Sheep-shearing

Scope and Contents Photograph of several mens hands pulling the wool away from the back of a sheep to test its quality at Uardry Station, New South Wales in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Scope and Contents Blessing beginning 'Falb[h] lom is thug molach, S beir am boir[reanach] Bealt[ainn]' [Am Beannachd Lombaidh or The Clipping Blessing]. Text has been scored through.

Scope and Contents Ewart writes that Watson has started for Shetland with sufficient introductions. Ewart's paper will appear in the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. He asks what Elwes wants done with the Shetland hoggs when shorn and with the wethers.

Scope and Contents Elwes writes that he has just returned from Formosa and invites Ewart to visit him in time for the shearing of the ewes. He will also invite Lort and Bateson to settle which rams are to be kept for future experiments.

Scope and Contents Elwes writes that some of his sheep have already been shorn owing to the prevalence of fly on them. He asks Ewart to confirm when he will be visiting, as he wishes to choose which ram lambs to keep as soon as possible. He would like to stay with Ewart and see the Shetland sheep at his friends' place on his way to Aberdeen.

Scope and Contents Elwes asks Ewart to confirm when they will meet to decide which sheep to show at Bristol, as he must shear his rams. He bought some sheep on Anglesey and asks whether Ewart would like a ram of the same breed.

Author's signature not present; letter may be incomplete.

Scope and Contents Elwes asks Ewart to let him know when he can visit his sheep. He has shorn the rams but the brown Siberian will have to be killed as he has a cancerous growth on his jaw. He describes what sheep cross-breeding he intends to do and states that he must move the Wallachian sheep from Hungary.

The letter is undated.

Scope and Contents Notes about sheep and wool in the St Kilda archipelago that the sheep are not fleeced but pulled, that the wool on 'sheep in Bor[eraigh]' [Borerary] is one and a half [inches] long and that there is a 'well in top of Lei - no grass' [Stac Lee]. The vocabulary notes read '"Ruagadh" = catching sheep'; 'Giaraiste = ab[ou]t 9 fath[oms] of rope which S[aint] K[ildans] carry like a non-com[mi]s[sioned] off[ice]rs shash [sash]' and 'Rusgadh = Signalling'.

Scope and Contents Prayer entitled 'Urn[a]igh Rusgai[dh] Chaor[aich]', a prayer said when a sheep was clipped, beginning 'Falbh lom 's thig molach'. Text has been scored through in ink perhaps to indicate it was transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Photograph of sheep seperated into pens ready for shearing with the shearing shed in the background in the early 20th century. The image is from the book, 'Australia: The Sheep Country.'