NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



183 



to each shearer. The shearer, before taking the 

 sheep, picks off any loose straws sticking to its wool, 

 and, if dung adheres to any of the feet, brushes it 

 off with a little besom formed of twigs, hung up 

 near the door for that purpose. The shearer then 

 takes the sheep to his stand, and commences shear- 

 ing. 



The floor or tables used for shearing should be 

 planed or worn perfectly smooth, so that they will 

 not hold dirt or catch the wool. They all should be 

 thoroughly cleaned, and, if necessary, washed, pre- 

 paratorj- to shearing. It is the catcher's business to 

 Ivcop the floor constantly swept, dung removed, &c. 

 Having a new stand or place swept for the shearer 

 who has just finished his sheep, he catches him 

 another, and then clears up the stand previously 

 occupied. He first lifts the fleece, gathers it up so 

 that it shall not be torn or drawn asunder, and turn- 

 ing his arms so as to invert it, (i. c., bring the roots 

 of the wool downward,) deposits it on the folding- 

 table. He then picks up the ' fribs ' (small loose 

 locks) left on the floor, which are deposited in a 

 basket or on a corner of the table. Lastly, he sweeps 

 the spot clean, to be again occupied by the shearer. 

 An active fellow will tend four shearers, and do vip 

 the fleeces. But he should not be hurried too 

 much, or he cannot give sufficient time to doing up. 

 A small boy or two are haudy to pick up fribs, 

 sweep, &c. 



If there are any sheep, in the pen, dirty from purg- 

 ing or other causes, they should first be caught out, 

 to prevent them from dirtying the others. 



It is difficult, if not impossible, to give intelligible 

 practical instructions, which would guide an entire 

 novice in skilfully shearing a sheep. Practice is 

 requisite. The following directions from the Ameri- 

 can Shepherd, are correct, and are as plain, perhaps, 

 as they can be made : — 



"The shearer may place the sheep on that part 

 of the floor assigned to him, resting on its rump, and 

 himself in a posture with one (his right) knee on a 

 cushion, and the back of the animal resting against 

 his left thigh. He grasps the shears about half-way 

 from the point to the bow, resting his thumb along 

 the blade, which affords him better command of the 

 points. He may then commence cutting the wool at 

 the brisket, and proceeding downward, all upon the 

 sides of tlie belly to the extremity of the ribs, the 

 external sides of both thighs to the edges of the 

 flanks ; then back to the brisket, and thence upward, 

 shearing the wool from the breast, front, and both 

 sides of the neck, — but not yet the back of it, — and 

 also the poll or fore part, and top of the head. Now 

 the • jacket is opened ' of the sheep, and its po- 

 sition and that of the shearer is changed, by being 

 turned flat upon its side, one knee of the shearer 

 resting on the cushion, and the other gently pressing 

 the fore quarter of the animal, to prevent any strug- 

 gling. He then resumes cutting upon the flank and 

 rumi), and thence onward to the head. Thus one 

 side is complete. The sheep is then turned on to 

 the other side, — in doing which, great care is requi- 

 site to prevent the fleece from being torn — and the 

 shearer acts as upon the other, which finishes. He 

 must then take his sheep near to the door, through 

 which it is to pass out, and neatly trim the legs, and 

 leave not a solitary lock any where, as a harbor for 

 ticks. It is absolutely necessary for liim to remove 

 from his stand, to trim, otherwise the useless stuff 

 from the legs becomes intermingled with the fleece- 

 wool. In the use of the shears, lot the blades be 

 laid as flat to the skin as possible, not lower the 

 points too much, nor cut more than from one to two 

 inches at a clip, frequently not so much, depending 

 on the part and compactness of the wool." 



In addition to the above, I would remark, that the 

 wool should be cut off as close as conveniently prac- 



ticable, and even. It may bo cut too close, so that 

 the sheep can scarcely avoid " sun-scald," but this 

 is very unusual. If the wool is left ridgy and un- 

 even, it betrays that want of workmanship which is 

 so distasteful to every good farmer.* Great care 

 should be taken, not to cut the wool twice in two, as 

 inexperienced shearers are apt to do. It is a great 

 damage to the wool. It is done by cutting too far 

 from the point of the shears, and suffering the points 

 to get too elevated. Every time the shears are 

 pushed forward, the wool before cut off by the 

 points, say a quarter or three eighths of an inch from 

 the hide, is again severed. To keep the fleece entire, 

 — so important to its good appearance when done up, 

 (and therefore to its salablencss,) — it is very essen- 

 tial that the sheep be held easily for itself, so that it 

 will not struggle violently. To hold it still by maiip 

 strength, no man can do, and shear it well. Th? 

 posture of the shearer should be such, that the sheep 

 is actually confined to its position, so that it is un- 

 able to start up suddenly and tear its fleece ; but it 

 should not be confined there by severe pressure or 

 force, or it will be constantly kicking and struggling. 

 Heavy-handed, careless men, therefore, always com- 

 plain of getting the most troublesome sheep. The 

 neck, for example, may be confined to the floor, by 

 placing it between the toe and knee of the leg, on 

 which the shearer kneels ; but the lazy or brutal 

 shearer who lets his leg rest directly on the neck, 

 soon provokes that struggle which the animal is 

 obliged to make to free itself from severe pain, and 

 even, perhaps, to draw its breath. 



Good shearers will shear, on the average, twenty- 

 five Merinos per day ; and a new beginner should not 

 attempt to exceed from one third to one half that 

 number. It is the last process in the world which 

 should be hurried, as the shearer will soon leave more 

 than enough wool on his sheep to pay for his day's 

 wages. 



It has been mentioned, that but enough sheep 

 should be yarded at once for half a day's shearing. 

 The reason for this is, that they shear much more 

 easily, and there is less liability of cvitting the skin, 

 when they are distended with food, than when their 

 bellies become flabby and collapsed for the want of it. 

 This precaution, however, is often necessarily omit- 

 ted in showery weather. It is very convenient to 

 have the outside pen, which communicates with the 

 "bay," covered. On my farm, it is one of the reg- 

 ular sheep-houses. If it is showery over night, or 

 showers come up on the day of shearing, a couple of 

 hundred sheep may be run in and kept dry. And 

 they can bo let out to feed occasionally, during tlie 

 day, on short grass. If let out in long, Avet grass, 

 their bellies will become wetted. "Wool ought not 

 to be sheared, and must not be done up, with any 

 water in it. 



!<ac/dii(/ Wool. — When the wool is sold, or when it 

 must be sent away to find a market, it is put up in 

 bales nine feet long, formed of forty-inch "burlaps." 

 The mouth of the sack is sowed with twine, round a 

 strong hoop, (rivetted together with iron, and kept for 

 the purpose,) and the body of it is let down through 

 a circular aperture in the floor of the wool-room. f 

 The hoop rests on the edge of the aperture, and the 

 sack swings clear of the floor beneath. A man en- 

 ters the sack, and another passes the fleeces down to 

 him. After covering the bottom with a layer, he 

 places a fleece in the centre, and forces down others 

 around it, and so on to the top, which is then sewed 



* I hold that a man is not half a farmer who has not 

 a dash of the aesthetic mixed up with his utilitarianism. 

 Trofit should not often be sacrificed to appearances ; but 

 where they are strictly compatible, he who disregards the 

 latter betravs a sordid and uncultivated mind. 



t It is to secure this convenience that the wool-room 

 is best placed on the second floor. 



