16 



That for the fine classes of goods the wools have to be imported, but for the 

 coarser clothings, blankets, etc., for which there is a large and growing market, 

 our Canadian wools cannot be outclassed. The rapid growth of some of our estab- 

 lishments manufacturing such goods and using Canadian wool only is sufficient 

 proof of this. The "Cornwall" blanket, which had a world-wide reputation for 

 its quality was made entirely of Canadian wool and would still be famous but for 

 the use of cheaper materials. 



The question of breeds of sheep and kinds of wool is not so important as the 

 proper care of the wool while it is on the sheep and at shearing time; uses can be 

 found for the wool from every breed of sheep, provided it is properly cared for. In 

 many cases the weeds are not combatted and the sheep are allowed to wander all 

 over the farm, gathering up burrs and bootjacks as trophies. After these, too, often 

 comes a straw or hay stack, which adds its quota of foreign material to the wool. 



While many provide proper places and. take care of their sheep, a great many 

 more do not. In many cases the sheep are underfed during the winter, which causes 

 them to lose flesh. When this occurs, a weak spot in the wool fibre can be found 

 which detracts greatly from its value as the wool will become clotted and will not 

 divide, making it impossible to properly comb or card it. To provide wool of good 

 quality, the sheep must be kept in clean quarters and fed well enough to be in a 

 healthy condition. 



Breeds should not be crossed, as it produces a nondescript wool which is not 

 well suited for any particular purpose and consequently is not very marketable. 

 Excessive inbreeding or anything which weakens the constitution of the flock will 

 have a bad effect on the quality of the wool. 



Though the producer may not always take proper care of the wool while it is 

 on the sheep, there should be no excuse for not delivering it in better shape. A 

 great many fleeces are rolled up without being trimmed in any way, including all 

 the burrs and dirt which they originally contained. Too often the fleece is tied up 

 with binder twine and it is next to impossible to prevent strands of the hemp from 

 being mixed with the wool. This vegetable material will not take the dye whicli 

 is used for the wool, and it therefore detracts greatly from the value of any piece 

 of cloth into which it happens to find its way. The manufacturer prefers to obtain 

 unwashed wool, as he has to furnish machinery for washing and scouring anyway 

 and they do it more thoroughly than the farmer can do it with the means at his 

 disposal. It is also better for the sheep as there is no delay in shearing due to 

 waiting for warmer water. 



The producer, however, is not altogether to blame; the practice of selling to 

 jinall dealers is a great drawback. They pay an average price, and if a man has 

 only a small quantity, no matter what the quality, he cannot command any higher 

 price. Too often the dealers cannot distinguish between the various wools, and 

 oases are on record where they have l)ought unwashed wool for washed wool. 



There is now some encouragement for the farmer to take better care of the 

 wool, but he must in most cases change his system of marketing to obtain the full 

 benefit which might be obtained by taking better care of his product. There is no 

 money in it under the system of marketing generally practiced unless he produces 

 sufficient to attract a manufacturer. There is no business in Ontario where the in- 

 experienced middleman is doing more harm than in the wool business. The farmer.* 

 should deal directly with the consumer or large wool merchant. This is being done 

 in some districts. Around Lindsay, where the producers have been selling directly 

 to the manufacturers according to quality, the standard of wools has risen consider- 

 ably. The small dealer.*; sell by bulk and no large dealer can afford to gire them 



