228 Western Live-stock Management 
yarns the process of combing is omitted and the wool is 
so treated that the fibers are intermingled and interlaced 
as much as possible. The resulting yarns are, of course, 
very different. The worsted yarns are hard, firm, and 
strong, while the woolen are softer, more loose, and not 
as strong. The worsted yarns are adapted to make 
smooth-faced light fabrics, while the woolen are better 
suited for the soft, heavy-fulled goods. The manu- 
facturer of the worsted yarns, therefore, requires a longer 
and stronger fiber than is necessary for the carded or 
woolen yarns. In the early days of the woolen business, 
only the longest and strongest fibers could be combed 
and therefore the only wools known on the market as 
combing wools were those of a very long, strong nature, 
such as would be obtained from pure-bred or high-grade 
Cotswold or Lincoln sheep. The shorter wools, such as 
those coming from the Shropshire or Merino breeds, were 
in those days not considered long enough to comb. Recent 
improvements, however, in the process of manufacture 
have made it possible to comb much shorter wool than 
was formerly the case. There is no hard and fast dividing 
line between combing and clothing wools, but generally 
speaking, the finest grades of wool should be at least two 
inches long in order to be classed as combing. With the 
coarser wools, a greater length is required and with the 
very coarse wool, such as would be obtained from pure- 
bred Cotswold or Lincoln sheep, only those longer than 
four-and-one-half inches would be considered as combing 
wools. At the present time, the wool from Cotswolds 
and Lincolns, as well as from most Merinos, would class 
as combing wool. The better grades of fleeces from the 
Down or mutton breeds would also come in this class, 
although the proportion of clothing wool from these 
