CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOL 77 



stance, the wool fibers in an animal in lean condition may 

 be longer relatively than those possessed by one in good 

 condition. Nature in this way makes provision for the 

 protection of the animal. Length of staple may be in- 

 creased through selection in breeding, backed up by lib- 

 eral feeding, but in all breeds there is a limit in the length 

 of the wool fibers beyond which it may not be desirable 

 to go, just as there is a limit in size which it may not be 

 desirable to exceed. 



Thickness or density in wool Thickness or density in 

 wool has reference to the number of the fibers that grow 

 on a given area of body surface. The density of the wool 

 has also a bearing on its elasticity. Other things being 

 equal, the more dense it is the more elastic will it be ; that 

 is, the greater will be the rebound when pressure is re- 

 moved from it. Usually there is a relation between the 

 coarseness or fineness of the fiber and the number of the 

 fibers ; as a rule the coarser the fiber, the smaller the num- 

 ber of the fibers, and vice versa. Thickness or density in 

 the fibers has an important bearing on the weight of the 

 fleece. The larger the number of the wool fibers, other 

 things being equal, the heavier will be the weight of the 

 fleece. It also exercises an important influence in pro- 

 tecting the animal from injury by rain or sleet storms. 

 The density of the wool accounts in part at least for the 

 superior hardihood of the American Merino. The more 

 dense the wool, the more perfect is the protection thus 

 furnished. 



The variations in the density of wool are very consid- 

 erable. Some of the finest grades of Saxony wool measure 

 i-2,oooth of an inch. In growing wool the aim should be 

 to secure as much of density as possible without hinder- 

 ing development in other directions. Up to a certain 

 limit there would seem to be no antagonism between 

 density and length; nevertheless, the fact remains that 

 the most dense wools are of short fiber and the least dense 

 wools are of long fiber. 



