THE W00LGR0WEE AND THE WOOL TEADE. 3 



its handling only as there is chance opportunity to learn of them 

 through the speculator or the distant commission agent. 



During the past six seasons a growers' semicooperative selling 

 agency has been in operation in Chicago, with branches in Boston 

 and Philadelphia. The establishment has handled considerable wool, 

 but according to report its growth and service have been less than 

 might have been realized if growers had adhered to the policy of 

 consigning their wool to it instead of using it as a lever to secure 

 higher prices from buyers in the field. 



Eastern wools. — The fact that much of the wool produced on farms 

 of the Central and Eastern States is considered as secondary to mutton 

 production does not lessen the need of giving the highest possible value 

 to the grower. Here the producer is even farther removed from the 

 manufacturer than in the case of the range sheepman, who can usually 

 deal with some one acquainted with the values of wools and capable 

 of distinguishing between clips varying in grade and quality. Con- 

 siderable farm wool is sold to country storekeepers at a uniform 

 price to accumulate into lots of sufficient size to be sold to a traveling 

 buyer. In Minnesota and Wisconsin cooperative selling agencies 

 have been established. The managers of these agencies put the 

 entire amount received into suitable grades for selling to the manu- 

 facturers and set a fair price upon each lot of wool received. 



Lack of contact between the manufacturer and the wool grower is 

 largely responsible for the latter' s failure to place his wool upon the 

 market in such a way as to secure its full value. In order to dispose 

 of wool to the best advantage growers must know the shrinkage and 

 the proper class and grade names for their wools and be able to under- 

 stand the reports of the market as published. 



The pages that follow deal with the factors that determine the 

 value of wool, market reports, grading, sorting, and methods of 

 effecting improvement in the preparation of wool. 



FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE VALUE OF WOOL. 



SHRINKAGE. 



It is the buyer's first duty in inspecting an offering to make an 

 estimate of the yield of clean or scoured wool. American wools 

 may shrink from 25 to 80 per cent. Since more than 300 pounds of 

 grease wool may be required to produce 100 pounds of scoured, the 

 importance of shrinkage in the eyes of the buyer is readily recog- 

 nized. Some of the wastes that occur during manufacturing can be 

 used in other types of fabrics, but the loss in scouring is a complete 

 loss. 



Shrinkage is due first and chiefly to the oil present in varying 

 quantities in all natural wool. The term "condition" has a special 

 use in the wool trade, referring to the amount of oil or yolk and 



