The Manchester Shearing

Michigan Farmer

The Manchester Shearing.

   A bright, pleasant light shone on the river as we saw it, moving onward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, placid and smooth, and reflecting the morning sun as it rose over the Canadian Dominion. The train bore us to Manchester, the junction being made by the Michigan Central at Ypsilanti, where we met Messrs. Finley, Smith, Hatch and others on their way to the shearing. Mr. Corey, one of the oldest businessman of the town, met us at the train. The place chosen for the meeting was the building that was once the old woolen mill, and the efforts of the club were responded to very liberally by a large gathering of sheep breeders with drafts from their flocks. One of the most prominent of these is C. M. Fellows, who drove us out about three miles north-east of the village, where he has a fine farm of some 400 acres, belonging to one of the finest tracks of land in the State.

   The thoroughbred ram at the head of this flock is General Dixboro by James, of Vermont. It will be seen by the table of shearing that he occupies a prominent position as a heavy shearer. The ram of General Dix was a ewe bred by C. P. Morrison, the breeder of Star Bismarck. His flock is 128, and his ewes were generally Robinson blood, crossed with such Hammond rams as are named above, like Bismarck and Silver Horns.

   We bad the pleasure of examining a lot of ewes and lambs on exhibition by Messrs. Hood & Dorr of Grass Lake. Messrs. Hood & Dorr are breeding from some good rams and have lambs this season by General Dix, Crane's 49, by Peerless 248, by Little Wrinkly 48.- There was nothing shown only what had been bred by themselves, and we have not seen many finer lambs or yearlings.       

   These flocks of Messrs. Fellows and of Hood & Dorr, which we had an opportunity of examining, we refer to as exhibiting specimens of very fine thoroughbred.

   There were present a number of fine flocks from parts of the district, which made a good showing as will be found by reference to the table of the clips. The total number of the sheep shown was 105 old sheep and two spring lambs, valued at $7,500.

   Three prizes for shearing were awarded to the shearers who entered for competition, and these awards were: 1st, N. A. Wood, Lodi. $5; 2d, Seneca Lichard, Macon, $3; 3d, M. M. Kennedy, Liberty $2.

   In giving the record of the results of the sharing we have arranged the several entries of rams and ewes in their separate classes and they are reported as follows:

OWNER OF SHEEP.

RAMS.

James M. Kress Age in yrs. 1  Age of fleece d'ys...  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 15 13 1/2  lbs.  Weight shorn. lbs. 100

George Payne Age in years 4  d'ys 352  1 lb.oz 23 01  lbs. Weight shorn. lbs. 125 1/2

John Raby  Age in yrs.1  Age of fleece. ...  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 15 10 1/2  Weight lb.oz.  107

C.M. Fellows Age in yrs. 1 Age of fleece...Weight of fleece. lb. oz.  12 02   Weight shorn lbs. 84

R.D.M. Edwards  Age in yrs. 1  Age of fleece... Weight of fleece. lb. oz. 14 05  Weight shorn. lbs. 100

Hood & Door Age yrs. 2  Age of fleece d'ys 363  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 23 05  Weight shorn lbs. 94 

Wood & Kennedy  Age in yrs. 1   Age of fleece d'ys...  Weight of fleece. lb.oz. 13 02  Weight shorn. lbs. 76

C.M. Fellows  Age in yrs. 2  Age of fleece d'ys. 355  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 20 04 Weight shorn.  111

F. C. Wood Age in yrs 2  Age of fleece d'ys 355  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 17 11  Weight shorn lbs. 99 1/2

W. R. King* Age in yrs. 3  Age of fleece d'ys 353  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 21 061/2  Weight shorn lbs. 114 1/2

Jerry Van Gieson Age in yrs. 2  Age of fleece d'ys 340  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 12 04  Weight Shorn lbs. 125

Hood & Dorr Age in yrs. 1  Age of fleece lb. oz. ...Weight of fleece lb. oz. 18 10  Weight shorn lbs. 74

Van Gieson Bros.  Age in yrs 1 Age of fleece d'ys 1  Age of fleece...  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 20 01  Weight shorn lbs. 94

Wood & Kennedy Age in yrs.1  Age of fleece d'ys ... Weight of fleece lb. oz. 20 01   Weight shorn lbs. 94

EWES

Van Gieson Bros. Age in yrs. 5  Age of fleece d'ys 352  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 352 Weight of fleece 17 02  Weight shorn lbs. 113 1/2

do do Age in yrs. 3  Age of fleece d'ys. 351 Weight of fleece lb. oz. 13 03 1/2  Weight shorn lbs. 97 1/2

do  do Age in years 3  Age in d'ys 348  Weight of fleece lb. oz.  16 12 1/2  Weight shorn lbs. 94

do  do Age in years 2 Age of fleece lbs. ... Weight of fleece lb. oz. 17 12 1/2 Weight shorn lbs. 80

do  do*  Age in yrs 2  Age of fleece d'ys 352 Weight of fleece lb. oz. 16 07 Weight shorn lbs. 65 1/2

do  do* Age in years 2  Age of fleece 352  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 19 03 1/2  Weight shorn lbs. 82

Munson King  Age in years 1  Age of fleece 368  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 10 09 1/2  Weight shorn lbs 82

R. M. Edwards Age in years 1 Age of fleece d'ys... Weight of fleece lb. oz. 10 03  Weight shorn lbs. 66

do ... Age in years 1  Age of fleece... Weight of fleece lbs. 11 12 Weight shorn lbs. 68

Hood & Dorr  Age of years 2  Age of fleece d'ys 363  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 19 02   Weight shorn lbs. 77 1/2

do ... Age in years 4  Age of fleece d'ys 363  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 16 10 1/2  Weight shorn lbs. 98

do... Age in years 1 Age of fleece d'ys...  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 11 10 1/2 Weight shorn lbs. 70

Wood & Kennedy Age in years 1  Age in d'ys...  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 15 00  Weight shorn lbs. 72 1/2

A. A. Wood Age in years 2  Age in d'ys 356  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 11 07  Weight shorn lbs. 71

do  Age in years 2 Age in d'ys 355  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 13 12 Weight shorn lbs. 85

F. C. Wood Age in years 1  Age of fleece d'ys...  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 10 05  Weight shorn lbs. 63

J. M. Kress  Age in years 1  Age in d'ys...  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 12 12 Weight shorn lbs. 66

J. M. Moore  Age in years 2  Age of fleece 351  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 13 13 Weight shorn lbs. 70

John Horning Age in years 1  Age in d'ys... Weight of fleece lb. oz. 11 02  Weight shorn lbs. 72 1/2

J. M. Moore  Age in years 3  Age of fleece d'ys 347  Weight of fleece lb. oz. 16 06 1/2 Weight shorn lbs. 84 1/2

C. M. Fellows*  Age in years 2  Age of fleece 365  Weight of fleece lbs. oz. 13 14  Weight shorn lbs. 80

   Note. - Those marked * were tagged before being exhibited.

Wm. Bowers had a Long Wool ewe, three years old, on exhibition with a  fleece of 310 day's growth that weighed 8 lbs. 1/2 oz.