第16章 Sheep-shearing 修剪羊毛

Sheep are washed and sheared some time in the month of June. This should be done quite early in the month, before the hot days begin.

It is fine sport for those who look on, but not much fun for the sheep.

It is best for the sheep to have the wool taken off; otherwise they would suffer in the summer time.

When the time comes for washing the sheep, they are driven to a pond or a little river.

Then they are thrown into the water, one at a time. The men who are in the water catch them, and squeeze the wet wool with their hands to get the dirt all out of it.

Then the wool is thoroughly dried, the sheep are taken to the shearer; and he cuts off the wool with a large pair of shears.

It is then dyed, spun, and woven into cloth.

In a short time, before the cold winter comes, new wool grows out on the sheep. By the corning of spring there is so much, that it must be cut off again.

一年当中清洗羊群和修剪羊毛的时间是在五月份。这些工作应该在五月份早期开始做，在热天还没到来之前。

对于旁观者来说，这是一项很好的运动，但是对于羊群来说一点乐趣也没有。

对于羊群来说，这是退去羊毛的最好的时间，否则的话在夏天的时候他们会痛苦不堪。

当清洗羊群的时间到来的时候，羊群会被赶到一个池塘或者一条小河边。

然后它们会一个个的被扔进水里，在水里有个人会抓住它们，用他们的手使劲挤它们湿漉漉的羊毛，把脏东西从羊毛上弄掉。

当羊毛完全干的时候，它们被带到剪切者那里，他用一把大剪刀把它们的毛给剪掉。

然后羊毛被染色，纺成线，织成布，最后做成衣服。

在非常短的时间内，冬天来临之前，羊身上长出新的羊毛。在春末的时候，羊毛又长长了很多，必须被再次剪掉。