SUMMER. MANAGEMENT. 161 



of which is generally of an inferior character, shciuld be 

 separated from the fleece. This being the case, by neglect- 

 ing it, we commit a direct fraud upon him, which he does 

 not fully detect, until his purchases fall into the hands of his 

 sorters. 



Tagging should always be attended to before the sheep 

 are turned off" to pasture, for the reason that if any of them 

 only slightly scour, the wool about the dock and thighs is 

 rendered a mass of filth, and therefore is lost. In this situ- 

 ation, too, they are liable to be fly-blown, and without timely 

 discovery, the sheep is also lost. From these considerations 

 alone, it is clearly the interest of all to have this matter sea- 

 sonably and well performed. 



The easiest mode, and that which the writer has adopted 

 for many years, i_s to place the sheep upon a table, resting 

 on its rump. The table should not be more than twenty 

 inches in height, and about four feet in breadth ; the length 

 must be accommodated to the wants of the flock-master, three 

 feet at least being required for each tagger. It should be as 

 capacious as this, with a view to spreading the wool ^s it is 

 cut oif, which facilitates the separation of the good locks 

 from particles of dung and other stuff" wholly useless.* A 

 stool should stand upon the floor beside the table, for the 

 tagger to rest one foot upon ; this brings his thigh in such a 

 position as easily accommodates the back of the sheep 

 against it, and is thus placed in a posture to perform the task 

 without pain to himself. 



If it is a male, the .first operation is, to cut the wool one 

 or two inches from about the extremity of the sheath, for, if 

 it is neglected, the wool being constantly saturated with 

 urine, will cause soreness, and sometimes ulceration. After 

 this, let the wool be shorn from the scrotum or testicle 

 bag. Then the tagger with one hand presses upon the thigh 

 joint, which forces the leg to lay in a horizontal position, he 

 proceeds to shear from the inside of the thighs, and down 

 the leg to the fetlock ; the other being served in the same 

 way, he then grasps with one hand both legs near the hoofs 

 and draws them upwards and towards him, which enables 

 him to cut all that is necessary from the dock and immedi- 

 ately below it. 



With the ewe the process is the same, with the addition 



» The table can also be used for rolling the fleeces when shorn 

 14* 



