ON SHEEP'S WOOL. Ill 



it, without ever touching it by hand, As the liquor 

 of the bath diminishes, it should be replaced by an 

 eighth of urine at the second and every succeeding ad- 

 dition. It is ascertained by the hand, if the bath is 

 too weak or too strong. 



Q. After the sheep is shorn, what is proper to be 

 done with the fleece ? 



A. It is proper to put it in the air to dry ; the drier 

 it is, the less it is liable to spoil. It is afterwards - 

 spread in such a manner, that the side next to the 

 body of the animal is found underneath, and all the 

 edges are turned back upon the middle of the other 

 or out side ; it is then made into a bundle, and fasten- 

 ed at each end by some part of the wool being drawn 

 out, by which it is tied together. The fleeces being 

 thus disposed, they are put in heaps in a dry place, 

 until the time for selling them. 



Q. Is there wool of a different quality in the same 

 fleece ? 



A. There are only three qualities of wool distin- 

 guished in common fleeces. The mother wool, upon 

 the neck, and shoulders ; the second wool, upon the 

 sides of the body, and upon the thighs ; and the third 

 upon the throat, belly, tail, and legs. The superfine 

 wools deserve more attention : in Spain they divide 

 the fleece into four sorts of wool ; (see plate.) It has 

 been discovered only a short time, that upon the sheep 

 producing superfine wool, near Montbard, the wool 

 of the tail and buttocks only, was of the second qual* 

 ity for fineness ; and the wool on the end of the tail 

 made the third quality. It remains to be known, if 



