528 
WOOL WAS BING. 
In a letter on the subject, addressed to a Victorian paper 
by Air. S. Wilson, in reference to his operations, he says: 
On the Coree station, on the Billabong, where the creek can¬ 
not be relied on to run more than once in three years, I found 
it necessary to apply steam power to raise the water for spout¬ 
washing. A seven-horse power engine, by Clayton, Shuttle- 
worth, and Co., and one of Appold’s thirteen-inch centrifugal 
pumps, bought from Wilkie, Welch, and Co., raise water to 
a height of thirteen feet, sufficient to work four of my double 
crescent spouts, made by Hughes and Harvey. These spouts 
deliver about 3,300 gallons per minute in the aggregate. The 
engine is worked at from 35 lb. to 60lb. pressure, and goes at 
from ninety to ninety-five revolutions per minute. I am aware 
that the work done is equal to thirteen (theoretical) horse 
power, but this great amount of work is partly owing to the 
lessened friction from the water not being forced through any 
bends, but directly into the trough, to which the spouts are 
bolted. The pressure of the water in the jets is about six feet. 
The wash does sufficient to supply twenty-eight shearers. At 
the yenko, a twelve-horse power engine and two thirteen-inch 
pumps work eight spouts, which wash for sixty-three shearers. 
The engine works at about 45 lbs pressure, and makes about 
eighty-five revolutions per minute. The work is very well 
done, although with more experience it will, no doubt, be im¬ 
proved upon. The great difficulty is to keep the sheep clean 
after being washed, and get them shorn in that condition. 
Under favorable circumstances this can be effected, but in 
general the tip of the wool is more or less discoloured. On 
most riverine stations the trefoil burrs are the great injury to 
the wool. Its value is, no doubt, lessened from ten to fifteen 
per cent, by these seeds. It is difficult, if not impossible, to 
prevent sheep from picking them up. The spouts have little 
or no effect in driving these out of the fleece. The best remedy 
seems to be to fence off the worst places, and use them for 
cattle or horses, or sheep when the burr is not ripened. The 
expense of doing so is the great difficulty with the present 
low prices for pastoral produce. As regards the construction 
of the wash, each race or division is 14 in. to 15. in wide. The 
soak-pen is divided longitudinally into two, three, or four, 
according to the number of spouts or extent of work required. 
The sheep are thrown in at one end and come out in rotation, 
not being able to pass each other in the races. To Mr. 
