But what a charm there was in that crisp snip of the shears! At last, however, Donald and his father moved on to where crews of men were busy at smooth board tables. "What are they doing here?" Donald asked. "They are tying fleeces," explained Mr. Clark. "But don't they wash that dirty wool before they tie it up?" questioned the boy, astounded. Sandy, who had joined them for the moment, laughed at Donald's disgust. "You'd have us washing and ironing it, perhaps," he chuckled. "No, no! We used to wash all fleeces before they were clipped, 'tis true. But your father says that now buyers care little for them washed. Folks will pay about as much for good wool unwashed as washed. It is a lucky thing for us, because it saves us much trouble; more than that, it is better for the sheep not to be put through the water. The thick fleece stays damp for many days, and unless the creature is range-bred and therefore used to all weather it suffers a shock, and is liable to be sick. You can't shear a flock until about two weeks after washing, for not only must the fleece dry, but new yolk must form in the wool. If the wool is too dry the shears will not slip through it." "But by the end of two weeks I should think the sheep would have his fleece all dirty again," objected Donald. "That is just the point--he does." "Why couldn't you wash the fleece after it is taken off?" "We could. It is done sometimes. Your father can tell you that he sends off wool and has it scoured before selling it if a buyer wishes it done." Mr. Clark nodded. "But here," continued Sandy, "we wash no fleeces. We do take care, though, not to tie very dirty pieces in with the fleece. My father always insisted on the tying being honest. Only wool went into the bundle. You and your father must watch and see how quickly they do the tying." As Sandy flitted away again Mr. Clark and Donald made their way to the long table where the boys who went about among the shearers and collected the fleeces were tossing them down. Each fleece was spread out on the table, the belly and loose ends folded deftly inside; then the whole was fastened into a square bundle. "It would seem as if any twine would do to tie a package like that, wouldn't it, Don?" said Mr. Clark. "Of course." "It is not so," went on his father. "There is nothing about which a wool-grower has to be more careful than about the twine with which he ties his fleeces. You must always avoid using a fiber twine--by that I mean hemp, or any variety having fibers which will break off in the wool. These fibers or particles get stuck in the fleeces, and later when the wool reaches the mill, the mill people do not like it. Either the bits of hemp have to be picked out--an endless job--or the wool is sent back. You can see that they could not dye wool with all these little particles in it. The hemp would take a different color from the rest of the wool, and would result in specked goods."