WOOL-CLASSING 103 



distinction between the various classes. I will give a list of sorts 

 of fleece wool that I have found suitable for the different types 

 of stations in .Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and 

 Queensland. 



I will first take a back-country station where they have the 

 average fine to medium-woolled Merino sheep. By back-country 

 I mean western New South Wales, including Broken Hill, Wil- 

 cannia, and Balranald Districts, also northern South Australia, West 

 Australia, Queensland, and any other places that grow the fine to 

 medium quality Merino wools. 



A. A. Comb. This line consists of all the longest, sound-stapled, light-condi- 

 tioned, bright, and fine fleeces. 



A. Comb. Consists of wool similar to A. A. only heavier in condition, duller, 

 containing more sand or dust, the value about id. or |d. per Ib. below 

 the A.A. 



A. A. Cloth. Consisting of all the short, sound-stapled, light-conditioned, fine- 

 fibred fleeces. 



A. Cloth. Consisting of fleeces similar to the A A. cloth, but containing more 

 yolk, etc., and black-tipped fleeces. 



If a portion of the clip is tender it must be kept separate from 

 the sound wool. Therefore it would be necessary to make another 

 line of it. In some instances, owing to bad seasons, a very large 

 proportion of a clip will be tender. In this case the classer should 

 make it into two lines, though in most cases one line of tender 

 wool will generally be found sufficient. Tender wools could be 

 branded as follows : 



A.A. Fleece. Consisting of all the bright, light-conditioned, and long-stapled 



fleeces. 

 A. Fleece. Consisting of all the heavy-conditioned and dull, tender fleeces. 



The classer will always find a few odd fleeces that will not match 

 with any of the lines I have named. These are put into what is 

 called a cast sort that is, a sort containing all odd fleeces, two 

 years' growth fleeces, etc. I have named all the classes of wool 

 that it is necessary to make on the average fine to medium Merino 

 back-country sheep stations. The classer should remember to 

 make as few sorts as he possibly can, and he will find that 80 per 



