to obtain the wool for purposes of packing 

 sacks for pillows or mattresses. There has been practically no de- 

 mand for the wool of the sheep for purposes of manufacturing, 

 although there are quite a goodly lot of wool fabrics made from 

 woolen or part woolen yarns obtained from Hongkong and other 

 markets. 



"Ordinarily the sheep of the country as well as most of the 

 stock runs as it sees fit, and a general rounding up is essential for 

 each owner to get his stock. In some sections, native boys are en- 

 gaged to keep herds together. Occasionally one sees a type of bam- 

 boo fence. 



"The natives do not give the proper attention to their sheep 

 or to the processes of shearing. They do not know the value of 

 the wool. I have been in the island about three years and during 

 that time have met with but very few buyers of wool; therefore, 

 the average native sheep-grower produces mostly for the purpose of 

 getting the mutton and for securing a small quantity of wool stock 

 when wanted for stuffing purposes. There is no shearing time. A 

 native sheep owner waits until he has an opportunity to sell some 

 wool and then he has a number of his stock captured and the shear- 

 ing progresses in the rudest fashion possible. The sheep are 

 caught and held by two or three natives and one man proceeds to 

 cut, rip and tear off the wool in bunches and all sorts of ways, with 

 the crudest sort of devices. Often a single bladed knife is used and 

 the fiber is shaved off close to the skin. After the pile of wool 

 is made to the weight wanted, by shearing a number of, animals, it 

 is washed without soap, by beating with sticks and stones on the 

 bottom stones of rivers which are but a few inches deep. Much 

 wool is washed away and lost. Next the wool which is saved is 

 spread on the shores to dry, and it is then ready for stuffing pur- 

 poses. I saw a few instances in which the wool was carded out by 

 hand, spun on handwheels and manufactured into fabrical form on 

 hand looms. But this was rare. It is nothing unusual to see a 

 sheep, with a ring in its nose, tethered to a stake." 



HOLLAND SHEEP. 



The English Agricultural Press Association recently visited 

 Holland, of whose sheep it says : "The sheep were mainly of the 

 Lincoln crossed on the native Texel, but crossed to such an extent 

 that they were nearly pure 'Lincoln ; there were some of the Leicester 

 cross, but these are not in favor now. Of recent years the Blue- 

 faced Wensleydales have been in great request, inasmuch so that 



