Wool Production 233 



be used for making pure white and cream cloth on account 

 of the danger of black fibers. 



The packing of wool for market is a subject that has 

 commanded much interest and attention in our western 

 range districts in the last few years. Wool experts have 

 estimated that the wool-producing sections of the United 

 States have been about thirty years behind in their 

 methods of caring for the wool clip. Fortunately, this 

 statement is becoming less correct every year, as much 

 benefit has been derived from the work of wool journals, 

 wool warehouses, and wool experts in educating the range 

 wool-grower in the preparation of his clip for market. 

 There are about three methods of wool packing in use in 

 the wool-producing sections of this country ; namely the 

 old method of sacking the wool in the long burlap bags 

 just as it is shorn, the system of grading and baling the 

 wool as is advocated by the wool warehouses of this 

 country, and the system used in the Australian shear- 

 ing shed. 



In the discussion of any of these systems it is necessary 

 to understand the meaning of such terms as grading, 

 classing, sorting, and skirting. These terms have been 

 used synonymously and have caused considerable con- 

 fusion. In connection with the wool clip these terms are 

 defined as follows : Grading is the placing of whole fleeces 

 into different classes according to their indications as to 

 breed and quality. Skirting is the removal of all stained, 

 damaged, and inferior wool. In the Australian shed this 

 is always done before the classing. Classing is the 

 placing of skirted fleeces into different classes according to 

 their length, quality, soundness, condition, and tint. 

 Sorting is the dividing of the individual fleeces into separate 

 parts according to their various spinning counts or fineness. 



