222 Western Live-stock Management 
HANDLING SHEEP 
In handling or working over the flock, care and gentle- 
ness must always be exercised. Hired help of the rough 
cursing sort should never be tolerated on a sheep farm. 
They are worse than useless. One man understanding 
the nature of sheep with care and gentleness can accom- 
plish more than a dozen men of the other sort. Some of 
the better ways of performing the commonest operations 
of a sheep farm are described in the following paragraphs. 
Driving. 
In driving a flock of sheep, one must always be careful 
not to drive too fast, particularly on a warm, sultry day. 
Sheep are so heavily covered with wool that they are very 
easily over-heated. The sheep-man can save not only the 
sheep but himself a large amount of work and worry by 
taking things easier. In turning corners at cross-roads, 
a lump of dirt or a pebble or two, thrown so as to fall in 
the road which the sheep are not to take, will usually 
guide them into the right road, thereby saving many 
steps. The lump of dirt or a stone should be thrown 
so as to drop in the road just at the time the head sheep 
are at the turning point. A shout or whistle accompany- 
ing the fall of the stone very often will help. After the 
first two or three sheep have turned, there need be no 
worry about the remainder of the flock. Sheep naturally 
follow their leader, even when it leads over dangerous 
routes and possibly to death. 
In driving sheep into cars and dipping vats or difficult 
corrals, a considerable amount of work can be saved by 
merely holding a sheep in the place where it is desired to 
drive the entire flock. When the sheep see one of their 
number ahead of them, they drive much more easily. 
