214 Sheep-Farming 



marketable value of wool. Second cuts are the 

 result of not cutting close to the body. At one part 

 of the stroke of the shears or clippers, cutting is done 

 close to the skin, while at the other end of the stroke 

 the blades are cutting so as to leave a quarter or a 

 half inch of wool next to the skin. This makes a 

 shorter staple at such places, and if, as often happens, 

 the shearer returns and clips the short wool previ- 

 ously run over, that part has a low value because of 

 its insufficient length to be used in the factory along 

 with the rest of the fleece. 



Washing before shearing. — The custom of washing 

 before shearing is now practically obsolete. Careful 

 washing does remove dirt and gives a cleaner wool. 

 At the same time the oil is removed, though if ten 

 days of warm weather intervene between washing 

 and shearing, the fleece will have its normal weight. 

 Nowadays shearing is usually done too early in the 

 season to permit of washing sheep with safety, and 

 it is much better to prevent dirt and chaff from get- 

 ting into the wool in the flrst place, by being careful 

 in feeding and bedding and having properly con- 

 structed feed racks. 



Place for shearing. — Shearing should be done 

 on a platform of sufficient size to prevent the shorn 

 wool from getting into the dirt, or about 10 feet 

 square. The floor of a barn is a suitable place, as 

 far as keeping the wool clean is concerned. The 

 shearing platform should be kept swept, and as each 



