Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-08-19
Continued


y RI the soft or hard qualities which distin-
ruish wool grown on ar9ilisceous, sieclous,
I, or calcareous soils, be not caused by the
) heritage on which the sheep feed. to what
are we TO attribute this difference sn-
swer. to the chemical or mechanical action
of the particles of the soil on the surface or
~. IIro 49,
capped due attention It can hewever be
proved 10 exist. BY variety OF facts watch
might be adduccd and net only can it al
ter the quality, but inlpart iadelibly thesco-
lor Of the soil to the woel. In parts OF Glou-
cestershire, the aeece acquires a deep o.
range color from the sell in Hertfordshire
s and Warwicksllire, and in every district
having red colored soil, the woolis inclin-
ed TO a brownish red. Ihe fens of Lincoln
shire and -Cambridgeshire communicate a
dark blueish tint to the wool. Woods on
chalk soils are distinguished by their wlite-
ness !; and in every district the action 1.-The
soils evinced by communicating Its own
Z color 10 the fleece, either by insinuat!ng its
particlssinso the 6bre, torchemicaly uniting
with its Surface.
The color thus acquired is as indetbly
sfxeel IN the wool, as the coloring matter OF
an. artificial dye, nor can its whiteness be
perfectly restored BY any process of art hi
therto known. | advert to the tint which
remains after wool has been secured clean
with soap. Slowing appears to remove 1t,
BUTT returns again after re-washing, tho
it IS less perceprible than before.
u. b. Nc 90
Tor and also the hardness or sofiness Of the
wool, is obvious, from the different effects
which the argillaceous, silecious and oaica-
rsous soils, are invariably found to have on
these qualities. This perhaps is no where.
more clearly shewn than IN the northern
parts of Derbyshirs, where the mineral stra
ia are so abruptly broken, that two. adjoin-
ingf rms, seperated by small brook, viii
not unfrequently be found, one entirely On
the limestone,the other on asiiecious grit or
sand stone. The difference OF the wool on
these 2 farms ,frem the same breed OF sheep,
SIS so distinctly marked, and WAS even twenty
years since so well known, that the farmer
would demand and obtain one shilling or
one shilling and six pence per tod nore Cor
his wool, when grown upon the latter soil.
6 My wool is gritstone, sir, and l expect a
better price than my oneighbors, which is
limestone" wasshe language in common
use; and Its meaning was well understood
by the buyer.
The woods of this part of Derbyshire are
sof an inferior quality, suited TO the lower
kinds hosiery and. coarse cloths. The diff
ference in the value between the limestone
and gritstonc woods, was then about seven
percent. had the wool been of fine quail
ity, it would have been considerably more.
1t will invariably be found, whenever
lime or calcareous earths come In contact
with wool, they deprive it of its soft quail
ty by their action on the surface of the fibre.
A demonstrative proof of this effect is offer.
ed, in the process of separating the wool
from the skins by the fell.monger. The
pelts are stepped some days in lime and wa
ter the softest woods, when thus exposed
20 the action of lime, lose their distinguish
;ng excellence, and acquire all the harsh
NESS Of woods grown on limestone soils
The hard woods have this quality increase d
- ,he same operation; hence the value of
LIN wool is considerably less than thar of
aeece wool equally fine. This tact alone is
Iss;s;ve and proves, that the hardness of
..aaIs IL limestone districts is oeeasonsd