Times Independent | 1931-01-29 | Page 6 | English Sheep-Shearers Make Festival of Work

english sheep shearer make festival of work in the rural districts of england sheep shearing time Is made the occasion of festivity and merrymaking in devon particularly it Is an age old cus torn that all neighboring farmers should unite to get the work done as quickly as possible at the same time they have merry evenings each farm er Is served in turn all the other farmers trooping up to do the sheep shearing for him the host of the day takes no active part in the work for it Is his job to see that the others are happy and well served with beverage A shearer does about SO sheep in a day the days work Is not finished until well after dark but when the last sheep his been shorn a rams horn Is filled with liquor and handed round As each man drinks he cries heres health to the flock after this the evening Is devoted to feasting drinking or merrymaking