58 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



raddle, are removed and placed by themselves. The next thing 

 is to take off the stained britch wool. This portion of the fleece 

 is stained by urine and it will not scour white, consequently this 

 class of wool can only be used for goods that are to be dyed a 

 very dark shade. Stained wool is of less value than any other 

 portion of the fleece. In most cases it is taken off by the wool 

 rollers or skirters on the sheep station, at shearing time ; but in 

 some instances, especially in farmers' clips, it is very often left on, 

 and has to be removed by the wool-sorter ; the stained wool is 

 generally the coarsest portion of the fleece. When the sorter 

 has taken the stained wool off the britch, he removes any dags 

 from it, and places the wool with stained wools of the same 

 quality. The usual sorts of stained wool that are made by top- 

 makers, etc., are as follows : 



Merino Stained Comb. Consisting of all Merino stained wools of 6o's 



quality. 

 Fine Cross-bred Stained Comb. Consisting of all stained comb wools of 



5o's and 56*5 quality. 

 Medium Stained Comb. Consisting of all stained comb wools of 50*8 



quality. 



Coarse Stained Comb. Consisting of stained wool of 46*5 quality. 

 Lincoln Stained Comb. All Lincoln stained wool of 40*3 and 36*5 quality. 



The sorter will then remove all the burry portions of the fleece, 

 which are usually confined to the edges of it. The burry wool 

 is sometimes sorted into two sorts light burry and heavy burry 

 though in many places all the burry wools are kept together. 

 The heavy burry portions of the fleece consist of the arm piece, 

 as the wool running down the fore-leg is called, and all the extreme 

 edges of the fleece, where the burr and dirty yolky ends are 

 always the heaviest ; this heavy burry wool is then graded into 

 its various qualities. 



The light burry wool is next skirted off and also graded into 

 its various qualities ; the remaining portion of the fleece should be 

 all good, clear fleece wool, free from burr, brands, and stained 

 wool. This is also graded into its different qualities. The finest 

 and best wool comes off the shoulders and along the sides of the 



