BULLETIN 



OF THE 



Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station 



NUMBER 294 APRIL, 1916 



WOOL STUDIES 1 

 WASHING BEFORE SHEARING TIME OF SHEARING 



J. W. HAMMOND 



The practice of washing sheep was brought into Ohio by early 

 settlers from states farther east. The method of washing varies 

 somewhat; usually either the sheep are driven repeatedly through 

 a stream, dammed up if necessary to furnish a sufficient volume of 

 water, or they are held in the water by the attendant and the dirt 

 squeezed out of the wool by hand. While this practice, which was 

 at one time rather general in Ohio, has become almost obsolete in 

 the greater part of the State, it still persists on many farms in the 

 southern and eastern counties, as well as in the bordering territory 

 in the northern Panhandle of West Virginia and in western Penn- 

 sylvania. 



Object of the experiment. This experiment was undertaken 

 for the purpose of securing data on the following points: (1) The 

 influence of washing sheep on the yield of grease and of scoured wool 

 and on the rate of gain made by the sheep ; and (2) the influence of 

 the time of shearing on the yields of grease and of scoured wool and 

 on the rate of gain made by the sheep. 



PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENT 



Early in March, 1911, 100 lambs born in April and May, 1910, 

 were purchased and were divided into four lots as nearly alike as 

 possible with respect to sex, weight and conformation. The experi- 

 ment extended over a little more than 2 years, so that during its 

 progress three clips of wool were removed, in 1911, 1912 and 1913. 



lr The experiment reported in this "bulletin was conducted on the farm of A. O. and Howard 

 J. Campbell, Barnesville, Ohio. The author is glad to express his thanks to these gentlemen 

 for their assistance not only in caring for the sheep, but in executing other details of the 

 experiment. , 



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