264 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



UNIFORMITY IN WOOL. 



A serious defect in wool may not be strictly a disease, 

 but it may be a result of a poor condition of the sheep due 

 to some mistake or neglect in the management. The best 

 and finest wool is found on the shoulders, and this is made 

 the standard of the whole quality of the fleece. If, as com- 

 pared with this, the wool on the sides, thigh, rump, and 

 breech, approaches it in quality, the better the fleece will be 

 all through. An equality in fineness of these parts of the 

 fleece makes the fleece even as to the fineness of the wool. 

 A general regularity of length of wool on these parts of the 

 body, makes the fleece even in this respect of length of 

 staple. The density of the fleece is tested by closing the 

 hand upon the wool of a part of the loin, and on the rump, 

 and if it is found that the fleece is as thick and close on 

 these parts as on the other portions of the sheep, the density 

 of the wool is even. The perfect fleece is nearly equal in 

 fineness of staple from the shoulder to the thigh; and if the 

 wool is nearly equal in length at the shoulder, the ribs, thigh, 

 and on the back, the density is equal on the shoulder and 

 across the loins, and there are no defects, due to the diseases 

 above mentioned, the wool is uniform. A perfect fleece 

 is really a certificate of perfect health in the sheep and of 

 the good management of the flock by the shepherd. The 

 even growth and quality go to prove the evenness and regu- 

 larity of the general management and the concurrent thrifti- 

 ness of the flock. 



WASHING SHEEP. 



Wool necessarily becomes charged with many impurities 

 during the season of its growth. Dust adheres to it by rea- 

 son of the oiliness and viscous nature of the yolk. The se- 

 cretions of the skin gather in it, as well as the filth of the 

 sheep. There is an excessive perspiration exuding from the 

 skin, more or less as the season excites it. All these foreign 

 matters add much to the weight of the fleece, and reduce its 

 general value to the buyer, who usually deducts one-third 

 from the current prices as compensation for these Jmpurities. 

 As a rule some variations occur in this regard by reason of 

 the quantity of impurities existing in the wool. This is due 

 to the manner in which the sheep have been kept, the kind of 



