SHEEP WASHING.

Press, Volume IV, Issue 486, 20 May 1864, Page 2

SHE EP WASHING.

The following letter is one of ase . f cations to the Southern Crot* n pastoral topics — ■iricultujd

Should sheep Lβ washed"—« should wool be washed on the "ffiiTl **"*% the question „ put M receive* • of the proposer may not be altogether? "P* , ** our own, but e0 much the beU-r tV*"" 0,1 *fc opinion occasiou argument. That .v J,I T e w*i Jn dis ike water is an axiom perfeSlr Sr p ***"*»£ called eomothing akin to crK tU™ 6 .«<» * «* • ' into cold water on a cold £'1 T™* of *2 suitable for waahing wool 2 poor animal, to unnecessary lifferb, IS? , * *•• results in any way coming up to ej™L« ,thont «» rack like proceeding, it sft£ - weather should prevail after eheaE*Al * seized with colds, with watery runiw JH»» the nose; and the weaker die* off " Qr *«• is denied that wool cannot be waaW *i WBel *ieii Washing will remove aU *S£t*£ £** fleece, ,f judgment and care arV 3d J!2> this work. Tno Bchool of difficulty b tJt^ P^ na wherein we learn how to diffieShT o, ' good workmen have often had indiiiwf'. , "* work with, yet they made dSSSSg** cause they possess brains, first their perceptive faculties, and n «t •..* right with their hands. This trite Jf?®* clearly exhibited in the nice operation of wool «iT - ing, and it is thus exemplified .—lst If V is not up to the temperature of 56 deg, JJcSS wash wool clean, as the yolk, which hold, ffj dust in combination, will not diwolfo ,»£,•- thermal degrees so as to set undesirable m*L £ of tho wool and yolk. Water bein R mJS. ~ warmer than half the animal heat, i? «*°J, 5S shock to the system, and many sheep sicken or fit under the cold immersion. 2nd. Water ihouUK. pure—especially free from lime and iv comi. which, uniting with the saponaceous yolk niv. C ■ - soluble matter and fix the dust or mud Wi£ ;n which arc sulphates, or muriates, or only in second degree better than tbe hnie W manner of manipulations will make clean wool k these unless hot water and soap, or chemicalwiMßk are brought into action, and the last go beyondS -■ skill of most flockowncre. Hot water and mm, k the early days of the McArHiuis, were usedtowa* - their valued merinos. The sheep, being cwefuß? guarded from cold, soon excreted a plentiful ran]* of yolk, thus increasing the weight and improtui the quality of their fleeces ; and 4s 6d per lb fa wool well repaid them for the extra cost and trouWe. By attention and care, like the example gireh, did these patriotic men elevate the character of taw country, and taught the rudiinente of an iudaitml branch which enriches all the Austral isles. When trouble and cost form barriers in the way, and parewiter and due warmth are not attainable, by shearing in grease the wool will be obtained for washing after* wards, or for selling aa shorn, and your sheep wDI bt all the better, especially if in low condition j for no lean, or weak, or old sheep, especially ewes, iboald ever be washed. Whatever portion of yolk nay bt in or on the skin is not washed out, and the uuo*] constitution resists cold much more effectively after their sudden transition from the envelopment of-a warm fleece to contact of a chill air with a baraikm. ~ ~ Some prudent flockowners have gone at &r at to fy all their weak sheep after shearing in a bath of water, coal tar, and fat, or train oil. By this prooM but ._ feeble sheep were not only preserved from winter era and rains, but they improved in condition j aJI " cutaneous plagues of vermin were destroyed, tad a additional clip of nearly one pound extra, nextisvson paid for all expenses. No doubt these exptri* ~ ments were made in a climate much colder then flew Zealand North; notwithstanding, the example ■*</ worth following in that land of wisdom and sewm. But an evil no less detrimental, accompanies moil washed in hard waters. That harsh feel, by wbiona blind man accustomed to wool, can at once detectfli ~ quality of a fleece, will never leave it, and gnatir diniinshes the value in every market. Another method is open requiring cotnbiasiioa. , Take a lesson from the Spaniards duringtha pataf days of the great migratory flock*. ' "woolled Spanish merinos, tfie genuine MiiMiwl4 : ' were all shorn in grease. Their wool the , sorted into four divisions, and each diriewi-*• ~ washed separately in or washing fhtel expressly erected for that purpose. The tMtn| and washing was all done at or by day , ! wsjmj * _ given number of sheep to be shorn at least, aad a ~ given quantity of wool to be washed, being expects! from every man per diem. District lavanona, m» structed in commodious positions and in pbee* wbm water would be found nearly pure, if well and kfr nestly managed, could not be beneficial to a province or district where water Jpt , rally was scarce or impure, and the wooT eouldafit be creditably prepared ; to bring honor en as well as profit to the. pockets, and obtsia a foci fame for the colony. It ia in thia way thai »■•> ketable name is attainable, and "that toeaeekajy can win may be fairly called it* own, spriiHttfW» good deeds, right nobly achieved." '••JJJS would be benefited more by thii than the Northern Island of Xβ* ' aSS for few countries have so water, unfit for Tarious purpoeee, » » clean washing of wool altogether """"J?* fit only to stain and spoil it. A farmer coda »» his greasy wool at once to thelavadore,aea It •" il * dried, and weighed under his own eye;Jgfcj much per pound for washing, drying; md t**"B and hey away to the market with a good commodity, for which he can honestly "J"?* JJJ numerating price, and will get it. « escaped our notice that some great wkmujj »■"? and wool-sorting establishments have w» Tsjf vedly incurred strong suspicion of notbwng «*»» tho relations of meum and tunm. If "T'TjJ done one party must be in fanlt, but m JfJ"JJJ there is much to be said perhaps in """fj 1 eused parties, who are not all FwJJ* "*TjL The owner of very dirty wool is d*™**** "JL be truly in the right, he weighs Mβ dust, earth, dirt and all. Fronv this PJJ»7JJ of lbs is reasonably expected """""r* yfce . - wool, by his own mode of compnaW l jcleaned, packed, and weighed, he fi^*J' t , f7efr- , all those pounds from the nett - cipated. His suspicions are excited, w ~* dishonesty perhaps is hurled at th# «•*!»» -. deserves not so damaging an imputation. ■ _ The clean or dirty conditions of widely different that thirty per cent. wu» ~ - balance the odds. From four fleecea «f from four wedders nerer in fold nor and considered tolerably dean, *»£*"&« §*•- - eight per cent, of lose by weight. ffi taken from four sheep, erery ****• a like number of pounds were or half the gross avoirdupoia. Heew , duet and mire, if washed «»«i wh,to 7^ Zfr * will lose sixty per cent. Here we reprehension and ~ Uie losing party loudly grumbles, and aU «£■£ , by his own slovenliness; the have any excess, may oulv giw thanks, for censure is alwaya Extemire flockowners step out £»«£ g business by washing their wooLJ TM* » Jg pation of ieiring ehecp, ud F™%£ 3 J *» I Washing belong* to anoAer JgJSSt •!**•"? division of labour, the coat of all those extensive wpbaMJ *?J£S J A yearly to be repaired, troold b *» D J^ pjbo* cliarges for wwhers saved wool. <*»»£££*** cleaner and cheaper, . pure water, and t* o *! the trade would be all combmed, time and a saving of ten per f^tf tial & j f* in pocket, besides reli« from • *£&.. 10p«r cent, better price* fo^J^T cUp«M definition be given of that ?£*£?*„ , * satisfactory deductions would* •tandard /or reference * - «*"2 determine ; Uke an ™f£7sg)fri '» «** - measure. But no dPg'd* o ' <"«"•*" • .■ • ' :

?t^j"«idopinion only decides the degrees of cleanli- -_ M Opinion ia co extremely variable, that ■**•. men can agree about the relativeclean- " vet if we mark proceedings at public . ■«■• Aether in the Australias or in Auckland, the •J* l* woo i to use a very inapplicable if not *■*£*:• „« phrase —the cleanest and whitest wools bring the highest prices. Another : r an io less convincing, in favour of washing ""Tit the great deduction made by the brokert and * on all unwashed wools. It forms a tax pity i fc is that BOrne kinds of * nbieeti re cannot be taxed in a eeveier way than ft* fjLjjy on filthy wools is calmly exacted from ..,** in greese incur more costs every way, ' ~3*"* B J" * o the British market, in the freights, the tf the brokerage, the sales, and these so-called * l **?!!intable deductions. Complaints during the - tears have been annually made in the fT , reports, that Australian clips J"*2i«nt to market in so clean a condition as those -si* conic to hand for years previous; end cerZealand wools will not improve the charthat particular, unless the manner mends. So disposad to have their fleeces washed ** many new-fledged flock owners intentionally extraneous matter, and they say that ? " SStion of earthly matter and old yolk, by inHHLriajr tbe weight, will pay them better than the - -j*?f WO ol they can send to London or Liverpool. «U?novel doctrine of the new school is miserJJ* wanticK »" the »PP roTal of t,lat intelligent SLlmaster, old experience; that worthy gensle•*°*i^j e a host of competent scholars who, afcer ' example, extended fie business of sheep {Vjflffwith a rapidity unparalledin the world's his- ■**"*! wno vied with one another, in what way !u* would exhibit their wools the cleanest; thereby Sobbing the reputation of their commodity " SSertdyfof* ll time to come. But a new generation l* •Dru'nf up, who remember not M , Arthur and but forget them. The demand for wool aTnetient being great, all kinds find purchasers at all o f pnees. . Let a decline of sixpence per announced, as one day may be expected. - wdhall »cc and many will then feel the differences --• 'money values, between clean white and orangeiwA • and discolored or half-washed and disJJJJJJ o, btif.washed or filthy.

" pg.—The question is not more than half answered, ire tiro yet to demonstrate, that wool can be clean on the back of sheep, and sufficiently clean, to any jury of twelve sensible men (who Etfbythebye, understand something of the con- - 2). mn( J with the addition of new healthy yolk. Skhwill add both to weight and to value.