The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-06-22
Judging Wool.

MANY farmers have been ANNOYED, when
selling their wool to find that the acute
and practiced eye Of. the wool-buver has
detected the fact that their sheep have
been allowed to run down in condition at
some time during the growth of the fleece.
They are half inclined to think that the
buyer is merely trying to depreciate the
quality ct the wool, SO as to run down the
price. AS matter of fact, however, there
is no defect which renders wool so useless
for certain classes of manufacture as un.s
evenness or. break of continuity in the
thickness of the fiber-and there is no
defect more common, and nothing that,
year by year, touches the sheep grower
more severely in that tender part of his
anatomy, the pocket. However good the
wool in other respects, the keen eye of the
buyer singles out the defective wool, and
down goes the price of it. And it is not
mere fancy that regulates the price, for
the uneven wool will break at the weak
places during the first process OF manu-
facture.
Some persons suppose that this uneven
ness OF fleece is hereditary in certain ami
mals-and perhaps unevenness may lie
made hereditary by generations of ILL
usage and neglect. But as the wool OF an
year, and not 50 in another, it shows that
management has more to do with it than
hcredity.
If sheep are allowed to get into low
condition, are neglected, underfed or not
sheltered properly, the pores of the skin
will contract and the wool that issues will
be of very fine fiber. As soon as the ami
NAL RECEIVERS vigorous condition the
pores again open, and longer and
stronger fiber grows out. The wool is
thus weaker in one place than in places
on each side of 1t, and breaks at the weak
place on the slightest strain. Nothing in
duces uncvenness more easily or surely
than want of water. 1t is a common no
ton that sheep can do without water, or
very little. If supplied with roots daily
they will not want much water, but it is
well, and humane, too, that water should
always be in their reach.
Not only is it important that the fiber
should be even, but the fleece throughout
should be even as regards length, soft
ness, density and tineness. A practiced
wool-buyer gives the following descrip-
ton OF the way an expert examines a
fleece: Always, assuming that the wool to
be inspected is really a fine wool, we first
examine the shoulder at the part where the
finest and best wool is usually found. This
we take as to the standard, and COM
pare it with, in turn, the wool from
the ribs, the thigh, the rump and
the hinder parts; and the nearer the wool
from these various portions of the animal
approaches the standard, the better. First,
we scrutinize the tineness; and if the re-
suit be satisfactory, we pronounce the
fleece, in respect to tineness, very "even.''
Next we inquire into the length of the
staple; and if we find that the wool on the
ribs, thigh and back, approximates rea-
sonably in length to that of our standard,
we again declare the sheep, as regards
length of staple, true and even. We next
desire to satisfy ourselves of the density
of the fleece; and we do this by closing
the hand upon a portion of the rump and
of the loin wool, the fleece at these points
being usually the thinlest, and faulty;
and if this again give satisfaction, we sig
nifty the fact by designating the wool
"even" as respects density. Now to sum-
Marie these separate examinations; II
you find the fleece of nearly equal tinencss
from the shoulder to the thigh; of nearly
equal length at the shoulder, rib, thigh
and back; and of equal density at the
shoulder and across the loins-you may
conclude that you have nearly perfect
sheep.-70ronto Globe.