FOB MUTTON AND WOOL 121 



ness oX.all the desirable characteristics should exist over 

 all parts of the fleece. The softness should be apparent 

 over all regions and fineness also, and the crimp should 

 in addition appear uniform throughout the fiber. 



174. Condition. The condition of the fleece refers 

 more to its purity, lustre, brightness and the quantity and 

 character of the yolk. The condition of a fleece results 

 mostly from correct breeding and proper management. 



175. Purity, Purity refers to the freedom of the fleece 

 from dead fibers and foreign matter. In fleeces that are 

 grown on sheep that are exposed to conditions unfavor- 

 able to thrift, there is a natural tendency for the fleece 

 to revert to its original state ; that is, fibers of hair begin 

 to appear in it and these take the place of the wool. Very 

 often in fleeces grown by sheep that have been exposed 

 there will be found a great many dead fibers which are 

 technically spoken of as "kemp." These dead fibers are 

 very injurious to the fleece from the commercial stand- 

 point, because they do not absorb dyes, and in any cloth 

 that is made from such wool these dead fibers will retain 

 the white and hard appearance that they had in the fleece. 



176. Domestic Wool. Based on the condition of the 

 fleece the market makes a division of four kinds. These 

 are what is known as domestic wool, territory wool, 

 blanket wool and carpet wool. Domestic wools are clean 

 and bright. Wool of this kind comes from fleeces that are 

 grown under what might be termed domesticated condi- 

 tions, that is, sheep are given shelter, fed well and other- 

 wise have good management. This results in a clean, 

 bright wool which the market classifies as domestic wool, 



177. Territory Wool. In contrast to this is the ter^ 

 ritory wool. This wool is called territory wool simply 

 because it is dirty or it is discolored. It is wool that 

 comes from sheep managed and cared for in a way very 



