Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-08
HOW AN ENGL|SHMAN
CARES FOR HIS
SHEEP
GROWING IN BRITAIN
DIFFERENT FROM HERE
All the Farmers Join in the An
nuaI "Wash Day." When
Sheep are Rounded Up and
Scrubbed,

The busiest time Of the British sheep
farmer Is undoubtedly in the month OF
June. a y a writer in It'd Bits. Thoa
the weather Is most favorable fpf reap-
ing the harvest of wool. In the noun
tainous districts II is quite CUSTOM
airy for a single farmer 10 own az
many as 5000 sheep. Ills farlh'
maybe, covers ten or twelve square
miles of fell and MoOrland country
Throughout the year he ana ms shep-
herds have simply overlooked the
hoek-driven them 60 lower Levels
when billiards.. snow or drought have
threatened, tended them IN accident
and disease, and kept "A sharp lookout
against the fox in lambing time. Such
has been comparatively easy work.
When SIearing Time Comes.
For clipping purposes. however. it is
necessary to gather all the sheep to-
gether-without leaving a single enc
behind. With miles upon miles of SIX
foot bracken, affording complete shell
ter for thousands of sheep, this Is a
big undertaking.
What to the few would be impossi-
bile to the many ecomes simple, Rec
ognizing this, sheep farmers combine
their forces. Each farmer has an APP
pointed day for his washing, upon
which all his neighbors, with their
ANlu nifAA lil'AA h'AiAt6f R'N
In return he and his men go and work
just as heartily for the benefit OF his
respective n~eighbors. 49,
Thus, early on a sheep wash"
morning a farmer may find a dozen
men and lads at his disposal, with AZ
many, If not more, dogs. WIN such
"a skilled force well distributed the
fcIls can be swept clean of all scat
tered sheep Starting at the extreme
limits of the holdings and advancing
abreast at intervals OF up to half a
mile, it Is surprising how rapid tho
sheep can be gathered.
Washing the sheep.
AT some convenient center a fold
has been built by the the side of a
stream. Here the sheep are penned
and the drivers refresh themselves
with the good things provided by the
women folk there assembled. Several
young fellows don water proofs and
wade into the stream below a narrow,
open-headed pen In the fold. one by
one the sheep are pitched head first
into the tub" as the spit Is known;
swiftly but thoroughly they are
cleansed, and then allowed to swim to
the opposite bank, where they soon re-
gain their normal peace Of mind and
gently nibble at the growing grass.
From thirty TO sixty ~shee a washer
D 81 AibAAA AAAN w tfAA ~ ANAAE ANt8Nf
ner, according to the state of cleanli-
ness. At the same time stock is taken.
seasons yield Of lambs Is noted and
the morn markings are verified. Menu
bers Of other nocks are frequently
come across. and such are placed In
special pens for further attention.
After Washing Comes Clipping.
A few DAYS after the washing comes
the clipping. The sheep have been
kept i'm fields near the farm, so
tina are easily accessible. BY pa
tient and continuous labor each
farmer could accomplish his own
clipping without much outside help,
but custom favors the combined
method Of work. Consequently IL Is by
no means extraordinary at some of
the largest sheep clips to see thirty
stalwart dalesmen handling the shears
or at york among the heeces. The
sheltered portions Of the farm yard
and beneath the trees In the adjoin-
ing fields are the favorite working cor
ncrs. Each man sits astride a TRAN
gular shaped trcstle, upon which he
ovcrturns the sheep as they are sur
piled from q pen by boys. A good
man can clip upward Of seventy-flve
sheep IN a day, exceptionally smart
fellows having been known TO top the
hundred. Greater speed can be at
tanned by means Of a machine, but
W0O Is bad TO manipulate owing 10
its knOtty nature. and farmers gener-
ally prefer tho slower but surer pro-
cess OF hand clipping. Fleeces vary in
value according to the breed OF the
sheep, being worth upward OF four
shillings each.
Thus the wool Of a flock Of 5000
sheep Is worth al the very least 81. 900
and IL the market is good consldera-
bly, more.