woo 



WOR 



523 



" The felting of wool or hair, is 

 an effect resulting from the exter- 

 nal conformation of their fibres, 

 which appear to be formed either 

 of small lamina placed over each 

 other, in a slanting direction from 

 the root towards the end or point 

 of each fibre, like the scales offish 

 lying one over the other in succes- 

 sion from the head to the tail; or 

 of zones placed one upon another, 

 as in the horns of animals ; from 

 which structure each fibre, if drawn 

 from its root towards its point, will 

 pass smoothly through the fingers, 

 but if it be drawn in a contrary di 

 rection from the point towards the 

 root, a sensible resistance and tre- 

 mulous motion will be felt by the 

 fingerst This peculiar conforma- 

 tion disposes the fibres to catch hold 

 of each other ; and as they cannot 

 recede when acted upon by other 

 bodies, they naturally advance by 

 a progressive motion from the root 

 towards the end." — See Ann* de 

 Chymie, tom. VI. p. 300, &c. 



The hairs of wool, when card- 

 ed and spun, are laid in every di- 

 rection, and when they are com- 

 pressed and agitated, this disposi- 

 tion to catch each other, and move 

 from the point to the root, must in- 

 evitably bring the whole mass clo- 

 ser together. This is the case when 

 cloth is fulled or milled, by which 

 it is shortened both in length and 

 breadth. Not being perfectly sa- 

 tisfied with the account given by 

 M. Monge, 1 adopted a very sim- 

 ple experiment to ascertain its 

 truth. 1 took a staple of coarse 

 wool, of considerable length, with 

 the hairs lying regularly in one di- 

 rection. At the distance of an inch 



from each end, I made a tight liga- 

 ture with a thread. I measured 

 the middle of the staple between 

 each end, and then proceeded to 

 mill it, by compressing it in my 

 hand in a solution of soap and warm 

 water. I continued the operation 

 until each end of the staple beyond 

 the thread was felted into a hard 

 knob, or button, which could not 

 be separated by the fingers. The 

 middle of the staple remained un- 

 felted, the hairs quite distinct from 

 each other; and it was not in the 

 least shortened in the process, ei- 

 ther in the wet state or when dried. 

 In the middle part of the staple, 

 between the two threads, the hairs 

 were kept in the same direction 

 by being tied, and could not acquire 

 the retrograde motion, or adiiere 

 by the surfaces catching hold of 

 each other. The hairs at the end 

 of the staple being at liberty to 

 double and move in different di- 

 rections, were soon felted together 

 into a smooth and round knob, in 

 which the ends or points of the 

 wool were entirely buried. 



See Hints to Wool Growers, 

 Agricultural Repository, Vol. IV. 

 page 57. Likewise a paper on 

 " British Wool," &c. in the same 

 work, vol. IV. page 145, and Luc- 

 cock's Essay on Wool, 



WORMS, a well known species 

 of insects. 



Fields and gardens are often in- 

 fested by worms. The best anti- 

 dotes are, dressings of sea-manures, 

 wetting the ground with sea-water. 

 Soot, lime, and ashes sprinkled on 

 the ground, oppose their ravages. 

 The refuse brine of salted meat, 

 or water in which walnut leaves 



