Volume 71: Macarthur family papers relating to wool and sheep, 1820-1936: No. 173
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[Page 173]
[In pencil - No. 79 ([indecipherable]) 1836?]
Sheep washing in Germany, from a Recent Publication in German, Communicated by Mr Schulze. [written by Sir E Macarthur]
Wool often obtains a good colour by washing Sheep in running water, but it deprives it of its softness & elasticity, and the oftener the washing is repeated to effect a bright colour, the more it loses in these Essentials. The diminution in weight from the loss of Grease is also very great.
By washing in "Standing Water" there is less loss in this respect, and the more Sheep are washed in it, the softer it renders the wool.
If the Grease & softness are sought to be restored by allowing Sheep to remain unshorn after drying, the wool becomes cloudy and does not look well. To obtain all the whiteness & elasticity of which it is susceptible, water intended for Sheep washing should be exposed some days to the influence of the Sun, and the more Sheep are washed in it the better it becomes. A soapy froth forms itself on the surface of the water, which facilitates the Process.
To wash a Flock of 2000 Sheep, the Author has made a washing Place,
[In pencil - Watermark 1835]