CHAPTER IV 

 WOOL DESCRIBED AND CLASSIFIED 



Chapter IV treats of the following phases of this 

 question : (i) What is meant by wool; (2) the discussion 

 of fiber in wool ; (3) the discussion of yolk in wool ; (4) 

 how wools are classified; (5) short, intermediate and long 

 wools ; (6) superfine, fine, intermediate and coarse wools ; 

 (7) carding and combing wools; and (8) wool as distrib- 

 uted over the body. 



What is meant by wool — Strictly speaking, as the 

 term is ordinarily used, wool is the covering or fleece of 

 the sheep. But the use of the term has been extended so 

 as to include: (i) The heavy fleece of the alpaca, vicuna, 

 and other species of the llama ; (2) the hair of the Angora, 

 Cashmere and other breeds of the goat; (3) several kinds 

 of fur from certain fur-bearing animals ; and (4) the soft 

 down from the underline of the camel. In one sense, 

 therefore, it is simply hair of a soft, pliable and elastic 

 character, more or less spiral and wavy in form. The de- 

 gree in which these characteristics are present varies 

 greatly in the dififerent breeds. It would seem correct 

 to say that softness, pliability and elasticity are possessed 

 in the highest degree by the fine wool breeds, in a less 

 degree by the middle wool breeds and in a still less de- 

 gree by the coarse wool breeds. The spiral form of fiber 

 occurs to the greatest extent in some of the coarse wool 

 breeds and the wavy or crimpy form in the fine wool 

 breeds. Many breeds of sheep, especially those that are 

 neglected, are covered with hair underneath, which may 

 properly be classed as wool. The absence of hair in the 

 improved breeds is chiefly owing to improvements ef- 

 fected through selection and breeding. No sooner are 

 sheep neglected, exposed and subjected to hard condi- 



