Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-07-18
agrirultural.
Preparing Wool for Market.
now SHOULD 1T BE PREPARED

uutl loI NuC WoOl BIoNti anu iHdiu'
(acturer. There are three ways of
doing it. The easiest aud best, is
that recommended few years ago
by Messrs Perkins d. Brown Of Ohio,
Of weiting the sheep, hllowing them to
stand in the yard until they become
warm when the oil becomes "soapy
requiring but little labor afterwards
to wash them entirely clean, and
shear in three days, or as soon as dry
Another way is TO wash " ithout the
soaking and warming" process
the way usually practiced-leaving a
large proportion of oil in the fleece,
and allowing them to run from one
TO two weeks before being sheared.
The third is TO shear without wash
ng.
The wool through the country is
usually bought by small spectators,
or by agents Of manufacturers, gener-
ally at commission of one per cent
per pound, with directions TO get up
II lot at an average stipulated price for
each particular locality. The wool
of different sections has in each
distinctive character, and is known
IN market as Vermont wool, Michi-
gan wool, &c. II the buyer finds it
necessary 10 pay one man for a bad
lot ten cents pound more than it IS
worth, IN order TO make his cent
pound, he must as a matter Of course
buy of the next, who has a choice
lot in good condition, for len cents
less than ii is worth, and the thing is
accomplished. The manufacturer
gets his wool at a price satisfactory to
himself and the buyer his cent a
pound. The operation Of this aver
age principle affords poor encourage
ment for preparing a choice lot of
wool for market, when 800 from the
value of every s 900 lbs, is to be
put into lhe'pockels Of another, as
premium for sloyenly management.
have no hesitation in saying that
all wool-growers whose clip is suili-
GENTLY large to enable them to sell
directly to the manufacturer, should
prepare II in the way first mentioned.
The washing and shearing requires
less labor and llme-lhe wool has an
appearance and character of which
the owner may justly be proud-and
there can be no apology or reason for
refusing a fair price for the clip
But for the small woo-grower, who /
is compelled TO sell to the Spectator
or agent, the matter is entirely DIFF /
iercnt. The writer of this article,
with the desire Of having his wool in
the best condition, and in the expec-
iation Of receiving a price that would
be satisfactory, followed that method
three years, when he found = to his
cost that instead Of having desirable
lot of wool IN market it was difficult
TO find a purchaser. When the buy
ers were securing the country, the I
question was often asked them, /
S Have you bought lI's wool Z" f" Oh, I
no he has very choice lot, and 1t |
ought TO bring what he asks for it, /
but we are not authorized to pay so
high a price for ANY WOOL, and
the consequence was, he has been
forced to leave in the usual quantity
Of grease and gum to make it nER-
S. ii. Manon, Of Ohio, in an arti-
Gle in the April number Of the Wool
Grower, suggests tho propriety of
shearing without washing, on account
Of injury aud loss of sheep sustained
by him and others from lis Effects
No doubt the loss sustained was
caused by washing, but not necessa-
rlly so. 1t may be accounted tor in
this way; being anxious TO wash
clean, they were kept in the water
too long. Had he followed the .
soaking and warming" process, the
very short time required TO keep them
IN the water would not have produced /
that result.
The practice Of shearing in the
dirt would be liable to serious objec-
lions. BY many the value of the
sheep would be estimated by the
quantity of grease and dirt they would
shear-frauds and receptions would
with greater difficulty be detected
the character of American wool |
would be greatly deprecated, and |
even the extra expense for freight 10
Transporting 10 market would not be
a small item in the account.
But the question is-How should .
Wool be prepared for market? The |
answer may be given,-whelher the |
method first described should be fol- |
lowed, or the usual way of washing
and shearing, there should be unfor-
nifty in doing it in each locality de-
pending upon the same. As the oil
cannot be taken out by the common
method Of washing without injury to .
the sheep they may be considered
clean when the wafer runs clear from
the fleece, and should not (unIess
prevented by bad weather. be allow
ed more than six or eight days be-
fore shearing. In doing up the
fleece, all the washed wool belonging
TO ii should be rolled up in such
manner as to give ii the best appear
ance. There is no fraud in this, as
ii is not only expected but desired
by the purchaser. The practice of |
using an unnecessary lot of Irvine,
because there is prof, in it, or of roll
ling IN manure and filth cannot be
too strongly condemned. Let there
be uniformity in each locality, and a
e L