Wool Production 229 



breeds is decidedly higher than with either the coarse 

 wools or the fine wools. The term "staple" is used in 

 market circles interchangeably with the term "combing." 



Grading as to fineness. 



With regard to fineness of fiber, wools are most com- 

 monly divided into the following classes or grades ; fine 

 and fine medium ; one-half blood ; three-eighths blood ; 

 one-quarter blood ; and braid. 



Fine and fine medium wools are very fine wools such as 

 would be obtained from good pure-bred Merinos. Sheep 

 to produce wool of this class must be of good Merino 

 breeding. 



One-half blood wools are such as would be represented 

 by the coarsest of the pure Merino wools. Seldom are 

 the wools of the pure mutton breeds fine enough to come 

 in this class. The sheep producing such wools are usually 

 of Merino stock but with a considerable outcross' of 

 native or mutton blood. 



Three-eighths blood wools are such as would be rep- 

 resented by good Shropshire wool of the finer sorts. 

 The sheep producing these wools are commonly grade 

 blackfaces on a Merino foundation. 



One-quarter blood wools are intermediate in fineness 

 between the Shropshire and the Cotswold or Lincoln. 

 The coarsest grade of pure Shropshire wool might come in 

 this class. It is ordinarily obtained from sheep having 

 a mixture of Cotswold or Lincoln with some of the finer- 

 wooled breeds. It will not require much Merino, how- 

 ever, to make it grade finer than a one-quarter blood. 



Braid wools are the long coarse ones, such as would be 

 obtained from pure-bred or high-grade Cotswolds or Lin- 

 colns. They carry very little of any other blood. 



