268 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



symmetrical, as a rule, than the one not trimmed, but it 

 will also appear larger and plumper in its entire anat- 

 omy. The optical illusion thus produced is not a little 

 surprising. Trimming may also tend to hide defects of 

 conformation which otherwise would be more apparent to 

 the eye. Because of this the practice of trimming has 

 been fiercely assailed, and without sufficient reason. If 

 the judge were not allowed to use his hands when making 

 the awards on sheep, the morality of such trimming 

 might be questioned. The competent judge by the use 

 of his hands is supposed to discover any defects of car- 

 cass hidden by the trimmer's art or by the covering which 

 nature bestowed upon the animal. It would seem to be 

 quite as commendable for the exhibitor of sheep to im- 

 prove them by trimming as for the exhibitor of cattle to 

 comb the hair upwards near the topline, that the back 

 may thereby appear wider to the eye. 



The trimming of the fleece of the middle wool breeds 

 is accomplished in outline as follows : The fleece is 

 blocked out with the shears in what may be termed the 

 rough ; that is, it is given the desired outline by clipping 

 off the projecting points of the wool fibers. In doing 

 this the top and bottom lines should be made straight 

 and parallel, the breast full and rounding, the thighs 

 nicely turned and the buttock wide across and yet plump. 

 The fleece is then gone over with a stiff brush dipped in 

 water, to aid in straightening the ends of the wool fibers. 

 In some instances a currycomb is also used. The clipping 

 of the points, which follows, is made by using sharp thin- 

 bladed and easy-working shears, which are held quite 

 level and at right angles to the wool fibers. To make a 

 finished picture, the trimming must be repeated several 

 times at intervals. Much practice and good judgment are 

 called for to make an exact trimmer. But little trimming- 

 is given to sheep of the long-wool breeds. 



When trimming sheep that are to be shown, the 

 peculiarities of fleece should be given due recognition. 



