28 BULLETIN 313, U. S. DEPAETMElsTT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



The sellers made the following comments on some of the lots: 



Lot 2. X-bred lambs 211 cents. Good quality and staple, dry, dusty. 



Lot 5. F 23 cents. Fine, good staple and condition, some burr. 



Lot 14. Fleece 201 cents. Fair staple and condition, skirty. 



Lots 18 and 19. 1st Com. 23 cents, A Com. 211 cents. Fine, soft, good staple, 

 fairly good condition. 



Lots 26 to 30. AAAW 26 cents, AAAE 241 cents, AAE 231 cents, Pes. 21* 

 cents, lambs 23 cents. Fine, soft, well grown, good color and condition. 



Lots 32, 34, and 35. AAH 231 cents, AE 21 cents, 1st Pes. 22 cents. Good 

 quality and condition, fair staple. 



Lot 42. AAE 201 cents, AAXH 221 cents. Fine, fair staple, dusty tip. 



EXPENSE OF PREPARING WOOL FOR MARKET. 



Australian wages for shearing flock wethers, ewes, and lambs are 

 6 cents per head, with no rations furnished. Wool skirters and roll- 

 ers, balers, piece pickers and fleece carriers receive $10.75 per week, 

 without rations. Other shed hands are paid $8.25 or $10 per week 

 (without rations) , depending upon whether they are under or over 

 18 years of age. The most common wage for the classer is $5 per 

 1,000 sheep shorn. It is considered that 16 men should do the work 

 in a wool room for from 36 to 40 shearers. These are, 1 classer, 6 

 wool rollers, 4 piece pickers, 1 lock and belly picker, 3 wool pressers, 

 and 1 man to weigh and brand the bales. In addition to this number, 

 boys are needed to sweep the floor and carry fleeces, their number de- 

 pending largely upon the arrangement of the shed. In one shed 

 visited 12 boys were sweeping and carrying fleeces for 35 shearers, 

 and the total number of employees other than shearers was 38. This 

 shed was not well arranged, the wool was very burry, and the broken 

 fleece wool was passed over the piece pickers' table. 



At another New South Wales shearing shed the owner stated that 

 when running with 36 shearers, 24 men and a classer cared for the 

 wool until it was delivered in branded bales. The arrangements in 

 this case reduced the distance for carrying wool but the greatest sav- 

 ing was in the elimination of the piece picking tables and the neces- 

 sity of gathering skirtings from the floor and carrying them to the 

 tables. The tables were of extra size with four men stationed at 

 each. Each man skirted always from the same part of the fleece and 

 threw the wool into corresponding bins near at hand. 



In Australia considerable numbers of sheep are shorn by individ- 

 uals or companies working on contracts. The sheep owner may or 

 may not furnish the shearing machinery and he may employ his own 

 classer, who then takes charge of the contractor's hands who work 

 in the wool room. In one shed visited, where shearing was done by 

 contract, the owner delivered the sheep at the shed and furnished 

 fuel and quarters for the hands and engaged and paid the classer. 

 The contractor furnished the machinery, sheared the sheep, put up 



