70 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



burrs and seeds are knocked off, they fall into trays made to hold 

 them. Another method of removing burrs from short wool is by 

 carbonizing that is, the immersion of the wool in a weak solution 

 of sulphuric acid of 6 to 9 Twaddle and then drying in a 

 temperature of 180 F., after which the burrs can be beaten out in 

 the form of dust. Sometimes woollens are carbonized in the 

 piece that is, after the wool has been woven into material. 



The next process is oiling the wool. Without oil the wool 

 would be inclined to fly, and would lack the necessary flexibility 



[From " Textiles," by kind permission of A. F. Barker, Esq. 



STAGES IN WOOLLEN YARN SPINNING. 



A. Wool to be blended with cotton (B). 



C. Blend of oiled wool from Fearnought. 



D. Blend from Scribbler. 



E. Blend in rope-like form from intermediate card. 



F. Condensed slivers. 



G. Mule-spun thread. 



for the carding and spinning operations. Olive oil is the best for 

 this purpose, but many manufacturers use cheaper oils. 



The wool is usually blended after oiling. This is done in a 

 special room called the blending room. 



Blending is one of the very important processes in woollen 

 manufacturing, as the cost and appearance of the finished material 

 depend on the manner in which the wool is blended. It is here 

 that wools of various colours are mixed together ; for instance, the 

 grey colour of most woollens is obtained by blending together a 



