180 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
A Good Well Curb and Friction Brake. 
A great deal of time and labor are saved in the 
aggregate by having a convenient way of draw¬ 
ing water. In deep wells, iron-bound oaken 
buckets are used, and will continue to furnish the 
most economical and agreeable way of getting 
the water, and it is very important to be able to 
let the bucket down into such a well rapidly 
and safely. A correspondent in West Edmes- 
ton, Otsego Co., N. Y., furnished a description 
and drawing of Brown’s Friction Brake. It is 
a lever, made of hard wood, 2k feet long, 
inches thick, and 6 inches wide, shaped as seen 
in the engraving. One end is shaved down for 
a handle, and near the other a circular section 
is cut out, which is the place that bears against 
the windlass. It is hung on a strong pin, 
braced by iron rods, and in such a way that 
the broad end shall fall quickly away from 
the windlass when the hand is taken off. 
The well curb is made 2 feet wide, 3 long, and 
3 high, boarded up two feet. The posts are 2 
inches square, and the end ones framed together 
by strong cross-pieces, on which the windlass, 
or roller rests, having its bearing about 8 inches 
from the back ends. The crank, gudgeons rat¬ 
chet, etc., do not differ from those of ordinary well 
curbs. Tlie bucket is suspended by two ropes, 
the effect of which is to cause it to come up 
with the same side to the front every time. If 
on this front edge of the bucket a little iron 
horn, or spur, be placed, and a bail of stout 
wire be fixed upon the curb, so as to catch in 
the spur when it comes up, the bucket may be 
emptied easily into the spout -without the neces- 
•sity of handling it at all. (Our artist has repre¬ 
sented the bucket too small, and the horn too 
large in proportion.) 
A very convenient kind of bucket is that 
made with a cast-iron bottom, in which there is 
a valve, which opens and allows the bucket to 
fill instantly, as soon as it reaches the water. 
---■ -- 
The Art of Shearing Sheep. 
It is essential to good shearing to cut the 
wool but once, to shear smoothly and very 
close, to keep the fleeces whole, and to avoid 
cutting the sheep. When a shearer does not 
shear smoothly, but cuts a portion of the wool 
two or three times, there is not only a loss in 
the weight of the fleece, or if the clippings be 
included in the fleece, a loss in its value to the 
manufacturer, but much time is consumed in 
making the sheep look smooth. When the 
fleeces are torn to pieces by unskillfhl handling 
or the floundering of the sheep, it is impossible 
to do them up neatly and show the wool to ad¬ 
vantage. The chief difficulty in shearing sheep 
arises from their struggling. To prevent this, 
some tie their legs; but this practice is quite 
objectionable, and no good shearer will adopt 
it. Sheep will kick and flounder but little if 
they be managed gently and carefully. Every 
shearer should have a mattress of straw, at least 
five feet square, and so thick that his knees will 
not feel the floor while shearing a sheep. The 
object of the mattress is also to make it easier 
for the sheep. Laid on a hard floor sheep will 
make desperate efforts to gain their natural po¬ 
sition, and if jammed down violently on the floor, 
or boxed, or held uncomfortably beneath the 
knees, as they often are by unskillful shearers, 
instead of keeping quiet they flounder and 
kick worse and worse. Placed on a mattrass, 
their position is comparatively easy; and if 
handled gently, the fleeces will be torn but lit¬ 
tle. The sheep pen should be well littered with 
straw to prevent carrying much dirt on the 
shearing floor; and sheep always shear better 
if they are full and round than when empty. 
Even expert shearers are very liable to cut the 
skin of poor thin sheep. No man can shear a 
sheep well, unless he have good shears and keep 
them in good cutting order. See remarks on 
shears under another head. 
Grinding Shears—Sheep-Shears. 
The accompanying illustration represents a 
transverse section of a grindstone, Q, and one 
of the blades of a pair of shears with the edge 
resting on the periphery of the grindstone at the 
proper angle for grinding sheep-shears, or tail¬ 
or’s shears. The “ basil,” or angle at which the 
cutting edge 
is ground, va¬ 
ries in shears 
for different 
purposes. 
When shears 
are designed 
for cutting tin, 
sheet .iron, 
copper,or any 
other metal, 
grind the ba¬ 
sil at a more 
obtuse angle 
than is here 
represented, 
in fact, nearly at a right angle to the face (F,). 
When the basil is ground too beveling, the edge 
of the shears is so thin that the steel will crumble 
off, or bend over, and thus effectually prevent 
the shears holding a good keen cutting edge. 
The correct way to grind shears is to hold the 
blades directly across the face of the grind¬ 
stone, with the face of the blade (FO turned 
from the operator, while the stone ((?) revolves 
toward him. Thus the steel is swept clear from 
the cutting edge; and the operator can always 
see at a glance when the blade is ground just 
enough. On the contrary, when the stone re¬ 
volves in the reverse direction, a thin curl of 
steel will gather on the cutting edge, unless the 
shears are tempered highly, and are too hard to 
retain a good edge. This will be likely to de¬ 
ceive the operator who will probably grind 
away even after the blade has been ground 
enough. This is equally true in grinding edge 
tools of every description. The grindstone 
should run very true, in order to grind shears 
well, and the cutting edge should be afterward 
whetted on an oil-stone of very fine grit. Shears 
should never be ground on the face. Always 
hold the blade to be jtiround finniy and at Iho 
angle represented. When the blades are ground 
on a stone of coarse grit, and are not held firm¬ 
ly, but allowed to rock back and forth, it will 
be impossible to grind them so that they will 
cut well. It requires much more skill to put 
sheep shears in order, than to use them, and 
without sharp shears, no man can shear a sheep 
in a workmanlike manner. Another important 
consideration in sharpening sheep-shears is, 
to grind the points of the blades pointed, but 
a little rounded and smooth, so that they will en¬ 
ter the wool readily, but will not jnick the sheep, 
or scratch the skin as they are thrust forward. 
How to .Hold a Sheep for Shearing. 
Throw the right arm over the sheep, and 
grasping the brisket with the hand, raise it from 
the floor; remove all litter from the feet; then 
with the left hand take hold of one hind leg 
above the gambrel joint, and place the sheep 
HOW TO HOLD SHEEP-SHEARS. 
carefully on the mattress, in a sitting posture, 
resting against the shearer. Raise the forelegs 
putting them under the left arm, and shear the 
brisket downward, dividing the wool in the 
middle, as it is sheared. Then elevate the head 
and shear the under jaw, and a narrow strip 
along the underside of the neck to the brisket. 
Now, stand in front of the sheep, and begin at 
its foretop, and continue to shear from right to 
left, until the neck is sheared. Then, step be¬ 
hind the sheep, letting it lean against your 
knees, and shear the forelegs. Now, drop on 
one knee before the sheep, and let its body rest 
against your other leg until you have sheared 
one side, and one hind leg. Then change your 
position by resting on the other knee, while the 
position of the sheep is reversed, and shear the 
other side. Some shearers prefer to shear direct¬ 
ly around the body of the sheep, and finish at 
the tail. Both ways have their advocates 
among good shearers, and beginners may adopt 
the one that suits them best. 
The shears should always be placed flat 
against the side of the sheep, so that the points 
and heels of the blade will cut equally close 
to the skin. Never push the wool back, or take 
hold of it with the other hand while shearing, 
as you can not shear so evenly, and will be more 
liable to cut the sheep. The shearer may often 
use one hand to advantage in crowding or 
drawing the skin in such a manner as to 
make a smooth surface where the shears are 
about to cut. Every shearer should have two 
pairs of shears; one to cut the hard, gritty locks 
and another for shearing the clean wool. Some 
shearers can shear more advantageously and 
easier by having a table about 18 inches high 
covered with a mattress. Beginners should im¬ 
itate the manipulations of expert shearers, and 
observe closely how they hold their sheep, their 
shears, etc. The correct way to hold a pair of 
shears is, to place the thumb lengthwise on the 
back of one of the blades, as in the engraving. 
