SHEEP AND WOOL. 163 



CLASSIFYING WOOL. The illustration shows the 

 different parts or sections of a fleece. Sections 1 and 2 

 have the finest, longest, and strongest wools; sections 3 

 and 12 short but close ; 4, somewhat longer, but a shade 

 lower than 3 ; 5 and 6, good ; 8, lower still, and called the 

 britch or breech ; 7, good length, but rather lower in 

 quality than 1 and 2 ; 9, shorter, and loses vitality as 

 compared with better parts; 10, short, and generally 

 frowsey ; 11, shorter than 12 ; 13, the cap, dry and harsh ; 

 14, fribby and of little value; 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 

 constitute the skirt. 



Combing and Other Wools. The difference between 

 combing, clothing, and other wools is comparatively in the 

 length of staple. A combing wool is seldom less than 1$ 

 inch. A desirable arrangement or classification may be 

 made as follows : 1st. Super-combing from fleeces that 

 have a soft, silky appearance, strong and dense in the 

 staple, a considerable length and very bright. 2nd. First 

 combing from fleeces not so silky and dense in the staple, 

 but strong and bright. 3rd. Second combing, coarse long 

 wool, handling rather harshly. 4th. First clothing 5th. 

 Second clothing. 6th. Dingy : that is, sandy, stained and 

 cotty fleeces. 



