The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-02-18
washing Wool on the sheep,


Washing wool on the sheep is gen.
eral practice, 1t is proposed TO reform
the practice. ii Eeing chargetias wholly
useless, and in 4 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 ia 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 uni-
formity in the condition and value of
feece-washed woods. Some run eight
or ten days between washing and shear
ING, and others run five or six weeas.
Some wash ont as little dirt as they
can, and some make it a point TO let
their sheep run until there is as much
dirt ard oil in the wool as befor 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 pl,iee the same day, the
man who has fine light clip gets less
than its value to make up the loss on n
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 focks 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
the large amount of water in the wool
produces a 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 el-
ements of nutrition TO produce a
pound of it as it does to produce
pound of wool. The animal economy
is taxed to produce new supply be-
sore shearing st the expense of more
food, Washing sheep often gives them
colds, from which they never recover.
The operation is one of d scomfort to
the men. and sometimes results in SER
ious injury to health. AS they cannot
be washed until weather and water be-
come measurably warm, and must
needs run afterward until the 'toil
starts. the season of shearing is linn
tied, and many focks are obliged to
carry their flecces into hot weather, re-
sulting in loss of condition and stop
ping growth of wool.
We ought TO abolish the practice, be-
cause it will be u 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.
I sheared, last year. May 80 and 81,
and the next day / noticed my sheep
sought the shade to lie down. Thou
sands of sheep carried their feeces dur
ing month of hot weather, and then
the tender skin was exposed 10 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 Mfy / with benefit.
Those whose pastures are distant can
shear as soon as liability to cold storms
is past, say from May 10 to 81, and
sheep should seldom carry their fieeees
far into June.-B. r. Roberts ip ChicG-
no ,JoqtTudL