SHEARING IN THE GREASE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1671, 24 September 1887, Page 3

SHEARING IN THE GREASE.

" Wool In tho grease " introduces m the Mark Lane Express the subject of shearing by machinery. After showing bow the practice of washing the wool on the sheep's back has gone out of fashion m England, and the tendency to abolish it altogether m favor of shearing m the grease, our contemporary proceeded to notice the progress of tha chance m this country, and added: — "In the United States and m the La Plata districts the increase of wool marketed m the grease of late years has been very matked. In the former country the wool crop o c 1886 waa returned as 261,419,6501 b, of which 52 f 74. 4241 b were washed wool, and 208,595,1211 b greasy wool. The principle of selling grease wool must therefore be right ; and we think that the practice will commend itself to our flockmasters. If middlemen object, let ttaps be taken to sell direct to the manufacturer?. Meanwhile, shearing by meohanioal meanß is worthy of more extended trial lhan it has yet had m this oountry, for tho idea m not a novel one. The principle is one whioh only needs perfection m detail, to which the Australian indention would seam to have more nearly approached than anything by which it haß been preceded."