THE WOOLGKOWER AND THE WOOL TEADE. 7 



superior wool of considerable crimp that is uniform in character. 

 Lofty wools possess considerable elasticity and spin higher than 

 those lacking this quality. In well-grown wools the staples or 

 locks are more distinct and the fibers are more nearly parallel than 

 in the frowzy wools. Fleeces from poorly bred sheep show greater 

 variation in diameter of fiber and are more likely to "run out" 

 on the flanks, and this wool is consequently not so valuable. Black 

 fiber shows up occasionally among mutton-bred sheep, and it is 

 objectionable. Kempy wool is worth several cents a pound less 

 than a similar quality free from this defect which denotes poor 

 breeding. 



TENDER WOOL. 



Wool that has a weak part somewhere in its length must generally 

 go into the clothing class, and in some instances it is inferior even 

 for this. The exact cause of "tender" wool is not always known. 

 It is generally agreed that sickness, a sudden shock from a blizzard, 

 lack of feed, a rapid change from green to dry feed, or vice versa, 

 and overfeeding often cause this condition. Sickness will often 

 cause a distinct "break" in the fiber throughout the fleece. In 

 general, better care and housing conditions decrease the percentage 

 of tender wool, yet this is not always the case. Sheep that have 

 been largely allowed to rough it, but having plenty of feed, have 

 been known to produce better clips than the flock closely housed. 

 "Frowziness" often indicates tender wool. After the wool has been 

 clipped it may become tender through becoming wet. Tender wools 

 are worth several cents per scoured pound less than sound wools. 

 Plates II and III show well-grown, tender, and frowzy wools. 



USE OP PAINT FOR BRANDING. 



The practice of branding the sheep with paint is very generally 

 established throughout the range country. The brands are usually 

 placed upon the shoulders, side, or back — : the most valuable parts 

 of the fleece. Under some conditions it is doubtless necessary to 

 brand, but tar brands should be avoided and the brands used 

 should be as small as possible. At the present time most of 

 the American dealers recognize no brand as soluble in scouring, 

 but regard all paint locks with distrust. The damage done by 

 the paint can scarcely be estimated. It is not only the damage 

 to the locks directly affected, but the fibers carrying the paint 

 are more or less mixed throughout the fleece, and it is almost 

 impossible to get them all out. The amount of damage, done 

 varies with the kind of wool and the use to which it is 

 put. One of the prominent felt manufacturing concerns that 

 uses large amounts of the Texas wools for fine felts tries by every 

 means to eliminate the paint. The painted wool is separated in 



