202 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



ences in this product. Wool is a fiber, much like common 

 hair, and grows in the same manner. On the outside of each 

 wool fiber is a covering of transparent, slightly overlapping 

 scales. Their position has often been compared to the lap- 

 ping of shingles on the roof of a house. The center of the 

 fiber is either hollow or has a porous core. When the wool 

 is dyed, the dye gets under the scales and inside the tube and 

 is absorbed. True hair does not easily take a dye. Frequently 

 hair is found in fleece and is called kemp. Kempy wool is 

 very inferior and cannot be dyed. Wools differ much in 

 length and diameter of fiber. The Merino has the finest 

 wool, and usually the larger the sheep and the more of a mut- 

 ton type, the coarser the fiber. The fine wool is more com- 

 pact over the body than the coarse, long wool. The more 

 dense the fleece, other things being equal, the more it will 

 weigh. A compact fleece also keeps out rain, snow, and dirt 

 better than an open one. The best and longest wool on the 

 body is found over the shoulder and ribs. The back and 

 neck wool also ranks high. That on the belly is very fair 

 but short, while that on the thighs is the poorest. The 

 finest wools are the shortest; and the coarsest, the longest. 

 The fine wool of the Merino is used in making choice dress 

 goods; the fleece of the medium sort, such as the Shropshire 

 produces, makes fine dress goods also ; while the coarse, long, 

 or braid wools are used in making horse blankets, carpets, 

 etc. Wool should be of uniform quality over all the body. 

 Quality is shown in its fineness, softness, uniformity, and 

 color. A clear white, with a shading of creamy color, and 

 with considerable of what is called crimp, is most valued. 

 The crimp in wool is a wavy form like the edge of a very fine- 

 toothed saw, that gives elastic strength to the fiber. The 

 choicest fine and medium wools show more or less of this 

 quality, but in the long, coarse wools, the crimp is long and 



