CLASSIFICATION OF SHEEP'S WOOL.

27

four to seven inches in length, used for hosiery and some other purposes, and those above that length used principally for coarse worsted goods. Specimens of the spinning processes of worsted yarns are well worth notice, showing that 89,000 yards may be spun to the pound weight, which is a great effort for worsted

yarn.

In Germany the sheep are sorted and classed according to the fineness, length, and thick growth of the wool, and the following points are considered important :

Strength of Fibre.-This is indicated by the amount of grease in the wool-plenty of grease indicating strength. This exists in three forms: soft or liquid, which again may be a rich yellow or white; middle fat, yellow and white; and, lastly, brown stiff fat, yellow and white. Of these, the oily or liquid grease is considered best in Germany, while in Hungary the middle fat is more suitable to the climate.

Fineness.-The wool should be equally fine over the whole body, but a coarser quality may be expected on the top of the shoulders and rump, and a weaker quality on the belly. It is with regard to fineness that the usual continental classification of Prima, Elector, Super, &c., is made. The finest samples of wool are usually not more than two finger-breadths in length; but the length of wool varies from one to about four finger-breadths. The Prussian and French Rambouillet are longer woolléd than the Hungarian Merino.*

Curl. This is important, and refers to the minute bends or crimps which are seen in each hair; a long, straight, plain wave in the fibre, as in B. (illustration page 28), is not liked, neither is an abrupt close wave which folds back upon itself, as in C. The best and most approved curl, that which gives spring and elasticity, as well as preserves the strength of the wool, may be described as a minute and regular serration, and is shown by the line marked A.

* Report upon the Vienna International Exhibition, 1873.

28

QUALITIES OF SHEEP'S WOOL.

Thickness.-This quality refers to the thickness of the wool upon the skin, and is closely connected with the presence of those wrinkles so characteristic of the Merino sheep. Large folds of skin appear about the neck, and just above the tail in the true Merino, and especially in the rams. Young lambs, however, show the same peculiarity; and while, the wool is short, similar but smaller wrinkles over the entire body. The whole skin is completely furrowed with these wrinkles, and, consequently, the woolbearing surface is rendered very large. It is considered in Austria a point of excellence when these wrinkles are numerous, but in Saxony a different taste prevails. The wool on the summit of

A pure

folds seen about the neck is a little coarse, but as the area is small, this is not allowed to be a fault, only a character. Merino sheep will carry from 40,000 to 48,000 wool fibres on a single square inch of skin.

The closure of the stubble, or outer surface of the fleece, is very important, for, if the fleece is loose and open, dust and dirt find their way into the wool. The closure is effected by the abundance of the fat, which rises to the surface of the fleece, and then mats the ends of the wool-fibres together, forming a compact protection to the fine wool beneath. This is further

SKILFUL EXAMINATION OF WOOL.

29

added to by dust, which adheres to the grease, and makes that firm black limit to the fleece always observable in the Merino. The hand passes over the stubble as over a sort of scale armour, and when pressed the springiness of the wool is at once perceived.

Opening a fleece for purposes of inspection is to be done with

knowledge, and indicates at once whether the operator is at home with his subject. Grasping the points of the fibres with both hands, the inspector parts the wool and discloses the beautiful white or rich yellow, or orange-coloured wool below, and then closes up the fleece again without allowing any of the stubble ends to find their way down into the clean wool. The accompanying sketches illustrate the effect, which is very striking, when

30 APPEARANCE OF GOOD AND BAD WOOL.

a fleece is opened, and also what is called the "Blumen" or flower (see p. 29), when the wool is made to open like a cup and exhibit its rich yellow and white colouring right down to the skin, reminding the observer of a fine lily.

A well closed stubble has the ends of the wool gathered into large masses, and has as few openings or crevices into the fleeces as possible. It is called a bad stubble when only a few fibres are caked together, giving the appearance of small dots instead of large bold blotches.

Growth. The wool must be equally grown over the carcase. It must be equal in length on back and sides and belly.

BRITISH CLASSIFICATION OF WOOL.

31

The head must be woolled down to the nose and over the entire ears, and the legs must be clothed with wool down to the hoofs. Fine wrinkles on the horns are looked for in selecting rams.

On British sheep-runs there is some little difference in the classification, as the following remarks will show. The qualities considered most valuable in regard to the fleece are fineness, fulness, freeness, soundness, length, and softness.

1. Fineness of the fibre of the wool can be judged of by practice, when a lock of it is laid on the cuff of a coat of a dark colour. A deficiency in this quality will show itself by an abrupt falling off in fineness, either in the neck or breech of the animal, or in both. The difference in fineness between these parts and the rest of the fleece should be so gradual as to be almost imperceptible. No hair must be anywhere visible on the animal, especially under the forelegs.

2. Fulness means the closeness with which the staples or locks of wool grow together on the skin. Upon opening the wool of a sheep possessing this quality in perfection, only a thin line of skin, as fine as a pencil stroke, will appear round each staple, but if deficient, a space almost bare. Some of the German sheep, as shown in the illustration of the Negretti Merino ram (p. 32), have great rolls or puckers of skin under their necks or on other parts, which give them a singular appearance, but the extent of woolbearing surface is thereby increased.

3. Freeness means that the separate fibres of each staple are distinct, and by no means entangled together, or what is called "smushy," like cotton wool. A deficiency in this quality shows itself most plainly along the ridge of the back. In a well-bred sheep the wool on being opened should fall apart under the hands as clear and broken as the leaves of a book.

4. Soundness or strength of fibre. Along the ridge of the back there is a sort of division between the wool of each side. Tenderness, that is, deficiency in soundness, invariably shows itself there.