The Grand Haven news., 1865-05-24

. A." " III
WOOL and manufacturers, to have sheep
washed previous TO shesring. Bat The
welfare Of the flocks, and the interest Of
the owners Of valuable sheep, which are
considerations Of paramount importance
to everything else, are promoted BY not
washing. The farmers only reasoti for
washing sheep is, that if the wool be
thoroughly washed, a man can shear
sheep sooner than if they were pol wash
ed. Sheep hate wet 10 every form. They
dislike wet pastures, wet yards, leaky
sheds, and more than nil else, wet tleeces.
When they are washed, the water and
the weather are frequently quite cold, and
as they often become uncomfortably warm
while being driven to the water, and are
plunged immediately into il, and kept I'M
I'll quite chilled through, they are quite
liable To contract more or less cold, which
will many times supernduce some other
disease. This is particularly true If the
weather continues wet and cold for sever
al successive days after washing This
is the great argument against the practice
Of washing sheep in Dur changenble eli
mate. Every practice that endangers tho
health Of sheep Ought, if possible, to be
abandoned, and not be made subser,ient
TO ordinary pecuniary considerations.
Another thing against washing sheep
is, that cleansing Of wool in this manner
is often OF little real advantage, and fire.
quently of none at all, as it often becomes
quite as dirty before shearing, as il was
before the sheep were washed. This is
particularly true when sheep are not
kept in clean pastures after they have
been washed. Many times it is quite
impracticable to contine every flock id
pastures where they cahDot find some
dirty places to roll in. Sometimes shear
ers catnot be obtained at the desired
time, or the weather is too unfayorable
to allow the wool to dry sufficiently TO
be sheared, and sometimes the labors Of
the field are SO urgent that shearing must
be deferred for a number Of days. All
these considerations are in favor Of aban-
donIng entirely the practice of washing
sheep. Admitting that it costs more
per head for shearing unwashed sheep,
the expense of washing will exceed the
extra cost for shcaring without washing.
Therefore, these two items will balance
each other. Then, when the difference
between the prices Of unwashcd and
washed wool, which is not definite, even
when the absurd one-ihird rate Is insisted
upon by buyers, is contrasted with the
injury which may follow washing valuable
sheep, il is safe 10 assume that it is bet
ter TO shear them unwashed. Moreover,
when hocks from various parts of tho
country are driven to the same washing
place, there is great danger that sound
and healthy focks will come in contact
with the contagien of diseased sheep that
have been in the pens TO be washed
Many an excellent flock of sheep, which
has been guarded with vigilance by its
proprietor, has been well nigh ruined,
simply by being yarded where sheep hav-
ing the foot-rot had.recently been confn-
ed. What is needed at the present time
is, All understanding between wool grow
ers that all will shear their sheep without
washing; then the practice will soon be
abandoned, as neither promotive of the
welfare Of the sheep nor of the interests
of the shepherds nor of manufacturers.--
american Agricalturist.