170 CONKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



value. And the finer the wool the more it is serrated, that is, furnished 

 with little hooks or points; in Saxony wool there are as many as 2,800 of 

 these little hooks (see illustration) to one inch, in fine Southdown wool 

 2,000, in Leicester 1,800, etc. The twist is necessary in spinning a thread. 

 The fine, almost innumerable little hooks on the scales help to make a 

 dense firm fabric. In the finished cloth this smooth matted surface must 

 be roughened or given a velvety nap by passing over it burs or teasels, 

 exactly as in ancient times they used the burs of the plant called "fuller's 

 teazel." Wool may be spun into thread so fine that one pound of the 

 finest would spin out 100 miles. 



Of course, Merino wool is the finest; and the different breeds of 

 Merino vary. The life or glisten also varies. In general the long and 

 lustrous wooled varieties, Lincolns, Leicesters, etc., have not the kink for 

 spinning or the numerous clinging hooks which make the different Merinos 

 so valuable for fine weaving. All varieties are needed, as there are different 

 classes of demand in manufacture. It is just a question for each grower 

 which breed is best suited to his conditions and to his available market. 



England likes to furnish us with her lustrous wools. France charges 

 us high prices for the exquisitely fine dress goods she makes from her 

 fine French Merinos. Both of these countries find wool growing a profit- 

 able industry on land which is the highest priced per acre of any in exist- 

 ence. In fact over all Europe sheep are the very basis of successful 

 agriculture. 



Why are there then in the United States so many sheepless farmers? 



Right Care of Sheep 



Watch health conditions at every turn. As we have seen, ill health 

 affects even the wool of the sheep. These animals are hardy, but when 

 real misfortune comes they succumb to it quickly. 



FRESH AIR In the matter of care, the first big thing to take note of 

 is that sheep need fresh air. No other kind of air will do. 

 Better no house at all than one that is close and stuffy, where parasites 

 breed until the fleece falls out, and colds and catarrh result from the 

 smothering heat of crowded bodies. 



Sheep will not stand overcrowding. In winter shelter there should 

 be about 12 sq. ft. for each sheep. 



The sheepfold must be ventilated, but must also be free from any 

 draught. 



Why do sheep need more air than other livestock? 



WINTER In the first place they are descended from mountain and free 

 SHELTER range ancestors, and their bodies are constructed for this 

 activity, which takes full breathing. Then, although so hardy, 

 they have weaker constitutions than any other farm animal; so that any 

 interference with the lungs and breathing quickly leads to other disorders. 

 One of the most critical times for the sheep farmer is when his flocks are 

 brought in from the fields and put into winter shelter. Some farmers 

 forget that, winter or summer, sheep must have plentiful fresh air. Better 

 a rough shed than a house, if the house isn't properly ventilated. Whether 

 a shed or a house, the important thing is to have it always dry, out of 

 the wind, and plentifully bedded. 



