Managing the Farm Flock 



37 



wool into a field infested with burs. The wool should be clipped, if 

 possible, with a clipping machine. A longer staple is obtained, a 

 smoother job done and less risk is run of cutting the wool twice, which 

 is injurious to its value, or the sheep once. 



Shearing should be done from the middle of April to the middle of 

 May. A board platform should be erected, fleece removed, wool ends 

 gathered up and platform swept clean after each sheep shorn. The 

 belly should be shorn first and this wool, along with the odd locks, 

 placed in the center of the fleece. The fleece should be picked up care- 

 fully and thrown on a clean table and folded thrice lengthwise. Then 

 fold in each end and roll, exposing the inside of the wool. All dung 

 locks should be carefully removed and thrown in the manure pile. 



Wool should positively never be tied with binding twine. It will 

 decrease its value 10 per cent. Strings of the twine remain in the wool 

 and will not take a dye, therefore such wool cannot be used in making 

 a fine grade of cloth. Always use paper or three ply India twine. Sack 

 or bail, and store in a clean, dry place. 



Dipping 



Dipping should follow shearing in the course of a week to ten days. 

 After the ewes are shorn, ticks or mites go over on the lambs, and 



Western Breeding Ewes Being Changed to a Fresh Pasture 



unless the whole flock is thoroughly dipped, it Will only be a matter 

 of time until the flock is infested again. It is wefl to dip the flock 

 twice, the second dipping about two weeks after the first, giving any 

 eggs not destroyed by the first dipping time to hatch out. It is also 

 requisite to dip the breeding flocks again, just before cold weather. 



