Shearing Machine Invention

The new mechanical shears were demonstrated at shearing competitions. The machines not only sheared faster, but left less wool on the sheep. However, skillful hand-shearing required years to perfect and was a source of pride among the workers who composed the shearing teams. It was not until 1888, when the Dunlop sheep station of New South Wales equipped its shearing sheds with the machines, that commercial success began for Wolsely and Howard.
heep stations in Australia, New Zealand, America, and other parts of the world gradually adopted the machines. By 1900, their use was widespread. However, in areas where spring came late, like Wyoming, hand-shearing continued until about 1940 because some wool had to be left on the sheep to protect them from the cold. Eventually, the high cost of shearing forced the total adoption of the machines in the United States by the 1940s and worldwide acceptance by the 1960s.