The Nome daily nugget., 1934-12-24

By 1910, just two centuries after the sheep arrived from England, there were 100000 sheep grazing over the settled area of eastern United States. Four years afterward there were 10,0OO,OO0. About this time foreign wool flooded the United States markets and the wool indus try was as hard-hit as other indus tries, In the panic of 1919.
 As large American cities and towns took form, demand for home spun waned and factory-made wool ems took their place. Prices paid for wool by manufacturers encour- aged sheep raising so that by 1840 the range of the animals had spread from the Atlantic to every state east of the Mississippi, as well as to Missouri and Louisiana.
 With the western migration in the middle-of the last century went sheep. By 1860, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas, Call. fornia and the areas that now are Oregon and Arizona, joined the wool growing reg ons. Two decades later, there was not a state in the Union that did not have sheep popula- ton of at least 5000. By 1883 the national flock" had grown to more than 50,OOO,OOO.
 ch nf world owe at least partially their discovery and growth, for these ani- mals often have been the compan- ions of pioneers. Magellanes (for- merly Punta Arenas), Chile. the southernmost city of South America, was saved by the fleecy animals. The city was an important coaling and ship supply station for craft doubl- ing Cape Horn before the compile l tion of the Panama canal. The canal stripped 1t of former prestige, and even many of It's staunchest citi- zens prophesied its doom. Smart business men, however, saw the pos abilities of sheep industry on the surrounding mainland and nearby islands, and turned their faces from the sea to the land for their liveli- hood. Thanks to sheep, Magellanes still is thriving port.
 How Pieces Are Handled.
 While, in few remote regions of the United States, homespun is worn, factories have almost entirely erased the home industry from this country. One of the several hun dred modern American manufactur- ing companies normally operates 60 wool mills that employ 10000 work CTS. A display of one company re- gently included $500 different styles of wool fabrics. Wool greatly differs in quality. The same breed of sheep In the same country may produce different qualities of wool. The best wool grows on a sheep's shoulders and sides.
 When a sheep Is sheared the fleece holds together. The whole fleece then Is tied and with other com .plete fieeces Is placed for shipment in bags containing from 100 to 300 pounds each.
 At the factory expert workmen sort the wool. Some sorting tables are covered with wire netting through which dust and other loose foreign matter falls while the sort. CTS tear the fleeces apart. In some wool-growing countries wool is washed before 1t Is sheared from the sheep. Unwashed feeces con- tain grease from the skins of the animals. After sorting, the wool is secured by passing 1t through se- ries of vats of warm, soapy water. From the washers 1t Is conveyed to drying rooms and thence to card ing rooms where 1t begins the jour ney that ends in woolen cloth and other woolen products. Worsted fabrics are made of yarn whose fibers are parallel, while woolens are made of nbers crossed and mixed.
 Wool Is constantly moving in com merce. Although the United States normally produces about one-tenth of the worlds annual wool clip, 1t Is only little more than half of the wool required by American cloth and carpet manufacturer. American manufacturers call upon the wool growers of Australia. Ar gentina, Uruguay, South Africa. China. England, and many less ,m- portant wool producing countries fer additional raw material. England is the leading importer of wool, for most of the export wool from all the leading wool producing regions of the globe Is shipped to British markets. Much of 1t Is reshipped to other countries. London is the largest wool market of the world.