Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1895-02-27
ABOUT SHEEP SHEARlNG.
Arguments In Favor of Taking or the
Fleece Early.

A Colorado sheep breeder writes:
There las 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 cleansed. 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 buv that which is only
washed in name or has been simply
immersed in water without washing.
All this temptation to deceive, and real
deceptions, and suspicious of deceptions
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 sheep may be, close shear
ing all over is vastly more beneficial
and hygienic for the animal than the
most thorough washing can be.
We think the fleeces are lighter grown
from the middle Of June to the middle
of July than from 1st of May to 1st 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 a cold rain, wheth-
er shorn early or late. Only few years
ago many thousand sheep died in Ohio
in 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 we'll
endure the coldest May storms after be-
ing shorn a 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 in an upright position or
remain in any one position very long at
time. Any rouph 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 shHaring 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 i
great improvement over the old fashion
ed way of shearing ON rough bare
floor where Notwithstanding all the pad
ding placed on the knees they used te
get quite sore with several days shear
ing. The sheep, too, is more comforta
, BILE, and the little locks of wool can bt
gathered up much more easily than from
a rough bare floor
A low table some Is inches high IL
used by some shearers, but there is NJ
,, less back ache or leg ache with use o.
,, table than with use Of carpeted floor
The sheep are more comfortable and cas-
; ier handled on the floor, and the fleece'
are left much less tangled and torn. Fol
doing up the fleeces some prefer boz
and others the old fashioned hand tying
.. Either method is good enough. Sons