SHEEP UNDER FARM CONDITIONS l6l 



amount of wool can be obtained by the use of 

 shearing machines, since they clip much closer to 

 the skin than it is possible to do by hand. This 

 is not a distinct advantage, however, under all cir- 

 cumstances, since sheep which have been thus 

 closely shorn, if exposed continuously to the sun 

 and wind immediately afterward are likely to suf- 

 fer from a blistered skin. 



MACHINE SHEARING 



Machine shearing is practiced quite extensively in 

 the range country, where the large number of 

 animals justify the outlay necessary for a large 

 plant. It is customary to install the plant at some 

 convenient point on the railroad where the sheep 

 owners may drive their flocks for shearing, and thus 

 save the expense of hauling the wool a long dis- 

 tance by wagon. These plants are operated by 

 steam or gasoline engines, and may have from ten 

 to 30 machines in operation. They are placed 

 where the number of sheep handled may amount 

 to several hundred thousand in the course of a year. 

 Even in the range country, opinion is considerably 

 divided as to the relative merits of hand or ma- 

 chine shearing. An objection frequently given by 

 western sheep men is that the vibration of the 

 machines in shearing pregnant ewes has frequently 

 resulted in abortion and other severe injuries, which 

 have offset any possible gain from the use of the 

 machines. The experience of others does not seem 

 to bear this out. The probabilities are that the 

 injuries come fully as much from rough handling 

 on the part of the machine operators as from the 

 motion of the machine itself. 



