FARMERS' CLIPS OF WOOL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 7

FARMERS' CLIPS OF WOOL.

The shearing season is approaching, and as an appreciable proportion oC the total wool production of the cJoin is now contributed from farm or small flocks, this is the fitting time to impress upon farm or .> — runholders need no reminder -die necessity for diligent attention to all the details of the operations if they desire to realise the full value of the clip. It cannol be gainsaid tluil, to the too common negligence ab shearing time, and the careless handling and " get up " of the wool must be attributed the well-founded suspicions of buyers with regard to farmers' lots, and the frequent complaints made that the small parcels do not receive much attention from, or have been sacrificed by the broker. It is not considered that a broker's best efforts may be paralysed by the filthy condition of the wool, insufficient skirting, want of classification, and consequent irregularity in the parcel, and the presence of inferior and faulty fleeces, the responsibility for all of which* properly rests with the owner whose inattention to very simple details incurs a serious loss. Beginning with shearing, for which of course dry weather must be chosen, a well swept door must be provided, or where that is not available, . a large tarpaulin cr rick cover should be pegged down. The farmer should insist on even and close shearing, no second cuts or snipping should be permitted, and certainly no hacking nf tho sheep. The owner of a small flock is in a better position to enforce conditions than is t In; overseer in a large shed with a considerable number of shearers, and ho should bc.ir in mind that the more evenly and closely the • sheep are shorn the better the fleece the following year will be. Care should be taken lhat the floor is kept scrupulously clear of straws, chips, and filth, so that nothing unsightly or objectionable shall be picked up with the fleece. In most agricultural districts there are residents who regularly shear for farmers j in the neighbourhood, and who studiously j attend to instructions which the professional is too frequently disposed to resent. It would, however, in many cases be advisable to have a learner on the floor. An intelligent young man, if shown the proper potions in which to hold the sheep and the correct method of holding the shears, would very soon be able to shear 30 to 40 sheep daily, and in a proper manner, "hen the lleeco is'oif ib should be picked up carefully and placed without break or mauling, outer side uppermost, on the skirting table. It may appear anomalous, but it is the fact, that superior wool should be more closely skirted than the inferior qualities, which are intrinsically worth very little more than the bellies and pieces of the better class. Waving removed all the inferior portions— the fellies, pieces, portions of the necks, if necessary, and the locks, the latter of course to »c kept apart— the fleece is ready for rolling, <toQ if this part of the work is properly done, tyng will be found to be unnecessary, for if «nnly rolled the fleece will retain the shape u &tu packed. This is a more important consideration than it may appear, but woollowers will remember that last season sntish manufacturers' and wool brokers directed attention to the subject because of we injury to the machinery caused by the entanglement of pieces of tying twine. The weece when rolled should be placed i» the

pack with the class to which it belongs. Generally speaking, farmers have acquired a sufficient knowledge of wool to distinguish liie diftYrent grndi <?, ;md 1 his is fill the more nccjssa.-y because iivoi> in ,i small flock there are frequently various crossoa bo be seen. Many farmers are in a manner compelled by the smallness of the clip to class the wool according to ages and sexes, such as hoggets, ewes, and wethers, and this classification satisfies many buyers, but where possible the better plan would be to classify us crossbred h- argf't", "ro^sbred ewe, and crossbred wether, w.i li park-, for assort cl qualities of each dhision, ai.d all to be properly branded and numbered. Were these details scrupulously observrd the standard of the small clips would be raised, competition would be kei'iiur, and more satisfactory 1 prices would be obtained.