Agricultural.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 58, 19 August 1875, Page 7

Agricultural.

TEE WAY TO JHDGE WOOL ON A LIVE SHEEP. The finest and softest wool is always found on the Bshpulders8 shpulders of a sheep. But not one person in 10,000 is aware ot this fact. Let us watch an expert when he is about to pass judgment on a sheep concerning the" value of the animal for producing vrool,and it will be seen that ne always looks at the wool on the shoulders first. ~ A writer of extensive ex^rience in, rearipg ~finp-wpqled sheep and in handling wool communicates the following suggestions for selecting a good-wooled sheep: — Always assuming that the wool, tp be inspected is really a fine wool, we must examine the shoulders at the part where the finest and best wool is usually found. Tbis we take as the standard, and compare it with, the wool from the ribs, the. thigh, the rump, ancf the shoulder parts, and the nearer the wool from the various .pprtionsof _the_animal approaches the standard the better. L First we scrutinise, the JtoenesS; and \if the \ result is satisfactory, we pronounce- the fleece 4nrespect of fineness very " even." Next we inquire into! the lengtkof the ata|ple, andif wfe find that the wool on the nbs, thigh, and back approximates reason--af)ly.inlength to that prour st^nd^rd, vfe^aih'ileclare 1 the %m3eppaS* : regards the r: lppgt& p gf; staple,. .true,. and eyen, We' next desire fo~ satisfy ourselves of j, thp^denslty of the £eece_ and if i we.do JtW^-^plpising the handin^^C portion of tl^e rump r and of ~the.loin 4 wool, the fieece^St th 6«e 3 pc^hte : berag Usually the thinnest and faulty^|-:if(this]ag^iri:eivesr rfMg^^Sn^wgfligni^ the fact by giv* lag^t^pwG^bL/'jeven'' as respects den-. ifJfJr-s* M$% ••*" summarise these separate egttitfations :— lf you find the fleew Wnearly equal fineness from the? -ifiSilder to thigh, of nearly equal lei tgth shoulder, rib, thigh, and back, andldensity on shoulder and across |the loins, you may conclude that you have a per-

fect* sbe^fep fot' producinir Valuable v^ool. { Selecting sheep-for valuable feeders ia I another thing. „:, ; ' .. • : -. . ;vua XAAj'AF.-^ „ -lIM met|ipa, l o*;d»BjSOlying; Ojdtpes itt sulphuric acid has .'proved a veryjimj or^, ant boon to agriculture.:, r Jt ..^epimirls^ ?P ( * n i! ; !* e '"fje* ,t^e; exists, ap los-i pbateof Jimp, cpntain^n'g';, half as n uch •lime as that which is found naturall y in the bones; and which is artifioially pro-j _duc&d by -thelsulphiirj^cid^ ithdraws one L half of the lime, forntingL with it sulphate of lime, while the ,w lole of the phosphoric acid of the bprfes remains in combinafibh witb the o hpr half,iand M, a ..soluble ifprrn^ ;i J3y employing a sufficiently large quantity of sulphuric acid all the^phosphoric* acid in the bones may, thus be dissolved, but in ac'tualpractice it 'has been foiin'd a ore advantageous to leave part ; ofit in 1 6th stages ; as ,when.it r is entirely soluble/ its effect is too great, duiingthe early part of the Reason, and r defiqien^at itsend. In order to' dissolve ' bonps, we employ from one-fhalf tp- oneffourth of their. weight of strong sulphuric acid, but one-third will be found to be! the quantity most generally applicable. iTbe v bones are put into a vessel of wood, or stone, or lead(avoid iron, as it is rapidly corroded by? the acid),' and' mix ijrith one-third their Weight of wafer, which may with "some advantage, bVused ihot. One-third tbeir weight of sulphuric ;acid is then added, and mixed as uniformly as possible" with the bones. : The massiwill then effervesce and become hot; AJ; the end of two or three days, it is turned over with a spade or wooden j shpvelj and after standing for aompytime; generally becomes pretty dry.- Should itjstill be.tpo: moist to. be: sqwn,; it;mus(| be again turned over and mixed with some dry substance, such as dry loam, decays ing leaves, or sawdust. Care mudt be taken not to employ ariy -substance bay? ing lime in its composition, as ,this would bring back the phosphates into their insoluble state, and undo what the sulphuric acid had done. NEW "UNI VERS AL, SHEEP SHEARS,'/. Lately Messrs- Parrot Brothers, of 12 Hunter-street, Sydney, have introduced a novel instrument, .termed, the," (Jniversal Slieep Shears,'' and those who have witnessed its operation say that, judging of its effectiveness and simplicity, it is likely to come into general use. .The appearance of the shears is something like the cutting, part pf a mowing machine, but in this instanceit is in appearance only-rfhe principle of the movement is quite different. The lower blade or comb oftheyshpars. is placed flat on the skin, the teeth i are pushed into- the wool, and by^closely pressing the handles the upper blade, passes across the comb, and the wool is cut the whole length of the teeth. The blades are connected together, at the heel much in the ordinary way, and the only exertion required of the shearer is to press the blades together. Of course, when the wool is. cut, they spring back like the common shears to their original position. The cutting" blade of the shears is sharpened like an^ ordinary sheep shears on the sloping side, and with one blade it is said two or three thousand sheep can be shorn before it is, necessary to sharpen it again. Wben a comb or blade is required to be changed it is necessary only to lift the handle on which the blade is screwed from the top of 'the comb, and in replacing the blademerely requires to be firmly screwefi to the handle. Tbe; comb is so bevelled and fitted to work that it ?is impossible to cut the skin of the sheep, while , th^ operation of shearing can be aCr-* complished even -by the most inexperienced, in the cleanest and ;inost complete manner. ; . One. most valuable property in the shears is that thevVool is always cut to .its full length by its means. It will be seen by the above description that the " Universal-Shears" are. a practical improvement, and should they answer expectation in. practicfip use they will no. _ doubt pome in "fifr general iavor^ throughout the colonies^ in- which case,- from -the effectiveness and speed with,, which tbey enable the shearing process to be carried on, they will be a great boon to flockowners.

I The « Builder 'has an interesting, article on? the plague of rats which is just now threatening Lohdonv What is called the. butcher's- trap 1 has the merit of; taking advantage of the rat's nature, and habits to compass his destruction.. The way of making ifc is to get a goodsized cask and tie i over it a c strong piece. Tjf^paper or-parehpent, rlikp K drum head, c Put ; this : cask- in* the place infested, and, on the head of i^ajfew bones, some rice, or specially tempting bait. ; Let this Jbe ', done at. least for a week until, the bait disappears. - Next put two bricks, one on each other] in- r side the cask, atthe l .bottom > and! fill, with water, to thelevelof the- top brick, Ti& on the parchment as - you :w< iuß : U P?Q '$. WP°t> and; ;VritH !. a'sbatp \ >eiaknife cut.^h- tthe, ..o^itreja cross about three incbes eachr way.^;: A rat on passing -, over the crosscut -- will fall? .through it/- -and oh getting 1 ' into tlie 1 r water will at oncP'gpt upon, the 1 ; brick,, —- 'i-'J " " •*"-* ' i-.-t'-' "1 .. <X.; \ '-..Tut »£{'< and make Such a^qyeali yasmwiH callall his friends: to* the? top of /the dask,"to" ' slip/throtiffhithe. hole - kUemefoez. j%n f they^wiil^piaka for the brick, and a terrific fight takes place to get on the brick, in the morning nearly all will be I found drowned or bitten to death.