Volume 71: Macarthur family papers relating to wool and sheep, 1820-1936: No. 174
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[Page 174]
80 feet long, 40 feet wide, & 4 feet deep. It does not fatigue the Sheep too much in passing them through this width of water. Excepting at the washing Season there is no water in it, the bottom is covered with grass, the ground being rendered fertile by the residue of the washing. The Author washes 500 Sheep at a time, commencing with the Sheep of inferior quality. Each Flock is shorn before the washing of the next commences. It thus will happen that the water remains three or four days between the washing of each Flock, until, at times it becomes quite fetid, when it is precisely in the State best adapted for washing. But he has the means of supplying fresh water to replace the waste from absorption and evaporation.
The Sheep are driven across this piece of water, the overnight previous to shearing thrice several times, and three times the next day, when they are at the same time washed by men, who stand in the water for this purpose. It has often been a question whether Sheep should be dipped, and finally washed on the same day, or dipped overnight; but the