The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-03-27
Washing Wool on the Sheep.

Washing wool on the sheep is a gen.
eral practice. 1t is proposed to reform
the practice, it being charged as wholly
useless, and in a large degree injurious
to the sheep and the washers Thou
sands of years ago, when each family
grew and wove its own clothes. there
were reasons for washing. But no
sound reasons can be shown now. A
| suppositious reason is the idea of
making all clips alike in condition and
| value, because no farmer will sell his
wool unless he can get the same price
as his neighbor. But every observing
| wool-grower knows there is not a uni
| tormity in the condition and value of
heece-washed woods. Some run eight
| or ten days between washing and shear
ing, and others run five or six weeks.
Some wash out as little dirt as hey
can, and some make it point to let
their sheep run until there is as much
dirt and oil in the wool as before wash
| ing. So there is as much difference in
! the condition of washed fleece and per
cent. of shrinkage as in unwashed.
The result is that where the buyer goes
from farm to farm and pays each grow
er the same price the same day, the
man who has fine light clip gets less
than its value to make up the loss on a
dirty clip, SO that the buyer can make
an average price, and buy of every
grower he calls on, and receive his
commission of one cent per pound.
Most flocks have to be driven some
distance to the washing place, and be-
come tired and heated, and the close
yarding increases both, and puts them
in bad condition for bath. The wash
ing and slow process of evaporation of
he large amount of water in the wool
produces chill, reduces the vitality of
the sheep and make it more vulnerable
TO attacks of disease. The yelk and oil
washed out of the wool is a product of
food, and it requires as much of the ell
ements of nutrition TO produce a
pound of it as it does to produce a
pound of wool. The animal economy
is taxed to produce new supply be-
fore shearing at the expense of more
food. Washing sheep often gives them
colds, from which they never recover.
The operation is one of discomfort -.
the men. and sometimes results ~
ious injury to health, As - - scr
be washed until weatS~- e"nto' Io
come measurah'~ and ",''oi p'-
needs run , malm, anu mcsG 81
starte ""io UNI. 'ho oli
-, the season of shearing is linn
| tied, and many flocks are obliged TO
carry their fleeces into hot weather, re-
sulting in loss of condition and stop
ping growth of wool.
| We ought to abolish the prs.- ice, be-
cause it will be yearly saving of time,
labor and expense; the sheep can be
sheared early at convenience, and the
season of shearing and marketing
heightened. The market for unwashed
wool is just as good as for washed, and
| it will sell for just as much per head for
| the same number of months growth.
sheared, last year, May 80 and 81,
and the next day l noticed my sheep
sought the shade to lie down Thou
sands of sheep carried their f1eeces dur
| ing month of hot weather, and then
| the tender skin was exposed to the
scorching rays of the sun. All this dis
comfort and loss in growth of wool
could have been avoided by shearing
unwashed. Those who can give their
sheep shelter at night. and during
storms can shear May l with benefit
Those whose pastures are distant can
| shear as soon as liability to cold storms
is past, say from May Is to 81, and
sheep should seldom carry their fleeces
far into June.-B. f. Roberts IN Chic1-
| 90 Journal.