The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-06-19
ABOUT SHEEP sHEARlNe.
In Favor of Taking on the
Fleece Early.


Arguments In Favor of Taking on the
Fleece Early.
A Colorado sheep breeder writes:
There has never been any uniformity as
to the amount of natural oil or dirt
washed out of wool on Sleeps backs, so
there can rightly be no uniformity as
to the proper price to pay for different
lots of so called washed wool of the
same fineness, strength and length OF
staple, or, in other words, Of the same
quality when oleansed The wool deal
er, or at least the manufacturer, must
consider in purchasing washed woods
Just as in unwashed not only the quail
ity of the fiber but the amount of
shrinkage-in fact, in purchasing so
called washed wool he must look out
that he does not buy that which Is only
washed in name or has been simply
immersed in water without washing.
All this temptation to deceive and real
receptions, and suspicious of receptions
are avoided by shearing the wool as it
grows on the sheep in its natural con-
dition without any washing or pretense
of washing Washing never does the
sheep any good. No matter how dirty
or filthy a sheep may be, a close shear
ing all over is vastly more beneficial
and hygienic for the animal than the
most thorough washing can be.
We think the feeces are lighter grown
from the middle of June to the middle
of July than from LIST of May to LIST of
June following. The growth of wool
seems to become checked if there is a
heavy fleece on the sheep in warm
weather, while if shorn while the days
and nights are cool the wool starts rap
idly. Care is necessary to shelter sheep
only Just shorn from cold rain, wheth-
er shorn early or late. Only few years
ago many thousand sheep died in Ohio
in a cold rain about the middle of June.
Only those died that had been shorn
but two or three days. A good condi-
toned sheep shorn in April will well
endure the coolest May storms after be-
ing shorn week.
A gentleman having considerable eX-
perience with sheep said to us lately
that one advantage Of early shearing of
ewes, before lambs are dropped, is that
the ewes will pick off all the ticks and
the flock be rid of them, while if the
lambs are by their sides at shearing
time many of the ticks will get on the
lambs and thus these pests be retained
in the flock. We have not observed as
to this, our lambs being commonly
dropped the first half of May and the
breeding ewes shorn the latter half of
the same month. With carefulness in
handling there is little danger of inju-
ry to eve or fetus in shearing the ewes
two or three weeks before the lambs are
dropped, but the eve should not be made
to sit long III an upright position or
remain in any one position very long at
a time Any rough handling may cause
change of position of the fetus and pre-
vent easy or successful parturition.
For comfort of both sheep and shearer
in the process of shearing the shearing
floor should be covered with about six
inches of hay or straw, and then strong
canvas stretched over the hay and fas-
tened to the floor at the edges with nails
driven through the canvas. This is
great improvement over the old fashion
ed way of shearing on a rough bare
floor where Notwithstanding all the pad
ding placed on the knees they used to
get quite sore with several days shear
ing. The sheep, too, is more comforta-
BILE, and the little locks of wool can be
gathered up much more easily than from
a rough bare floor.
A low table some 10 inches high is
used by some shearers, but there is no
less back ache or leg ache with use of
table than with use of carpeted floor
The sheep are more comfortable and cas-
Ter handled ON the floor, and the fieeces
are left much less tangled and torn. For
doing up the fleeces some prefer box
and others the old fashioned hand tying.
Either method is good enough Some
beginners in sheep raising and those hav
ing but few sheep sometimes use bind
ing Irvine, such as is used in binding
grain Most Irvine used for grain is very
Objectionable for wool. We know one
firm of manufacturers who said they
would not pay as much for wool tied
with such Irvine by 2 cents pound.
Any loose particles of binding Irvine ad
herring to the fleece cause serious defects
in the fabrics manufactured.
Years ago it was the custom of Ger
tain growers here in the west to use all
kinds of receptions while putting up
their wool, even going so far as to place
stones in the sacks to increase the
weight, but this practice has been done
away with, and more honest wool may
be depended upon. The range shearing
is not done on so careful scale as de-
scribed in this article, because the flock
masters do not have the facilities at
hand. There is usually shearing shed
or corral at the ranch, and sheep are
driven in from the range as they are
wanted.
On the larger ranches, like those of
the Warren Live Stock company, for in
stance, the shearing is done by contract,
and the contractor hires the men by
piecework, 5 u cents a head being the
average scale this year Usually the
shearer has to tie the fleeces, but on
some of the larger jobs the folders are
employed to follow the men with the
shears There are professional sheep
shearers who go from one state to an
other and take jobs wherever the sea-
son happens to be right These men
make the best shearers, and they are
generally employed all through the sea-
son. In winter they frequently take
places as herders, and thus they spend
all their time on sheep ranch. There
is some talk about the evolution of the
sheep shearing machine, but it will be
years and years before it is adopted ON
the great plains of the west, if at all
The professional men say they can shear
all around a machine and have some
time to spare. A good man can clip 100
sheep day.