168 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



a trifle of training it, feeling your hand, yields 

 and stands dutifully. 



The shearer then, without tying the feet, 

 turns the sheep upon its rump, with iits head 

 and shoulders resting against him, supported 

 by the left arm and with the shears in the 

 right hand opens the wool, usually on the right 

 shoulder, and proceeds to clip it away, keeping 

 it as much as possible in one piece. That is, 

 he strips it away easily and gently as he 

 would remove a coat. It is essential that he 

 so bend the sheep's body that the skin will be 

 at all times tight. If this is done it is easy 

 to cut the wool closely and there is little dan- 

 ger of cutting the skin. 



When the wool is removed all very dirty 

 pieces should be separated from it and never 

 tied up with the fleece. There is need of hon- 

 esty in tying wool and nothing but wool should 

 go inside a fleece. The fleece is rolled with the 

 belly and loose ends inside, the cut fibers out. 

 It is tied, not too tightly, with special wool 

 twine wrapped twice or at most three times 

 around. 



The use of binder twine or any but special 

 wool twine greatly injures the wool, as the 

 small bits of fiber get in it and not taking dyes 

 m.ust be picked out by hand. This occasions a 

 loss of sometimes as much as 5 cents per pound 

 which must eventually come from the producer, 

 since manufacturers learn what sort of stuff is 

 to be expected from a region and bid for it ac- 

 cordingly. 



There is no need of a box or wool table for 



