276 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



sisal or binder twine is seriously objected to by dealers and 

 manufacturers because the fibers of the twine shred off and 

 become mixed with the wool and blemish the fabrics made from 

 it. A small, light twine of twisted paper, especially intended 

 for the use of wool growers, is now on the market and should be 

 used exclusively. 



10. Buck fleeces. These contain more grease than other 

 fleeces and hence shrink more in scouring. They should be 

 kept separate. 



11. Black wool. A black fleece packed with white ones 

 is almost certain to contaminate the latter due to some of the 

 black fibers becoming mixed in the white. Black wool should 

 be packed separately. Black fleeces sell at a discount because 

 they are usually not an even black, but contain white, gray, 

 and brown fibers, often more of these than of black. 



12. Cotted or matted fleeces. It is necessary to run these 

 through an opener, which is not done with ordinary wool. 



13. Hand and machine shearing. Machine shearing re- 

 sults in a heavier fleece, longer fibers, and freedom from second 

 cuts. Machine shearing may even result in changing the class 

 from clothing to combing. 



14. Packing wool. Lamb, ewe, and wether fleeces should 

 be packed in separate bags if possible. Lambs' wool is usually 

 more valuable because of lighter shrinkage. Sewing bags with 

 sisal or other unsuitable twine creates a bad impression. The 

 bag should be sewed securely with a stout, hard-finished twine 

 so as not to burst open. 



Marketing wool properly. Poor methods of sheep hus- 

 bandry annually result in the loss of many thousands of dollars 

 to wool growers. Neglect of flocks in winter, filthy conditions 

 of keep, carelessness in handling, weedy pastures, the use of oil 

 paint or tar to mark sheep, failure to separate the tags when the 

 sheep are shorn, and improper tying of fleeces are factors which 

 greatly lessen the returns to wool producers. The loss is large 

 because of the presence in fleeces of seeds, burs, dust, chaff, 

 sand, manure, and other foreign material, and because unneces- 

 sary quantities of unreasonably large twine are used, or because 

 a kind of twine is used that injures the cloth made from the 

 wool. Sometimes there is enough twine around one fleece to 

 tie a half-dozen or more fleeces. Even baling wire has been used 

 in some instances. 



