El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-26
By
Frank G. Carpenter
CCopyright, 1st<. by Frank
G. CarpenterO

out over the country educational ex-
hibits illustrating sheep and wool. anf
with them are lectures who are urg-
ing the farmers to increase their num-
Der Of sheep. We have experiment
stations for the studying Of sheer
management IN Maryland and Yer
mont. and in Fremont county. Idaho
there is sheep farm Of 10000 acres
which Is experimenting on a. large
scale The bureau of animal industry
has a flock OF 1000 ewes on that sta
ton. and this number viii be in
creased as rapidly as possible It is
especially desired that the farmers
east of the Missouri river raise more
sheep. The experts say that q, 900,
geo more ewes can be kept there at a
profit and that II this is done il will
greatly help the meat supply for our
selves and our allies. II will also add
200. 100000 pounds more wool to our
annual clip.
As it is now. the United States wool
product is several hundred million
pounds short every year. In 1915 we
imported 30S. 900. 600 pounds. and we
have now the additional needs Of our
army How can they he supplied In
the past we have imported e great
deal Of wool from Australia This
supply was cut off in 1915 when the
British government put an embargo
on all wool shipments from there to
this country.
I understand that 100, O00. 600 pounds
have now been released and that the
embargo may be raised as FAR as we
are concerned The Pacific shipping
facilities are not good. however. ow-
ing 10 the need Of vessels for the At
iantic service, and we shall probably
have to rely upon getting most OF our
wool from Argentina The product Of
that country is OF the lower grades,
and It cannot replace the fine Aus
tralian wool.
Many Grades of Wool.
Il will surprise some TO know that
there is as much difference in the hair
= hich grows on a sheep as that which
grows on man Some races OF men
have fine silky hair. others have hair
that is coarse. straight and why. and
the negro. 4 baby's hair is fine. and
l. Grows coarser as the child grows
older. II is the same with sheep.
Lambs wool is finer than Sleeps
wool. and the wool on sheep varies
according to the breeds or families to
which they belong.
Woods are also different according
20 the wave or curl in them and in GER
tain other things that fit them for
weaving. To the naked eye merinO
wool as il comes from the sheep seems
to be made OF fine curly hair They
are so 1ine that 10000 OF them are
grown at a space the size OF n silver
quarter. and so fine that a pound can
be spun into a thread 100 miles long.
It is only by putting the fsbers IN
der a microscope that you can see
how they differ from hairs. Enlarged
10 the size Of a lead pencil you observe
that each is covered with sharp scales.
which overlap one another like those
OF a flash The scales are so close
together that there are several thou
sands Of them on a single inch Of the
fiber. These scales are found on all
wool. and il is the scales that enable
the wool TO be woven They interlock
so that the fiberS of which the cloth
Is composed cling closely together. It
is this character Of the fiber. its
length. its curl and other things af-
fecting the weaving which have TO do
with the value of the wool
There is a difference in the woods Of
sheep Of the same breed. according to
y here they are found Just now some
OF the finest wool of the world is the
merino raised on the high dry lands
of Australia and South Africa The
sheep Of Algeria and Morocco grow
excsllent wool. and so also do those of