Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-08-31


times trust too much to the mildncss of the
season, and withhold this supply altogether.
Hence some lots of wool are not unirequent-
" found to be lighter after mild, than aft
ter severe winter the feeces will be
iointed in the staple, and finer in the hair
near the joint. Such wool is rendered un-
suitable for the comb. The farmer is gene
rally willing to to acknowledge the cause OF
this defect. / bring this instance of the ct.
feet ofincrease and decrease on long comb
inc wool !; because in such woods, the chan
pes they occasion are more striking and per-
ceptjble to those unaccustomed to minute
and nice examinations of the 6ares of the
wool.
Excessive heat is highly injurious to wool
in our temperate latltudes, it may be unne-
cessary to direct the attention OF the wool
grower to its operation but | will however
venture to assert, that in proportion to the
regularity Of The temperature in which
sheep are kept, and to the regular sup
Pin of nourishment they recesve, all
the hair Or fibre Of the zu00l freserve
regular, eUen degree effneaess. From an
observation of the woods Of Africa, ana
convinced that the arid soils destroys their
softness, and the parching heats produce
great irregularity in the tlaeness OF the hair.
In Portugal, where the same attention is
not given to sheep as in Spain, and they are
more exposed to the summer heats, the wool
is less regularly fine, and more intermixed
with coarse slyery hairs. A cool mode
rate temperature is more favorable to the
production Of hue wool than excessive heat;
and were the sheepof Spain, ike those of
England, unprotected against the effects OF
climate, / should have no hesitation In say
ing, that the situation of,hat country would
be In some respects worse than that of our
own Island, and more nntriend!y to the
growth of fine even staple. Eut to the o.
Their qualities, the soandness and soitness Of
the fibre, our frequent rains are rery pre-
judicial, unless the sheep be sheltered and
defended from their effects. TINS only
proves that greater attention is required TO
external causes acting upon the hrece than
has hitherto been thouSht necessary IN Eng
land. With due precautions to counteract
these causes when prcludicia1 | have 10
doubt fine wool will continue to be grown in
Britain, equal in every good quality to the
Spanish or oaxony heeces. The prejudlces
OF the manufacturers on this subject, must
yield to repeated proofs aud the time Will
Cu1Ire, rrt,~., ytIcy ii i~tio~- r'..i.
on the exertions OF those Distinguished chas
racters in the present reign, who have by a
iudicious attention to the breed OF sheep,
done SO much to improve the wool OF their
native country.
An ACQUAINTANCE with the formation of
wool and the structure of it's component
parts, could not fail to be OF some use, both
to the wool grower and the manufacturer
il might assist the former III his endeavorS
to improve its qualities, and guide the ope-
ration of the latter when he wanted to pro-
duce effects depending on some OF Its pro-
perties, which are not clearly understood
or sufficiently attended to.
/ have STAGED my opinion, that wool and
hair are formed from the same fluid, but dit.
frrently modified by the secreting vessels,
and thus possessing different degrees of e
lasticity and induratlon. | suppose each
hair or fibre to be sccreted from the albu-
men by i,nperceptibly minute vessels uni,iag
in others still larger, till the different Ala
ments secretsd from each, are united and
collected into one excretng duct near the
surface of the skim The hlamenis thus
collected in viscious state, probably acquire,
conscience bv the absorption otoAygen, and
become solid fibre or thread, which is pro-
,rudcd IN the form of wool or hair. Each
fibre, whether of wool OF hair, is thus COM
pcsed Of number of minute tllaments, lay
ing parallel, and closely adherlng to each O.
,her. The adhesion OF these fiainents IN
some hairs, is too close TO admit them to be
perceived by the microscope ; IN others they