200 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



one animal. The medium- wool breeds vary in length of staple 

 from 2 to 5 inches, while the long-wool breeds vary from 5 to 

 12 inches. 



The yolk is a variable feature and a highly important one. 

 It is secreted by glands in the skin, and passes out over the 

 fibers, giving them an oily coating that is valuable because it 

 makes the wool soft, protects and preserves the fibers, and, by 

 causing the fibers to lie even and regular, insures against mat- 

 ting, or "cotting," of the fleece. A plentiful supply of yolk also 

 tends to prevent the entrance of dust, chaff, and other foreign 

 material into the fleece. Incidentally, the yolk adds weight 

 to the wool, although an excessive amount of oil that merely 

 adds weight to the fleece is not desirable. The yolk should be 

 in a fluid condition and should be uniformly distributed through- 

 out the fleece from skin to tip of fiber. It should not be so 

 abundant as to collect in drops in the fleece, nor should any 

 flakes of dried yolk be in evidence. 



The fineness of fiber, from the earliest days of wool grow- 

 ing, has been esteemed one of the most important requirements 

 of wool. It varies a great deal among the breeds of mutton 

 sheep, and also among the individuals within a breed. It is 

 not expected that the mutton type will produce a fiber with 

 the high degree of fineness shown by the Merinos, yet as much 

 fineness is wanted as may be had without sacrifice of weight or 

 quantity of fleece. The crimp, or waved condition, of wool 

 furnishes an easy and accurate measure of fineness. All wool 

 is more or less crimped, and it is a fact that the finest wools are 

 finely crimped, that is, have a large number of crimps per inch, 

 while the coarsest wools are almost devoid of crimp, being lashy 

 or broadly waved. The crimp of the medium- wool fleece should 

 be fine, pronounced, and uniform from skin to tip of fiber. A 

 .single fleece yields several sorts of wool, differing considerably 

 in fineness. The finest wool grows on the belly, shoulders, and 

 back; that next in fineness, on the neck, breast, and along the 

 sides, while the coarsest wool is found on the thighs and lower 

 parts of the legs. 



Wool that has softness, yet is firm and elastic, is far more 

 valuable than that which is dry, stiff, and harsh. On the other 

 hand, mushy wool having a soft, lifeless feel with no recoil when 

 handled is very often lacking in strength. Softness depends 

 upon fineness of fiber and amount of yolk. Ill health, exposure 

 to rough weather, or lack of feed results in loss of softness. 



