HOW TO ROLL A FLEECE.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 22, 10 December 1874, Page 3

HOW TO ROLL A FLEECE.

As the shearing season has now commenced, a few hints on the very imp. -riant subject of rolling' the fleeces will lie not unacceptable to sheep tanners Ihe attention generally bestowed on ihe getting up or rile wool is nearly aiway> confined to removing dirr, after which the fleece is rolled up, no matter how, the usual way being to fold in the sides and roll the fleece from the tail end as far as the shoulders. The remainder is then twisted into a band, taken around the fleece, ant! the end turned under. Little attention is paid as to whether the shoulders form part of this band or not When the fleece is taken up from the floor the picker should take hold of it close on each side of the tail, gathering the whole between his wrist and elbow When placing it on the table he should throw it so that the part nearest to him should turn under and lodge on the far end of the tuuie. By these means the fleece is at once shaKen anil spread on the table so completely that the man who is to skirt and roll it can, without any further trouble, proceed with his work. The first object of his attention is, of course, the skirting. He should take off the belly, the coarse part of the hind legs, and whatever part of the fore le^s or neck does not appear equal to the class of wool the fleece belongs to. W there, is any doubt as to which

class it should go into, the proper time to decide it is when one side has been turned in, as both sides of the fleece may be seen at a glance. Most fleeces require turning in twice from each side. When the fleece is thus reduced in breadth, the neck should be laid over towards the middle of the fleece, taking care that the tips of the wool do not show. The remainder of the work is generally looked on as easy, although it is in reality no easier than the skirting or folding. The tail end should be

laid over, dropping one hand on ir pretty smartly to give it firmness. With every turn made, one hand should he dropped close before the roiled parr of iie fleece, and should not be wi'hdrawn until covered. The same hand should then for a moment rest on the top of the rolled part in order to allow the other to be shitted By carefully following these rules, at the same time paying attention to neatness, it will be found that the fleeces will have a good uniform nppea-ance. They will hold together on account of being firmh rolled, and no band of any sort is necessary.

Another subject closely connected with this is the pressing, especially the manner in which tbe fleeces are picked in the press, and the mode of reducing them to a reasonably small size. In hand-pressing, a ppade, and occasionally a crowbar is used. By either of these the wool is often damaged to a considerable extent, while very few fleeces remain whole. A screw-press should be employed wherever the quantity of wool is sufficient to warrant its erection A lever-press is often employed by those who consider a screw-jiress too expensive, aud the results are generally very satisfactory. In pacling tbe fleeces in the press, it is advisable to spare all the pains so of ter taken in getting the best fleeces into tie corners. The buyer at home looks just as much at the middle as the nutsideof the bale, and if he sees that the cerr.re is filled by dark and faulty fleeces, he chances are that he will make an allowance in his favor for this, far greater than if they were scattered evenly throughout I the bale. Besides this, ht will take a note of the brand, and at its next appearance treat it with ;he suspicion taught him by experience.

A new description of ,vool press has been manufactured in Toowoomba, for Mr G. H. Davenport, which is thus described by the Toowoimba paper : —

On Friday last we were favored with a view of one the hydrauic wool presses manufactured by Griffins Brothers and Co., of this town, for JcO. H. Davenport. The. press was lien occupied by a bale of four hundred pounns weight, about four feet six inches high, and two feet eight inches quare. The bale had been previously wbmitted to lever pressure at \hat staton. Tbe pump, which is admirably frted, was speedily brought into actio; the platform. upon which the oah rested, was raised iv a few minutes, aid then compressed, without the usua' dreadful exhibition of rents and tears, to a handy-looking parcel of about omfoot «x inches high, and two feet eightinches square. The pump was easily forked by the Messrs Griffiths, the aveage pressure being

about thirty-five tons. The size of the ram is four inches, and the presses and pumps have been tested to a pressure of six thousand pounds per square inch. The pumps have four powers and two plungers, one If inches, and £■ of an inch. The press was manufactured from designs by Mr J A. Griffiths, a.i,c.k., &0., and is the first yet manufactured in Queensland. To those interested in witnessing the condition of their wool after leaving* the dumpers hands, and who, further desire to economise space in conveyance to railway or port, these simple presses will prove of inestimable value.

The 'Western Post' has been informed by Mr Vivan Cox that he has obtained 14 lbs 3-| ozs of wool from a two-year-old Leicester ewe-

Short-horn Cattle in Victoria. — At a late sale of short-horn bulls in Victoria the amount realised for ten was £2,? rio, or an average of £278 per head The highest price was obtained for Prince Charlie, a red and white bull, calved in March last, for which 500 guineas was given by a Victorian tanner. The next highest lots brought 400 and 890 guineas each. 4 Competition — ;dr. O B. Fisher has presented to the National Agricultural .Society of Victoria present money prizes amounting to £50, for a shearing match, to be competed for at the Spring show, and in addition, has erected at his own cost in the show grounds, a substantial building in which the contest will take place. The shed is strongly built, and is roofed with galvanised iron, and although open at the sides to allow visitors a full view of the shearing operations, canvas coverings are provided to protect the competitors in case of rain. The shed will be divided down the. centre, and accommodation is provided for 20 shearers on each side, to compete at a time, the first 20 having to shear three merino sheep each. These men will then vacate their places in favour of another batch of 20, who will each shear three crossbreds, for prizes of the same value. The first prizes of £15 each, the second prizes £ 1 0, and third prizes of £5 will be formed from the entrance-money paid by the competitors. The sheep to be shorn will be the property of the donor, and will be placed in pens floored with battens at each side of the shed. Tbe total number to be shorn is 120. At one end of the building a folding table will be provided, to receive the wool as it comes from the shearers, and there will be also a pre^s, which can be worked by either dorse or manned labour. Visitors will therefore have an opportunity of seeing the various processes to which the wool is subjected from the rime it leaves the sheeps back until ir. is turned out in bales ready for shipment. The press will be supplied by Messrs. Wilding & ■ 0 . . of ICiizabeth street. The total length <if the erection is QSft, and it, is 34ft Wide inside. The s'aeavinL' platform is 1 -if' wide, lenvinu 1 five feet on each side for the sheep pens. The shearing match will doubtless prove one of the most interesting features connected with the show.

Scab in Sheep. — I treated "J. BOO head that were affected badly, so that places as lar^ as file palms of, both hands were bare upon the back of the sheep My remedy was by boiling in large tanks, made of sheet iron and holding about. 325 gallons each, the following ingredients: Take to 100 gallons of water 20 pounds of leaf tobacco, five {founds of flour of sulphur, and two pounds of arsenic The arsenic should be boiled and stirred well in a small can before pouring it in with the tobacco and sulphur; then the whole should be stirred together; after it arrives at boiling heat it is ready for dipping. With herds of 1,000 or more, we use, in Colorado, a dipping plank, five feet deep and from sixteen to twenty feet long, eighteen inches to two feet wide, with an incline from tank upon one end so sheep can walk up out of the water ; this can be clone readily by nailing slats of boards about eight inches apart, giving a good fix.thold ; and when there are very large herds, there should be a draining stage in dining toward the dipping tank, thus using great economy in preserving* the liquid. In commencing to dip, the liquid should be at least 100° Fahrenheit, and not ov?r 120°. A thermometer can be used and tests taken every few minutes. The above has proved a perfect success in Colorado, as many flock-owners have used it besides myself and proved its effects. f usually dip and change my herd to another branch, where no sheep have been for some time, as this prevents them from retaking it, as the animaJcuEe or acari sometimes remain alive in tufts of wool and upon the fence, giving . sufficient time for them to die, which usually is before the expiration of eight, days.

The New Potato Pest at New York. — The mw-h-talkrd-of Colorado beetle has at last, made its appearance in the suburbs of New York city. At present, however, the insect is found only in comparatively small numbers, a few of the yellow grubs perhaps beintr scattered here and there in a field, or c'n-*tered on a potato hill or two iv some corner, but there is sufficient to furnish an abundant brood next spring, because nearly all those which came to maturity ithis fall are going to burrow in the ground and be ready to multiply their kind next spring. We trust none of them may take passage, by one of the quick steamers, to this country.