50! 
HUSBANDR Y. 
the attention of every farmer to fee that it is not (lighted, 
but that all is taken off as clofe as poffible to the pelt. 
The time fliould be regulated by the ftate of the weather, 
and fooner in the fouthern parts of the ifland than tliofe 
of the north. In this way the danger of injury by cold 
from depriving the lheep of their coats too loon, and 
from heat by permitting them to continue on them too 
long, may be equally avoided. There is all'o another 
circumltance that Ihould be attended to in this buflnefs, 
which is, that of the wool being in a (late ot maturity : 
for, if the‘clipping precede that period, it is moftly weak, 
and can fcarcely be (pun; and, it protracted later, it is 
yellow, felted, and imperfefl. For the more llieltered 
fituations in the fouthern parts of England, the beginning 
or middle of June, when the weather is fine, may be in 
general the mod proper ; but, in the more expofed dif- 
tricls in the northern parts of the ifland, the latter end 
of the fame month, or beginning of July, may be more 
fuitable. But with the fattening (heep it will be neceflary 
to perform the work at an earlier period in every Situation, 
as the great increafe of heat from the fetting-in of the 
fummer, added to the warmth of the fleece, becomes very 
onprefiive to them in their feeding, and for a time pre¬ 
vents their improvement.—For the different kinds and 
values of wool, and the laws for regulating woolftaplers, 
fee the article Wool, in this Encyclopedia. 
It is too much the cuftom of the (hearers to perform 
their work length-ways of the flieep; by which method 
they cannot (hear fo clofe, fo that much injury is done 
to the following year’s growth ; as it is conceived .that 
wool in this particular has much refemblance to grafs, 
and “ will not thrive w'ell if it be not cut clofe.” The 
prefent praftice is therefore to ftieer circularly round \he 
body of the (heep, by which means the work is certainly 
more evenly as well as more clofely executed. It is 
therefore to be expcfled that this method will not long 
be neglected by the flieep-farmers in thofe diflriffs where 
}t may be yet unknown, or if known, not praftifed. 
Expert (hearers feldom or ever cut or injure the pelt of 
the flieep; but where they are not expert, nor well ac- 
cuftomed to the work, much injury is often done, by 
expofing the mangled (heep to the ravages of the fly; 
it is therefore of courfe neceflary to be cautious in en¬ 
gaging perfons as (hearers who have not been regularly 
accuftomed to it. 
But with a laudable view of rendering thefe accidents 
of cutting and fearing the pelt of the (heep much lefs 
common, even by (hearers of the inferior clafs, or by 
learners, John Miller, efq. of New Park, near Axminfter, 
Devonffiire, has fuggefted a mod valuable, yet Ample, 
improvement in the flieep-fliears, whereby thefe evils 
feem to be completely overcome. The contrivance is 
nothing more than a plate of iron, (crewed to one of the 
blades of the (hears, the edge of which plate projects be¬ 
yond the edge of the (hear, fo as juft to.be viAble when 
the (hears are open, and held in the pofltion for (hearing, 
that is, the iron plate downwards, laid on the (heep. It 
is hardly poflible to cut the (heep in uflng them; and 
in confequence Mr. Miller received the fllver medal of 
the Society of Arts and Manufactures, &c. in 1805, for 
the invention. 
In the annexed Engraving this improvement of the 
flieep-fliears is fully delineated. Fig. 5, reprefents a pair 
of common fheep-lhears, with a thin plate ot iron fcrewed 
with three fcrews to the under-part of the blade A, which 
plate may be about the twentieth part of an inch thick, 
pnd exaftly of the fame fize as the blade of the (hear to 
which it is fcrewed, fo that the edge ot the plate and the 
edge of the blade (hall be in a line, not allowing either to 
projeft beyond the edge of the other. This plate muft 
be unfcrewed and taken off when the (hears require to be 
fliarpened; and it may be neceflary to remark, that, as 
the blade of the (hear wears by frequent fharpening, the 
edge of this plate muft alfo be reduced fo as always to be 
kept in a line with the edge of the blade, and not to be 
left to projeft beyond it; for that would give the wool a 
Vol.X. No. 679. 
(loping direction, vfliich would render it more difficult to 
cut. The (hears reprefented in this figure, are in the 
proper pofition for (hearing with the right hand. The 
blade C to be iwerted into the wool. 
Fig. 6, reprefents the fame (hears reverfed; the plate 
B uppermoft, to (how the manner of (crewing it to the 
blade. Counter-funk fcrews are recommended ; and they 
muft not go through fo far as to take the edge of the 
other blade in doling the (hears. 
Fig. 7, a pair of (hears requifite for a left-handed 
(hearer; the blade D to be inferted into the wool; for it 
is evident, if thefliears, Ag. 5, were ufed with the left hand, 
the blade A, with the plate, would be inferted into the 
wool, which would not penetrate with that facility which 
(hearers require. 
Fig. 8, is the plate taken oA’, and (liown feparate. Thefe 
Agures, and this defeription, will be fuflicient for thofe 
who make (hears, or for cutlers, who may eaAly make the 
addition requifite to the (hears that they have already in 
their poflelAon, 
It may be imagined that, if the lower blade of the (hears 
were made as thick as the common"’’blade and this plate 
together, it would have the fame effect of preventing the 
(kin of the animal from being cut: to prove that this 
will not be a fuflicient guard, let a feCtion of the (hears 
be taken acrofs the blades at E F, Ag. 9; now it appears 
evident, that, when the edges of the plate H H come in 
contaft (unlefs a very great preflure is made at the fame 
time), the (kin of the animal at G, (which is reprefented 
by the dotted line SS,) cannot be brought to meet the 
edges of the blades H H. Whereas, fuppoAng that the 
lower blade K, in the feCtion I K, in Ag. 10, were asffhick 
as the common blade and the plate together, the (kin at M, 
with a very little preflure, might be brought up clofe to 
the edges of the blades, and endanger its being cut. 
Such a blade as this w’ould alfo take much time to (liurpen. 
Now, admit that the lower blade is the fame thicknefs as 
the laft-menrtoned blade (as the blade O in the feCtion 
N O, Ag. 11), and let the lower part of this blade P be 
made fo as to operate as the plate recommended ; it will 
then be found that the edge of this blade is too obtufe to 
cut wool, although it may anfwer very well to cut fub- 
ftances of lefs Aexibility. Hence thefe mull be of great 
fervice to indifferent (hearers and to learners, as a learner 
may begin to praftife without fear, and an indifferent 
(hearer may work with the greateft conAdence; and even 
to proAcients they may become ufeful. 
With refpeft to the Diseases of (beep, they are cer¬ 
tainly many, and often dangerous; and therefore every 
good farmer, and particularly every good (hepherd, fhould 
endeavour to lludy them, as a mean whereby they might 
at all times be ready to afford them relief.—For parti¬ 
culars of thefe difeafes therefore, and the molt approved 
methods of cure, as well as for the natural hiftory of tha 
flieep in all. countries, with the different fbecies, and 
Agures of the molt curious breeds, we beg leave to refer 
to their generic name O vis, and the correfpondent En¬ 
gravings. 
But, though we do not in this place enter upon an in^ 
veltigation of the difeafes of lheep, yet there is, one fatal 
malady to which they are liable in common with other 
cattle, which being accidental, and requiring inihnt hdo* 
we deem it highly expedient to notice: it is. the malady 
called the hove. This is acquired by flieep and horned 
cattle, in confequence of their being tboughtlefsly turned 
into rank feed, or wet clover grafs, upon empty (tomachs^ 
whereby they feed with fuch voracity, that they are apt 
to become wholly blown up with wind, and thus de¬ 
prived of the powers of refpiration, often Ank down and 
die. To afford in thefe cafes immediate relief, Mr. V s . 
Wallis Mal’on, of Goodreft-Lodge, near Warwick, iia.; 
contrived an inftrument which lie- calls a trocar and 
canuln; and which, he lays, has, in every inftance where 
it has been ufed, proved a Cafe, eafy, and effectual, remedy. 
The method of applying it is, to penetrate with the tro¬ 
car arid caaula through the hide of the annual, to the 
6M jwungiv 
