WASHING, SHEARING AND MARKING. 173 



shorn the machine is a saving since it takes 

 off more wool than hand shears can. The sav- 

 ing is from 2 to 8 ounces. A saving of 4 

 ounces, or 34 pound, would pay the cost of 

 shearing. All sorts of sheep are shorn hy 

 machines, though they work especially well on 

 Downs, Long-Wools and Dorsets. They are 

 difficult to operate on Western lamhs that have 

 been dipped and placed on feed in winter, ow- 

 ing to the peculiar condition of the wool which 

 seems to be affected by the shock of transpor- 

 tation and dipping and toi be dead at that point 

 and consequently hard to get shears into. 



A fat sheep nicely shorn with the machine 

 shears is a very attractive object and appears 

 fatter than when shorn by hand. 



The shearing machine should not be used in 

 midsummer, or if it is it should not be set to 

 run very close, else there will not be enough 

 wool left on to protect the sheep from flies 

 and sunburn and it will suffer severely before 

 the wool has grown out again. 



It is in some situations a good plan to shear 

 a flock of ewes twice a year, once very early, 

 say in late March, and again in August. The 

 wool will not be quite so valuable, for it will 

 be shorter, but the relief to the sheep in get- 

 ting rid of its warm coat at this sultry time is 

 remarkable and it will thrive far better than 

 unshorn, lambing stronger if it is to drop fall 

 or early winter lambs and conceiving earlier if 

 it is not yet bred. The writer has practiced 

 this and has not had to take more than one 

 cent per pound less for his short wool, which 



