8 BULLETIN" 206, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



sorting, and yet the scoured v^ool contains so many specks that it is 

 necessary to "hand pick" it. This process costs from 3 to 5 cents 

 per scoured pound, and with the quantities handled by this firm 

 in one year the expense amounts to between $8,000 and $10,000. 

 This concern will pay one-half to 1 cent extra for wool suitable 

 to its need guaranteed free from paint. Another manufacturer 

 writes: "If the brand marks on a lot of wool were unfailingly and 

 altogether soluble it would enhance its value to us about one-fifth 

 of a cent per pound, the usual cost of clipping." It is good prac- 

 tice to clip off the brands before shearing. 



TAGS. 



Tags are worth about one-third as much as good wool, depending 

 somewhat upon condition. Ordinary tags shrink much more in 

 scouring than the fleece proper taken from the same sheep. Most 

 clips have the tags on the inside of the fleeces. In buying 

 wool containing tags the buyer usually discounts enough so 

 that he will be safe. It is generally better to remove the tags 

 so that the exact amount can be ascertained, as the grower 

 will generally fare better under this system. It must be admitted, 

 however, that the custom of discounting 1 per cent for tags even 

 after they have been sacked separately does not recognize the value 

 of separate sacking. Another very serious objection to allowing 

 tags to remain in the fleece is that they are likely to stain the 

 surrounding wool, especially when it is wet. 



WET WOOL. 



Wet wool has been known to "take fire," and there are numerous 

 instances where it has been damaged to the extent of from 1 to 2 

 cents per pound. The damage is not altogether due to the weak- 

 ening of the fiber, but also to staining, especially when there are 

 any tags present. 



Often wool must be hauled for long distances and piled up along 

 the tracks waiting for shipment. In such case it is sometimes sub- 

 jected to heavy rain, and while the bags apparently dry out where the 

 air has access, there is no chance for drying inside the pile. When the 

 bags once become wet it often takes months for them to dry out. It 

 is said that as much as 10 per cent of the wools from one of the western 

 States was damaged by moisture in 1913. 



WOOL CONTAINING BURS. 



Burry fleeces should be separated from the others if there are very 

 many burs present. The hard burs can usually be knocked out during 

 the process of manufacture with a little extra work, but the soft burs 

 entail considerable extra expense. They often open up in a spiral or 



