120 JUDGING SHEEP 



and medium delaine, and there are all three grades of 

 combing wools. These terms relating to the grades are 

 used to designate certain size of fiber. No exact measure^ 

 ment limits the arrangement of it, but yet they are so 

 defined that one can readily tell them after becoming ac- 

 quainted with them in practice. 



172. Crimp. All wool is more or less crimped, possess- 

 ing what are sometimes called spirals. The most im- 

 portant point in regard to the crimp is that it should be 

 regular and the folds should not be thrown on each other. 

 Regularity in the crimp indicates that the fiber is sound 

 from end to end, but if is some places the crimp is short 

 and close, and in others long and wavy, it usually indi- 

 cates that where this difference occurs, there is an un- 

 sound spot in the fiber. It shows that the growth has 

 been irregular and there is a close relation between the 

 fineness of the fiber and the nature of the crimp. When 

 the crimp is fine and close almost invariably the fiber will 

 be found to be of fine quality. In all coarse wool it should 

 be noted that the crimp is open and wavy. In opening a 

 fleece and looking at it, the crimp should always be noted, 

 for from it an estimate may be made, both as to the sound- 

 ness and fineness of it. 



173. Soundness. The soundness of the fiber is of much 

 importance in the process of manufacturing woolens. 

 The fleece of unsound fibers will bring four or five cents 

 less than one that is strong throughout. To test the 

 soundness of a fiber in addition to knowing it by the char- 

 acter of the crimp, a small lock of wool is taken between 

 the fingers and stretched evenly and gently until the un- 

 soundness or the strength becomes apparent. The wool 

 may break at the bottom, having what is called "weak 

 bottoms," or it may have "weak middles" or "weak 

 tops," according to the location of the unsoundness, Even- 



