5^3 



amongst lambs had not been known for 50 years. This has led to 

 an enormous rise in the price of Cheviot lamb's wool. 



How Wool is prepared for Market in Great Britain. - 



Monthly Consular and Trade Reports, No. 346, p. 115. Wash- 

 ington, July 1909. 



Consul Frederick I. Bright, of Huddersfield, furnishes the fol- 

 lowing from the Yorkshire Post, prepared by a well-known wool 

 expert, as illustrating the pains taken by British producers to meet 

 the demands of their foreign customers and showing American 

 sheep farmers how the English prepare their wool for market : 



It is a well-known fact that the Americans are by far the best 

 customers to the English and Irish farmers when their wool is bred 

 and got up in a suitable style. It should be tub-washed with 

 2 pounds common soda to i pound soft soap, renewed each 20 

 sheep. As much as possible oi the liquor should be kept from 

 beginning to end, as the grease from the sheep improves the wash. 

 In case of a large quantity of sheep two tubs should be used, lad- 

 ing off the liquor when the sediment is settled. 



After leaving the tub the sheep should be put through a stream 

 of clear water while wet or rinsed well with hose or watering can 

 and run on grass as much as possible foj 6 to 8 days. In hous- 

 ing the sheep for the night bed with green rye, nettles or bean 

 straw. When clipped, care should be taken in winding, by placing 

 the best wool outside that is, the breast and shoulders. Wind 

 the fleeces 24 to 28 inches long, neatly and securely tieing in the 

 center with twisted wool. Pack in a chamber clear of corn and 

 chaff. Sheet well down. 



The following breeds are the best for the American markets: 

 Lincolns crossed by Wensleydales for bright wools. The same 

 ewes crossed by Oxfords, Hampshire, or Shropshire Downs are the 

 best class of halfbreds. 



The farmer, by paying attention to the above conditions, will 

 find he will be rewarded by making at least a profit of 100 per 

 cent on his small extra outlay. 



A. M. WRIGHT. Absorption of atmospheric moisture by 



wools. (Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 28, 1909, N. 19, pp. 1020- 

 1022); E. S. -R. Washington, March 1910. 



The purpose of this investigation was to determine under what 

 conditions wool absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, and what 

 constituents cause it to absorb relatively large amounts. 



