TERMS AND MEANINGS 



Alpaca. A small animal somewhat resembling a goat. It grows a long, fine 



wool about 50*5 quality, the colours being mostly black and grey. It is 



a native of South America. 

 Anthrax. A deadly disease which attacks sheep, causing death in a few hours. 



Wool-sorters and others occasionally get this disease through handling 



wools and hairs from infected animals. 

 Back-country. Name given to country in Australia situated far from towns 



and railway termini. Most large sheep-runs are in the back-country. 

 Backwasher. A machine used for washing tops, etc., to remove all impurities, 



It also dries the tops after washing by passing them over steam-heated 



cylinders or perforated cylinders through which hot air is forced. 

 Bale. To facilitate its handling, wool is pressed into bales of about 350 Ib. 



weight each, by means of a wool press. Bales are still further pressed 



before shipping by means of a hydraulic dumping press. 

 Basil. A tanned sheep-skin pelt. The pelts are tanned after the wool is 



removed. Basils are used for cheap boots, gloves, and other articles for 



which a cheap, light leather is required. 

 Bellies. Wool shorn from belly of sheep. Belly wool is packed separately 



from the fleece wool. 

 Botany. The name originally given to wools shipped from Botany Bay, near 



Sydney, New South Wales, but the trade now call any fine Merino wool 



" Botany." 



Bradford. Large English wool-manufacturing town. 

 Break. Referring to a break in the wool caused by sheep being on good and 



bad country alternatively ; when sheep are having a bad time through 



dry weather the wool practically stops growing, but shoots up quickly 



when rain comes, in most cases leaving a " break," or tender part, in the 



staple of the wool. 



Brush. Large bushy tail of the fox. 

 Burring Machine. A machine used by fellmongers for removing burrs and 



other vegetable matter from the wool on sheep-skins. 

 Burry Wool. Wool containing burrs, seeds, and other vegetable matter. 

 Carbonizing. The removal of burrs from wool by immersion in weak solution 



of sulphuric acid. 

 Cast Sort. A lot of wool consisting of odd fleeces and sorts that cannot be 



made into lines on account of the small quantity of each. 



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