212 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



No. fi. Chas. J. Webb & Co.. 110 Chostnut st., riiiladcli)liia. Pa. 



No. 7. Louis S. Fiske & Co., 34 So. Front st. and 35 Letitiu st., Philadelphia, Pa. 



No. 8. Alauger & Avery, 504 Atlantic ave., Boston, Mass. 



No. 9. Denny, Rice & Co., 000 to 010 Atlantic ave., Boston, Mass. 



No. 10. Wliitnian, Farnsworlli & Thayer, 118 Federal st., Boston, Mass. 



\\'liile there seems to be some diflerenee of 0])inion in rej^ard to minor points, and 

 while tlie writer could not, in all instances, a^Mce to some statements made, — it will 

 be noticed that there is a general uniformity of opinion tliat Michigan wools might be, — 

 (1) Better grown and (2) More carefully prepared for the market. 



The sooner we, as wool growers, fully appreciate the dilFerence in value to the manu- 

 facturer of wools well grown ami poorly grown, the sooner will all our wools command 

 a better price. 



We must banish forever the idea that condition, quantity, quality and length of 

 staple are all of the important factors affecting its value. But we must give more 

 attention to the growing of wool fibers of great strength. Strength of the wool fiber 

 depends, to a considerable extent, upon the quality of wool or the size of the fibers. 

 The important point, however, in this connection, which we wish to emphasize at this 

 time, is that there is a great difTerence in the relative strength of fibers of the same 

 quality or grade of wool. When a difference of this kind exists it is largely due to the 

 way it has been grown. 



The strongest fiber of wool is produced on sheep when the animal has been supplied 

 with an abundance of nourishing food, at all times throughout the year. 



If, on the contrary, a sheep is poorly nourished, the strength of the wool fiber will 

 sooner or later be seriously affected. If proper cai'e is not continuous throughout the 

 year, and the flock is neglected during some particular period, then a break in the fiber 

 occurs, which greatly weakens the fiber at that particular point. The strengtli of the 

 weakest place in the fiber decid-es the strength of the whole fiber. 



So far as the writer has been able to discover there is no special ration, which, if 

 fed to sheep, will produce wool of great strength, nor can we, at any time, say that 

 any special ration is to be recommended to produce a large quantity of wool. It has 

 often been observed that sheep and lambs that have been on full feed for long periods 

 shear hea\y fleeces of wool. This would indicate that any ration calculated to keep 

 the sheep in a thrifty condition would be a suitable one for growing large quantities of 

 wool. 



From what we have said above, the wool grower will understand that it is highly 

 desirable to provide the sheep proper nourishment throughout the year, permitting no 

 periods of neglect to intervene to destroy the strength of the fibers of the fleece. 

 Liberal and judicious feeding does not change the quality of the wool, but it does 

 afl'ect the strength and the quantity of the wool produced by a given sheep. 



The weight of wool produced is affected both by increasing the length of fiber and by 

 increasing the amount of yolk and natural oil in the fleece. 



MANAGEMENT OF THE FLOCK IN ITS RELATION TO CONDITION OF WOOL. 



The condition of the wool refers to the cleanliness of the fleece, — the absence of all 

 foreign substances, such as sand, burrs, chaff and all other substances looked upon 

 by the wool manufacturer as litter. 



It is not because these naturally light substances affect the weight of the fleece 

 to any considerable extent, that the wool manufacturers so strenuously object to their 

 presence in the fleece, but that they must be removed from the fleece before it is ready 

 for manufacturing purposes and the process of separating these substances from the 

 fleece is not only very tedious but very expensive, and that, as a rule, it cannot be done 

 without more or less injury to the wool fiber. Knowing the above facts, we can easily 

 see how condition affects the price of wool, because it directly affects its value. 



It is not a difficult matter for the wool grower to so manage his flocks that the wool 

 produced by them will be practically free from all litter. He must provide racks for 

 the sheep which will permit them to eat without getting their necks full of chaff, seeds 

 and dust. (It is, of course, unnecessary to mention the old straw stack.) He must 

 keep his farm free from burr-bearing weeds, his flock will keep most other weeds in 

 check. If we needed any proof that the farmers of our country' are negligent about 

 allowing weeds to grow and seed in abimdance on their farms, we could visit some 

 large wool scouring or woolen mill and carefully e.xamine the refuse or waste from the 



