MODERN SHEEP I BEEEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 2Q3 



Washing the carcass inside and out shows the butcher to 

 be a novice, as it is unnecessary unless the work is being done 

 at the hands of an indifferent butcher. The proper way to pro- 

 ceed is to dip the wiping cloth in water (hot preferred), then 

 wring it out thoroughly and the lamb can be wiped and made to 

 appear as clean and bright as a dollar instead of cloudy., as would 

 be the case where the carcass was subjected to an unnecessary 

 washing. 



It has been pretty well conceded that the wool coming in 

 contact with the flesh in dressing is the cause of "woolly" mut- 

 ton, but it is doubtful if it is not proper to charge the "woolly" 

 taste to slow dressing. The wool coming into contact as it does 

 only at the opening of the stomach can not possibly impregnate 

 the whole carcass with the undesirable flavor of "woolly" mutton. 

 The cause of "woolly" mutton is unquestionably gas accumulating 

 in the stomach after the death of the lamb or sheep. It takes 

 but a very short time for decomposition to set in where the en- 

 trails are left in a dead animal and the "woolly" taste and smell of 

 mutton very much resembles that of decomposition, in a slight 

 form. 



In the ca t se of old sheep, their mutton carries a "woolly" 

 taste, due, no doubt, to the presence of excessive yolk in the skin. 

 "Woolly" mutton is more in evidence during summer months than 

 at other seasons. The starting of the yolk has, no doubt, some- 

 thing to do with this. 



Eapid butchers are usually the cleanest butchers, and they 

 who dress their lambs in the usual time of less than fifteen min- 

 utes rarely have cause to complain of woolliness. Of course the 

 time mentioned is not very rapid dressing. 



A sheep dressing match for $50 a side between E. Addy, of 

 Barnsley, England, and J. Thomas, Sheffield, England, took 

 place some time ago, when Thomas won by twenty seconds. He 

 completed his animal in two minutes and fifteen seconds. The 

 peculiar part of this contest was that the contestants had to walk 

 a distance of five miles after which they were allowed ten min- 

 utes in which to change their clothes for the killing contest. 



In large, well-equipped slaughter houses, lambs are hung by 

 their hind legs and stuck. In small ones, they are either stuck on 

 a sticking bench or placed on their left side in such position over 

 the slaughter house gutter so that it receives the blood of the 

 victim. The head, or nose rather, is taken in the left hand and 

 the knife plunged clean through the neck just back of the ears 

 and as close to the jaw as possible and the jugular vein severed by 

 cutting towards the vertebrae. It is entirely unnecessary to cut 

 the windpipe or food channel in sticking. 



A great deal of unnecessary suffering is saved by "pithing" 

 the victim; that is, severing the spinal cord" by inserting the 



