CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOL 75 



pie during the entire period covered by the growth of the 

 fiber. Should the nourishment be insufficient at any time 

 to the needs of the animal, the wool, from lack of nourish- 

 ment, will not develop properly at such a time. It will 

 lack size and strength of fiber, proportioned to the con- 

 tinuance of the period during which the nourishment was 

 insufficient and to the extent to which it was lacking. 

 Other conditions that may lower stamina in sheep, as un- 

 due exposure, annoyance beyond a certain degree from 

 insect pests and disease, will weaken the fiber. The im- 

 portance of what may be termed evenness of condition in 

 sheep cannot be over-estimated in its relation to uni- 

 formity of strength of fiber in the wool. This property 

 may also be influenced in some slight degree by inherit- 

 ance. Such influence, however, if it exists, is of small im- 

 portance compared with the influences already stated. 



Length of staple in wool — Length of staple in wool 

 means simply length of the wool fibers. It has an im- 

 portant bearing, first, on the weight of the fleece ; second, 

 on the profit from the same, as the result of the former; 

 and third, on the character of the goods manufactured. 

 Difference in length may take wool from the carding into 

 the combing class in the same breed of sheep. 



The variations in the length of the staple in wool are 

 very great. In some instances it has attained a length 

 of i8 to 20 inches as the result of one year's growth ; in 

 other instances the growth is even less than an inch. The 

 variations between these extremes are of all lengths. It 

 would be approximately correct to say that short wools 

 are less than 3 inches long, intermediate wools are some- 

 where between, say 3 and 5 or 6 inches. 



Variations in length of staple in wools are caused by 

 such influences as breed, food, grade and age. Each 

 breed has a standard of length written or unwritten, usu- 

 ally the latter. This standard is not so inflexible that it 

 cannot be modified. The standard of length, for instance, 

 is longer in the American than in the Spanish Merino ; in 



