203 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEK. 



July 



Sheep and Wool— Early Shearing and 

 no Washing. 



If you will pay me %. visit during the first week 

 in May, you may expect to find me shearing the 

 Spanish Meriuoes. I still believe that early 

 shearing is for the good of the sheep, and if it 

 ■ffere not for some prejudice existing against 

 early shearing, I think my fleeces would all be 

 taken off previous to, or by the first of May. 

 Many a man has been victimizedby "sheepped- 

 lars," with early shorn sheep, and those that 

 have been " stubbed ; " so that, if you tell a man 

 that your she-p were shorn in April, he is afraid 

 there is something wrong; but, if you can frankly 

 gay that your eheep were shorn in May, there are 

 no fears of any deception. 



As soon as the weather gets warm enough for 

 vegetation to begin to put forth, the fleece be- 

 comes a burden to the animal; and if one has 

 suitable stables, to protect them in stormy or 

 windy weather, the sheep should be relieved from 

 its fleece at once. 



Any per'^on that has never sheared early would 

 be surprised to see how little the sheep mind it. 

 to have its fleece taken off before the weathei 

 gets above the freezing point. 



At a recent meeting of the " Farmers' Club," 

 in this place, the subject of wool growing was 

 the topic for discussion. Many of the wool grow- 

 ers in this place have practiced shearing early, 

 and I believe it is their unanimous opinion that 

 sheep will thrive better shorn as early as the 1st 

 of May, than if allowed to wear their fleeces a 

 few weeks later. They had also come to the con- 

 clusion that sheep did not suffer any more when 

 shorn early, than if it was delayed until the hot 

 weather. 



It was thought that, to take a flock of fifty or 

 a hundred sheep, and divide them as equally as 

 possible, the first of May, and shear one-half at 

 that time, and let the balance run until the 1st or 

 the 15th of June, before shorn, the early sheared 

 ones would be in much the best condition, and 

 would go through the summer, and come out the 

 best in the fall. 



It was further stated that to let them all go 

 with their fleeces until June, and shear one-half 

 in an unwashed state, and the balance washed, 

 those that imd not been washed would have a 

 better coa^ (dark surface) in the fall, than the 

 others, nnd would sell, in any market, for luore 

 money. 



The only objection raised to shearing without 

 washing, was the fact that wool-buyers took the 

 advantage, and would not pay a fair price for 

 the wool. But, notwithstanding this, many of 

 our farmers will shear early, thinking the advan- 

 tage gained in the thrift of the sheep, will more 

 than counterbalance the loss in the price of wool. 

 If it is true that sheep do belter by shearing 

 them early, and in an unwashed state, we may ask 

 why all wool growers do not adopt the practice? 

 To my mind, there are several reasons, one of 

 which is that they have always been accustomed 

 to wash ; their fathers and grandfathers washed 

 their sheep, and if there had been any better 

 way, they would have discovered it. 



Another reason is that a large class of wool 

 growers believe that it is cruel and barbarous to 

 shear before hot weather comes on, and it is hard 

 to make them believe ibat sheep suffer more with 

 heat, in wearing their fleeces, than from cold if 



taken off. 



The principal reason, however, I believe, 

 arises from the injudicious manner which the 

 manufacturer adopts in buying wool. It is a 

 notorious fact that wool buyers have always paid 

 a large premium on heavy, dirty wool, if they can 

 only be assaredthat it has been washed, or pre^ 

 fended to have been washed Perhaps manufac- 

 turers believe pil wool growers are so stupid as 

 to wash their wool ciean, when they pay about 

 the same price for heavy, dirty wool, as for that ^ 

 which is put up in the best order. 



If we judge from the manner in which they 

 have always buu.ht wo' 1, wp have reason to be- 

 lieve that they think we wool growers are a little 

 dull, (we grant it ,) bu let me say to you, Mr. 

 Manufacturer, or wool buyer, that we are not all 

 so foolish as you iit;a<riue, if you expect we will 

 always put our woo ^ v p in good order, when you 

 will, year after ve. :, pay just as much for a dirty 

 article, as for th it wM.ch is put up in the best 

 condition. This you have done, and, no doubt, 

 you will contin-j'/tc pay a better price for heavy, 

 or badly washc i wool, than for that which is well 

 washed; and I can r=s ure you that you will get 

 plenty of wool v. sfctd after the modern style, as 

 there is but Htt'e wo k in it. Formerly one man 

 would throw in for lour or five to wash ; but now 

 it takes two meii t~. throw in as fast as one can 



As long as iranuf^cturers will pay for wool 

 that has been th-wn m the water, and only just 

 wet, the price cf go d, i^lean wool, I think far- 

 mers will wash 00 r eheep; but as scon as they 

 make proper d ^or miuation, I trust, washing 

 sheep will be doDe away. G. C, Vermom',. 



The above v^e fiv.d in one of our exchanges 

 without credit, ard >iausfer it to our pages. Had 

 we a flock of suecp, we should never submit 

 them to that barbarous practice of washing, but 

 would sell the vro'ol unwashed on its merits. In 

 this way we wou'i' s^ve our sheep the infliction 

 and save our credit, lesiles a bad cold caught by 

 being in the cold t, r.tar several hours. We con- 

 sider the abdve -i pretty sensible article on the 

 subject of waehm r -Mid buying wool. Ed. 



-••»- 



Heaping ME^-LRK^. — Potatoes, turnips, and 

 esculent rcots, apvles Mud other fruits, meal and 

 bran, and in soaiV'tuie? oats are sold by heaping 

 measure, whico ciu^ains 2.815 cubic inches. 

 The size of a Winclos er bushel measure, is a 

 circular ring with suaight sides 8 inches high 

 and 18J in diiiaieer. A box 12 inches square, 

 with sides 7.7 1-32 i-'^hes high, will hold half a 



bushel. ' 



«» 



A ton of lumber, ii round, consists of 40 cubic 

 feet; if square, 5i i'ctt. A tun of wine, is 252 

 gallons. 



