The Shee'p-Scab. 43 



required quality, length, and strength, the all- 

 important question to consider is, what will it 

 lose in cleansing? The consumer can afford to 

 pay a certain price for his scoured wool; and, 

 starting from that basis, he calculates the prob- 

 able shrinkage, in order to arrive at its value in 

 the grease — that is, in its natural unwashed 

 state. In such estimates of shrinkage, the expe- 

 rienced manufacturer Avill approximate very 

 closely to the actual result; but he is not infal- 

 lible, and serious mistakes in judgment are 

 sometimes made; hence it is often the case that 

 before buying a large pile of wool, he will wish 

 to test sample bags. 



Taking an average of the last six months of 

 1 88 1 as a basis for the comparative values, in the 

 order of scoured value, shrinkage, and grease 

 value, the following result is obtained: Light 

 Fine, scoured, 77c; shrinkage, 65 per cent; 

 grease value, 27c. No. i Medium, scoured, 66c; 

 shrinkage, 55 per cent; grease, 30c. No. 2 

 Medium, scoured, 54c; shrinkage, 50 per cent; 

 grease, 27c. Coarse, scoured, 41c; shrinkage, 45 



