WOOL AND WOOL STAPLING, ETC. 423 



statement, giving a view of the advantages which might be 

 derived from the general introduction of the staphng of 

 wool into Scotland, with a proposal of an eligible method 

 of accomplishing that object. Between that date and 1809, 

 six papers were rewarded with prizes ; and in 18 10, the full 

 premium was voted to an essay by the Rev. Dr Singers. 

 The Directors instructed a digest of the whole to be pre- 

 pared for the Transactions, and it appeared in the fourth 

 volume of the first series. This duty was performed by Dr 

 Singers. Besides an interesting introduction, the work was 

 divided into three heads : r. On the requisites for, and 

 mode of, stapling or assorting wool ; 2. On the present 

 state of the trade in wool in Scotland ; 3. On the best 

 mode of introducing the stapling of wool into Scotland. 

 Under the first head, the report stated that ' stapling, or 

 sorting of wool, is of the greatest utility and advantage to 

 the manufacture of woollen cloth, as it is the first operation. 

 Wool grows upon the sheep in a regular degree of coarse- 

 ness from the head to the hip ; and in the finest parcel of 

 wool, there is always some coarser than others. By stap- 

 ling, the fleece is divided into five or six different parts, 

 which ought all to differ in fineness by a regular gradation. 

 According to this plan, every fleece gets its place according 

 to its fineness ; and every part of the fleece according to 

 its quality.' After describing the process of stapling, 

 the report proceeds : ' The first great advantage is the 

 taking the fine wool out of the coarse ; it is like taking 

 silver out of lead. The coarse wool is nothing worse for 

 the fine being taken out of it, but manufactures equally 

 well. The fine, on an average, is worth five or six times 

 the value of the wool out of which it was taken (pound for 

 pound) ; and numbers one and two of assorted wool are 

 worth more than all the rest. The consequence is, that the 

 wool, by stapling, becomes more than doubly valuable.' 



The Society, anxious to have the effect of this measure 

 tried by practical experiment, offered in 1818 a premium of 

 one hundred guineas to the wool-stapler who should first 

 establish himself in Scotland, betwixt and the ist day of 

 January 1820, in a situation to be approved by the Direc- 



