SOMETHING ABOUT WOOL 327 



of the heavy sort frequently scours out 65 per cent. Wool 

 buyers do not like to purchase fleeces heavily saturated with 

 yolk on account of this loss. The yolk should be evenly 

 distributed through the fleece, and preferably be of a light 

 creamy or white color. 



The grading of wool refers to the process of examining 

 each fleece and assigning it a place with other wool of the 

 same kind. After being removed from the sheep on the 

 farm, the fleece in America is usually placed in large burlap 

 sacks, holding from 200 to 400 pounds, according to the kind 

 of fleece, Merino being the heaviest. These sacks are shipped 

 to the wool warehouse, where they are opened by ripping 

 the seam on one side, and the fleeces graded. A man usually 

 stands at a small table, with a number of large baskets on 

 wheels ranged before him. A helper takes the fleeces from 

 the wool sack and places them on the table before the grader, 

 who looks them over rapidly, and then throws each into a 

 basket along with others of the same grade. The contents 

 of each basket is placed in a separate pile with other wool 

 of its kind, where it is left for examination by the buyer. 



The market classification of wool. Commercial wool is 

 graded into three great classes, namely: 



(1) Clothing wool, of short, fine staple; 



(2) Combing wool, somewhat coarser than clothing, and 

 ranging from two to eight inches long, and 



(3) Carpet and knitting wools, which are coarse and long. 

 Clothing wools are short, being two inches or less in 



length, and are put through a carding process owing to their 

 shortness. When thus handled the fibers lie interlaced in 

 various directions. These wools are of fine grade, with con- 

 siderable crimp, matting, and felting together. Combing 

 wools usually are two and one half inches long, or more. In 

 these the fibers are combed out parallel with one another 

 preparatory to being spun into yarn. Carpet and knitting 

 wools are of combing length, and are used in making the 



