DEFECTS OF WOOL. 153 



broad masses or " tops," and when one endeavors to part these to 

 examine the wool, the mass is found to be almost felted together, 

 and must he torn apart. This matted wool is dead, and breaks off 

 in the process of manufacture, causing very great loss of material. 



Felty Wool is that which has a tendency to felt together on the 

 sheep's back. The defect is caused by an absence of yolk, and in 

 highly yolked sheep, by a continued wet season, which washes 

 the yolk from the fleece. It is a direct result of low condition 

 from poor feed, or of chronic ill health. Some sheep are consti- 

 tutionally subject to "felty wool," and should be weeded out of 

 the flock. 



Cloudy Wool is that which adheres together from the bottom of 

 the fleece upwards, but not in so great a degree as in felty wool. 

 A flossy appearance is discovered at the bottom of the staple, 

 which is removed by the comb. In clothing wools this is not so 

 objectionable as in combing wools ; in the latter the floss is thrown 

 out and becomes waste. This is also a constitutional defect, and 

 sheep so affected should be weeded out of an otherwise good flock. 



Kemp is very easily detected, and although it may be found in 

 but a few spots at first sight, it indicates that it exists all through 

 the fleece. It consists of coarse, white hairs, projecting from the 

 surface of the fleece, on the face, the forearm, the inside of the 

 flank, and in rams on the scrotum also. Whenever it is apparent 

 in these places, it will invariably be found through the greater 

 part of the fleece, chiefly on the whole of the belly, half-way up 

 the sides, on the rump, thighs, and shoulder. In these places, 

 short white hairs will be found in the staple, at the roots of the 

 wool ; and as these hairs will not take any dye, they injure the 

 fleece for the manufacture of dress goods or fine cloths. Kemp 

 lessens the value of the wool nearly or quite one-half, and should 

 make a breeding animal worth no more than its weight as mutton. 

 On some heavily wrinkled Merino sheep, these kempy hairs may 

 be seen on the edges of the wrinkles, and on the back of the head, 

 but nowhere else. But it is even then a fatal objection to such 

 sheep as breeders, for this is kemp, and may appear in all the pro- 

 duce of such sheep, and there can be no certainty but some of the 

 produce may be badly affected. 



Break in wool renders the fleece absolutely worthless for any 

 combing purpose, and however fine the staple, or otherwise good 

 in quality, it can only then be manufactured into a class of goods 

 for which inferior wool is used. It is exactly what its name im- 

 plies. When a breachy staple is taken and stretched, it parts with 



