Farmer.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1585, 4 May 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

Farmer.

Tr.3 WasMng of Cheep. Thh ut'litaiian s.\:n hp-3 co £otupl?s about ftnumng the old SaaJjjjßrE."'. if any practice baa ctaatii lab* \-n.A\;s.i- x c, it very Hoon jets out of daio. Oac ot t;:s c(d l&udtnaike \hat bSB haec lapuliy broking down during \he lart thutj jt«rs\i ths pi--i;£:oa ol ehsfjRftshiug. Formerly it ujed to l.c ft ptocruotnt tenet in th<j cretd c-f every floekmasle* uiat tl-.o vcci hbonid be washed *n tr.o fesci if the Uney a wsek or £0 fctfuro tliey wit-? flipped. TbiH doctrine ftppaicnlly p-cvaii-d hum tin very eatli^sl l»mts. Thus Maeuuby, in bis •' Lays cf Ar.eieiu Rr.mo,"' rtft-r?, 0:1 thn Butbiiwy of L.vy, \c- ]>.'.•: pracsios uu bciog; iv u*o -1 00 ynrj beioj? I'le Cliriatiiia era; iiud in his " Jloratiua " fee euyj. : " This year young boyo ia Umbro shall plunge the struggling -hiep." Since Iha ccmiiTic&cdautfnt of the Victorian »ge,howevej^tSic:!umbrro£nonconfyiPJ!atstu \his practice' has htt.li sleadi'y ii^i-sa^ir^,, wd t£ie heavy drop ia the prioj of wool du«)ng tue List twelve yeais L&3 slcna much 13 ldiisa taia cusi':ra to ;;ili iiit-j (iifr.se. Sioia recently the question had b:sn diicc I }^ •faisc-d as to whi.ihcr ihi<3 moribund praciioo ibonld nut at cac6 icoeive il.c coup etc \i ace. In a letter" aOdresfd to the Br.\ofoiu 3bainber o£ CDUimercc. Mr. John Sa.iven rutor.tly a«gcd thit wot-i Jioi ociy kf yt bcttf.r or a ieas>cn.tbia time in j£s nitturul greaiß, jut could in that form bo more fcatiouctorily iMdied by '.ho manufactnrer than whin VE^hed bt'oreband by &ny rcugb and rsadj liCtbotl. Wbcthor washed bef j*e bting clipKd or cot, the wool was ir.vAriiibly washau vy I}j3 R'Hijn^c-iirrr. an<! in the handa 0! ,hs fi?cktua = tsi t:>e f'alty sa?tter given off in ma wsshirg wes uitucly luof, vlicrcftß ir. •.he baui's ct the mir,u!.i<:tuier ilus bye-pro-luft wB3 utihacd for cii.lii'3g candles acd. übricants. ivicido", the expense of waf-bi.'i^v^Rsnoiir-ioi23iderabiß; and sis it has isr-olved a deal ci 'ougo handliri-j to the sheep mu\ rouijh work ;ho for Jbe fh-jphsrvls, it glinuld n» or.c 3te Usoouthiutd. M•. Scrivtn'a letter hao g'.vcii •ise to a {.Hat t-crU of controversy, enu vmor.sst wool slaplers opinions on tee f,uhecs are &,re.uly 'iivit'.tci, buo among Hoeknsslers opiF4;on is rsp'diy growing ia iavor if ebeariog in lb^ 31 ease. Hbeep wasiiing w.ll aa eperiition which <.cuid easily bu made- ixprasive to tha swiitr, cruel to the cheep, hnd uapkasant tc \he cp'.raiois. A common plan was for two 05571 to hee/ve iho tJiutp into ihe pocl on Its cack, sis i rei-css the optvr.ticn ence or iwicß, as ni^hs ba lhoughS lit. Another pan \?ag to dam the burn, into which four ji five racu took thtir atand, sod each gavd the snirufel a eouse, and h&nc<ed it on to tiaa &na funher up the burn. Ia this way the sbtep TTsis swilled about cracng the water for from Use to U-n njliiutc*./ Tiiis system, ii cted hr.idiy te KRiJ. had a zrnsb aptitude for Snding out ncy v>c&V: pert ia tie constitulioßd of both tho sb'.qp an'.t ;he shepb. rd?. Wi»en this plan v-as followed, the \7ages of WtH men Lad io bs regularly t«ppkmented ivith a full s'ioT^fcco cf whisky, on acMCun. 0' the ditsgrotiitle foaiing cv which they were placed. The best p'aa was to have the bura daujiued n.nd tv» bank* rs!c«d for a few yards by building or wood. A pew was j;!&oad at the domi end oi the dam, from ■which the thscp v.-ere jurupad into tho data, and allowed to swim to Ihe up 2nd cf it. Ia ibis^rsy the expense v.-es rtdt.ecd to a minimuai, wad tre dtsagccc&bis consequence to the rusn ?.risin f ? from Etandjng waisr-desp in a dim i'.'t eeveriil hours wiis altogether *yjided. Ko obj?olion conid bs urged ayainsi thia system ca lbs ground of crueHy either. Is i^, therefore, <]uito possible to warh the sbnep whhosit nrtiktr::; ths epe-ration either BO3uly to tha o^scr, cruel to ihe FLtep, or iajuricaa ta the r».f;alor3. Tneprincip&lplcs uiged ia favour of coniiauioj; ihe vrMctius i« ii:ar the wojl reuliecs fc higher ptics and cuounaiuU a Ttadier jale wLen w&^Lcd, and 5Le costs of conveyance to the muitufactcrei z.ve reduced hy tae sand and other foreign matters being removed. Id hss beon foend, however, that b;nce the wool fell so rr»uca in price, the incr»s&ee io the price of washed &d compared with unwashed wool is ceriai:;ly not more than suilkir-jjl. to bnlßnaetbe cost of 3':-.shing i»nd tha rtiriukage iv tho v/eight. Indeed, Boaie fi jckcidiu-ra who h&ve tested the poist have actually got more rnoiiey cue of tho uuwasiicd thsn irom tvs watl.td tiieces, so that liie on cf washing tnd the riak 0! Uroppiag a lew shiep, aa the rec'i'.t of tho opei&iron, have bed entirely sa^ed. It is also urgeU ia favor g£ the practic-3 that, aa the Aineiican import duly en wooi i« levied on tLe weight, the v.0;.l should 02 all washed, eu tnai the a.-iiCUD.' of duty and tfio ooat of couvtyat-cs shcu.d not bs iacrea^ei by the sauua::a ether foreign eubitariccs ia the tinwashed wool, ij.it die wc-jgit; t.f this arguuieiit ur.nst be jucjicd of hj tna iacraase o£ price which thi.-4 aiivantjge must secure for tnt wrtchtd wool, aud that ir.cr£&ae, aa we have fees. 13 fully balanced by ths cost of washing aad the shrinkage in the weight. it id act surprising, therefore, to learn that many who forrnsily made a zegul&i" pc-jut cf willing their wool, before clipyiEg, i;ave now bbjuc-.t.'.d the prittic?. We know for & uuiasa fact mat many of the moat pro" it-imai Cockaiastcrs in ib.3 country have this year cut their wool orop in tho grease innt^ad cf £ret wasbiog ij as ia former ytar?. Aaiocg others, Mr. T. H. lluichiasoD, of the Minor liouss, Cjtterick, who i 3 a wt-11-kuoß'/i eihiblcDr in tha Bugli:-h ahow-yards, iiari ijot washed a theep ihia teasoH. •' Fur '.he last fifteen years," be cays, '' I bavo .navi-r washed any of my moat valuable fchetp — ia faoJ, I would not ran the risk of washing even if I had to give the wool away. One year I did not wash &ny of my ewes, and £ cctt&icly did not lose auj thing by not washing tne wool.' Many of lue leading flockmastera in Scotlaud cave ali'O clipped toi3 year for the lir&t time w:tiu;Us uiuaiog, Ia America the practice is i»p Jiy djing out, and ia Australia aad Nl-w Z:&Ij.;:U tho same thing is hap* pening. This cbar.ga in the praotice of sheep farmers ia si/ipjy anoih-.r illustration ol ibo law ih&s decrees tile aurvival of the fittest.