WOOL. 



in their vicinity the traces of the former cultivation of fine- 

 wooUed animals. The Tarentinc fine-woolled fheep, fo much 

 valued by the Greeks and Romans, were obtained from 

 Afia Minor, and were on that account fometimes called 

 Afians:. It is highly probable that thefe (heep came ori- 

 ginally from the more caftern feats of luxury, where the foft 

 fleeces are now grown, of which the fliawls and cloths of 

 India are fabricated. 



Ill countries where manufafturcs have once flouriftied, 

 their cffefts continue for a long time vifible in the race of 

 fhcep which ftill remain there. Even in the prefent condi- 

 tion of the fleeces from Barbary and the adjoining ftates, the 

 experienced eye may perceive the veftiges of a fine-woolled 

 race of (heep, degenerated by utter negleft, in a climate 

 naturally unfavourable to the produftion of fine wool. In 

 Sicily and the fouthern parts of Italy, the remains of the 

 ancient Tarentine breed preferve to the prefent day a race 

 of fine-woolled (heep, but greatly degenerated by negleft. 

 In Portugal the fine-woolled (heep retain more of their ori- 

 ginal purity, but are ftill much neglefted. In Spain atten- 

 tion to the growth of fine wool appears never to have been 

 entirely loft fight of, and it is here that the race of fine- 

 woolled flieep exift in the higheft degree of perfeftion, 

 though, as we (hall afterwards ftate, probably inferior in 

 fome important qualities to the original Tarentine race. 

 Some writers have aflerted that fine wool is the refult of cli- 

 mate and food ; but this is not the faft, though we admit 

 that both have fome influence on the quality of wool. It is 

 the breed alone that primarily determines the finencfs of 

 the fleece ; this has been ably demonftrated by the experi- 

 ments of lord Sommerville, Dr. Parry of Bath, and others 

 in this country, and by experiments on a larger fcale in 

 Sweden, Denmark, Saxony, and France. 



It has been afcertained by Mr. Bakewell of Diftiley, in 

 Leicefterftiire, that the form of animals might be changed 

 by felefting fuch as had any remarkable peculiarities, and 

 continuing to breed from them for a few generations, when a 

 new race is eftabliftied, in which thefe peculiarities continue 

 permanent. It has been afcertained by careful obfervations, 

 both of cattle-breeders and phyfiologifts, that in producing 

 a new breed from two varieties of the fame fpecies, the fe- 

 male has more influence over the form of the progeny than 

 the male ; but with refpeft to wool the cafe is reverfed, the 

 quality of the fleece depending more on the fire than the 

 dam. Beginning to breed from a coarfe-wooUed ewe and a 

 pure fine-woolled ram, the produce of the firft crofs will 

 have a fleece approaching one-half to the finenefs of that of 

 the ram ; and continuing to crofs this progeny with a fine- 

 woolled ram, equal to the firft in quality, the fleece of the 

 fcore and crofs will approach three-fourths to the finenefs of 

 the firft, and in a few crofies more will be brought to an 

 equal quality. If we ftate it numerically, and fuppofe the 

 wool of the ewe to be twice as coarfe as that of the ram, or 

 as 320 to 160, the firft crofs will have the fibre reduced to 

 240, the fecond to 2CO, the third to 180, the fourth to 170, 

 the fifth to 165, the fixth to i62i, which to all praftical 

 purpofes may be regarded as equal to the firft number. This 

 ratio of approximation may be ftated as correft on a large 

 fcale of experiment. If we breed with a fine-woolled ewe 

 and a coarfe-woolled ram, the feries would be reverfed, and 

 in a few generations all veftiges of the fine-woolled race 

 would be nearly, if not entirely, extinft. The ancient Ro- 

 mans, in the time of Columella, feem to have been fully 

 aware of the effefts of breed on the fmenefs of the wool, 

 and as much as 200/. fterling was piiid for a fine-woolled ram. 



When a flock of fine-woolled fheep are once formed, 

 they can only be kept pure by felefting and preferving the 



fineft-woolled rams, and nioft carefully avoiding all inter- 

 mixture with ftieep from coarfer-wooUed flocks that may 

 exift in the countiy. Where this is neglefted, the quality 

 of the wool will foon be debafed. 



But fuppofing all the flocks in a country were of the fine- 

 woolled race, accidental varieties of coarfe-woolled fheep 

 will occur among them, or of ftieep having fleeces intermixed 

 with coarfe hair. If thefe be not carefully examined and 

 removed, the wool will deteriorate, and more fo where the 

 climate is variable, and the ftieep are expofed to great and 

 fudden viciffitudes of temperature. 



What has been ftated may fuffice to explain the circura- 

 ftance of fine-woolled breeds of Hieep being only found in the 

 vicinity of prefent or ancient manufaftures, or where they 

 have been tranfported from fuch diftrifts. Wherever fine- 

 wooUed flieep are neglefted by man, the wool becomes 

 either coarfe, or intermixed with coarfe hairs ; the latter is 

 the cafe in the Shetland ifles, and in all countries where the 

 arts and manufaftures have been entirely deftroyed, and 

 ignorant barbarians have fucceeded as the pofleflbrs of the 

 foil. 



Moft ancient writers on wool, and even many moderns, 

 feem not to be aware of any difference in wools, except the- 

 finenefs or coarfenefs of the fibre ; but the length of the 

 fibre conftitutes a far more important diftinftive charafter. 

 Long wool, or what is called combing-wool, differs more 

 from ftiort or clothing wool, in the ufes to which it is ap- 

 phed, and the mode of manufafture, than flax from cotton. 



Sheep's-wool may, therefore, be divided into two kinds. 

 Short wool, or clothing-wool, and long or combing wool : 

 each of thefe kinds may be fubdivided into a variety of forts, 

 according to their degrees of finenefs. This procefs is the 

 proper labour of the wool-forter. 



Short wool, or clothing-wool, may vary in length from 

 one to three or four inches ; if it be longer it requires to be 

 cut or broken, to prepare it for the further proceftcs of the 

 cloth manufafture. Short or clothing wool is always 

 carded or broken upon an inftrument with fine Ihort teeth, 

 by which the fibres are opened and fpread in every direc- 

 tion, and the fabrics made from it are fubjefted to the pro- 

 cefs of felting, which we ftiall afterwards dcicribe. By this 

 procefs, the fibres become matted together, and the texture 

 rendered more compaft. 



Long or combing wool may vary in length from three 

 to eight or ten inches : it is prepared on a comb or inftru- 

 ment, with rows of long fteel teeth, which open the fibres, 

 and arrange them longitudinally : in the thread fpun from 

 combed wool, the fibres or filaments of the wool are arranged 

 in the fame manner, or fimilar to thofe of flax, and the 

 pieces when woven are not fubjefted to the procefs of 

 felting. 



The ftiorter combing-wools are principally ufed for hofe, 

 and are fpun fofter than the longer combing-wools, the 

 former being made into what is called hard worfted yarn, and 

 the latter into foft worfted yarn. 



Short Clothing-Wool. — The principal qualities deferving 

 attention in clothing-wools are the regular finenefs of the 

 hair or pile, its foftnefs and tendency to felt, the length 

 and foundnefs of the ftaple, and the colour. The wool- ~ 

 buyer alfo regards as important the clean ftate of the fleece, 

 and to the grower its weight is particularly deferving atten- 

 tion ; for in fleeces equally fine, from ftieep of the fame fize, 

 fome may be much heavier than others, the fibres of wool 

 being grown clofer to each other on the ftiin. 



The finenefs of the hair or fibre can only be eftimated to 

 any ufeful purpofe, in the woollen manufafture, by the 

 wool-forter or wool,dealer, accuftomed by long habit to 



difcern 



