CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP 429 



second stroke will be necessary, which injures the wool and takes 

 much time. 



In some regions it is customary to tie the fore and hind legs 

 of the sheep to a board in such a manner that the animal cannot 

 kick, placing it on a low platform, and in this position reliev- 

 ing it of its wool. Such practice is condemned by all experi- 

 enced sheep owners. 



For the beginner to shear a sheep by hand is really a very 

 difficult task, and if the sheep be a fine-wool, the task is still 

 greater. 



Machinery shearing. — Shearing sheep with a machine is a very 

 much more easy task than shearing by hand, and the beginner 

 can do very much better work with it. On the market there 

 are both hand and power machines, but on the average farm 

 the hand machine is, of course, the one to use. To operate the 

 machine requires two men or a man and boy, — one to turn the 

 machine, the other to shear the sheep. If available, the be- 

 ginner should take a coarse-wooled sheep, as the fine-wools are 

 more difficult to shear. With a rather coarse-wooled sheep one 

 can follow the directions and shear the sheep, even though he 

 has never seen the operation. Most sheep are now shorn by 

 a machine. 



With the sheep before you and facing to the left, grasp it by 

 the right hind leg with the left hand and gently but firmly place 

 it on its rump, in an upright position, the shoulders resting against 

 the shearers knees, with the machine to the right. It is impor- 

 tant to remember that the sheep should always be turned to the 

 right. With a little experience this can be done with the feet, 

 leaving the hands free for the real work. Another essential 

 always to be borne in mind is to hold the sheep in such a way 

 that the skin is stretched tight on the part of the body that is 

 being sheared. Never place the left hand in front of the shears, 

 as you will surely cut the sheep (if you are right-handed). 



With the sheep held firmly between the knees, part the wool at 



