82 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



commercial value. Many topmakers have reduced this blending 

 and cheapening of tops to a fine art. For this reason a good 

 many spinners like to see the wool in the grease and get their tops 

 made from it. 



Reliable wool-combers will show their clients the sorted lines 

 of wool in the grease, and comb the tops from the line they 

 select. 



Super 6o's or 64's tops are made from wool of even quality and 

 length, while a common 6o's would consist of wools of uneven 

 length and in some cases uneven quality as well, such as a 58*5 

 and 64's quality wool blended together, the blend resulting in a 

 top which would be about 6o's quality. 



YARNS. 



I will name a few of the principal yarns that are spun from tops 

 and used in the Bradford trade. 



i. Super Botany Weft Yarns. These yarns are made from 

 Australian superfine wool, such as is grown in the Western District 

 of Victoria and Tasmania and other favoured parts of Australia. 

 You will seldom find wool in any other part of the world to equal 

 that grown in the districts I have named. Some years ago a 

 Merino wool grown at Ercildoune, near Ballarat, by the late Sir 

 Samuel Wilson, was so fine that it would spin i6o's. The top lots of 

 this wool brought 53. per Ib. in 1880. Mount Bute, another sheep 

 station owned by the same owner, produced wool similar to that 

 grown at Ercildoune. The finest wool obtainable in Australia at 

 the present time would not spin more than no's or I2o's. Most 

 evening dress suits and frock-coats are made from Super Botany 

 weft yarns. The qualities in this yarn would vary from yo's 

 to no's. 



Cashmere Weft Yarns. These yarns are spun from tops 

 varying from 5o's to 90*5 quality. In this class of yarn tops of, 

 say, 6o's quality are often used that would not spin that number of 

 counts. When cashmere yarn is spoken of it is generally under- 

 stood to mean a yarn from 6o's to 64's quality. In the textile 



