480 BRITISH HUSBANDRY. [Ch. XXXlX. 



protection. The sliepherds in that country have, indeed, an excellent plan 

 of teaching a few weddets to obey their call and follow them ; by which 

 means, as the whole flock follow their leader, they are governed with extra- 

 ordinary facility, and without any of that violence which is here so fre- 

 quently displayed. They indeed answer to their name, as alluded to in the 

 Scriptures*, and are generally rewarded with a handful of salt ; but any 

 sheep may be thus taught by feeding it with the hand when a lamb, and it 

 certainly would be a judicious mode were it generally adopted. 



THE WOOL 



of the long-woolled breeds of sheep is termed " combing," and that of the 

 short-woolled " carding ;" in consequence of the different methods em- 

 ployed in its manufacture. The former — which is chiefly used in the fabri- 

 cation of baize, flannel, carpets, and other coarse goods — being passed 

 through combs made with upright s^teel teeth, the object of which is to 

 separate the fdaments and assort them evenly for tlie purpose of being 

 spun; while that engaged in the finer fabrics of cloth is pulled crosswise 

 between boards, called cards, furnished with crooked teeth of wire, which 

 break it minutely into long rolls, or " rovels," that are spun in a pecu- 

 liar manner. 



When their properties are described, the filaments of both are denomi- 

 nated tiie " pile ;" the fineness of which consists in the diameter of their 

 fibre f , while their length and strength constitute the " staple,'' and their 

 serrated roughness denotes that " felting'' quality so well known to clothiers 

 as a material advantage in matting the cloth under the fulling mill. Besides 

 this latter property — which is peculiar to the short-woolled breeds — the 

 more free the wool may be from " kemps," or hairs, and the more soft, 

 pliable, and elastic it is, the more will it be esteemed. It should, also, 

 be as uniformly white and free from stain as possible. The chief points 

 to be considered in its choice are, therefore — 



The^reecZow of the pile from those kemps, or " stichel hairs," which 

 are short, brittle, pointed, of a brownish colour, and more generally 

 found in the inferior breeds. Its colour, also, and its uniform regu- 

 larity of strength throughout the fibre. 



The length of staple, as constituting the particular uses to which 

 the wool is to be applied ; namely, if long, for combing : if short and 

 curly, for carding. 



Its softness and elasticity ; without the union of which it is of no use 

 in the manufacture of fine cloth. 



Its felting j^roperfy ; which is described, by an eminent writer on 

 the subject, " as a tendency in the pile, when submitted to a moderate 

 heat, combined with moisture, to cohere together, and form a compact 

 and pliable substance. J" 

 Not only does the wool thus vary in its properties, but each fleece con- 

 tains portions of a different quality, which are separated from each other by 

 an intermediate dealer, who acts between the breeder and the manufacturer 

 as a wool-stapler. It is a business requiring great nicety of discrimination ; 

 for although, when first shorn, the fleece is only usually divided into three 

 kinds, namely — the '' prime," which is separated from the neck and back ; 

 the " seconds," obtained from the tails and legs; and the "thirds," taken 



* '-The sheep hear his vuice, and he calleth his own sheup by name." — John x. 3. 



t On this subject tbe reader is referred to some curious and very interesting matter 

 in No. 3 of the •' History of Sheep," now pnbUshing by Mr. Youatt, under the super- 

 intendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge. — Farmer's Series^ No. 71. 



I Luccock, '• On the Nature and Properties of Wool," p. 161, 



