WOOL. 



)ly of food, by difeafe, or by inclement feafons, which 

 aufe a ftoppage in the growth of the fleece. This goes on 

 o a greater or lefs degree. In fome inftances, the ftoppage 

 ^las been fo entire that the upper part of the ft a pie is nearly 

 eparated from the lower, and is only conneded with it by 

 few filaments : in fuch cafes, the ftoppage has continued 

 or a confiderable time, and the bottom part of the ftaple 

 lay be confidered, as a new fleece, protruding the old one 

 rom the ikin. Conneaed with the foundnefs of wool, 

 here is another property required ; this is, that the ftaple be 

 ree and open, or that the fibres fhall not be matted or 

 elted together; an efFe<ft which takes place frequently when 

 he wool is unfound. It is in fad a natural felting of the 

 »ool on the back of the animal, when by any caute it has 

 i:eafed to grow. Sometimes the lower part of the fleece 

 ;iext the Ikin will be fo completely matted as to form a fub- 

 tance nearly as hard as a hat, and will hold to the lltin by a 

 ew hairs only. Thefe are called cotted fleeces ; all ap- 

 )roach to this ftate is peculiarly injurious to combing-wools. 

 The wool-buyers generally throw out the cotted and un- 

 ound fleeces when they pack the wool from the grower, and 

 juy them at a very reduced price. The foftnefs of combing- 

 Vool, though of lefs importance than in clothing-wool, yet 

 inhances its value, as it is found that fuch wool makes a 

 ;lofer and fofter thread, and in every procefs of the manu- 

 "afture fiiiiflies more kindly. Combing-wools grown on light 

 !:alcareous foils are deficient in this refpedl ; fuch are the 

 combing-wools of Oxfordftiire and the Cotfwold hills, 

 !which are formed of that fpecies of lime-ftone called oolite, 

 jr roe-ftone. A copious fupply of the yolk is necelfary to 

 iihe healthy condition of the fleece, and as this in many 

 locks is nearly equal in weight to the wool, the fleeces 

 contain from fix to eight pounds or more of it before 

 they are waflied, for in the unwa(hed ftate they often weigh 

 jighteen pounds in many of the long-wooUed flocks in 

 |England. 



i The whitenefs of the fleece is lefs important in the long 

 icombing than in clothing wool, provided it be free from 

 igrey hairs. The latter circumftance does not frequently 

 bccur in combing-wools. There is, however, a peculiar 

 irolour communicated by the foil, which is fometimes fo 

 deep as to injure the wool for particular ufes, and what is of 

 more importance, there is a dingy -brown colour given to the 

 'fleece by impoveriftied keeping or difeafe, which is called a 

 'winter Jla'in ; it is a fure indication that the wool is not in a 

 'thoroughly found Hate, and fuch fleeces are carefully thrown 

 lout by the wool-forter, being only fuited for thofe goods 

 'which are to be dyed dark colours. 



The finenefs of heavy combing-wool is of lefs importance 

 'than the other qualities. In every fleece of this kind there 

 iwill be a certain fmall portion of ftiort clothing-wool on the 

 ihanks, the belly, the throat, and the buttocks. The 

 Iclothing-wool from fuch fleeces is not often divided into 

 imore than two or three low forts, and the combing-wool is 

 Ifeldom thrown into more than four forts, that is, two forts 

 'of the hog-wool, and two forts of the wether-wool, of 

 'which three-fourths, if the fleece be good, will form the 

 Ibeft fort in each. 



There is, however, a fine long combing-wool which is re- 

 [ quired for bombazines and the finer kinds of worfted goods; 

 Ithis is moft frequently felefted from the longer parts of 

 i clothing fleeces, and admits a divifion into four or five 

 forts, the fineft being equal in hair to that of the head or 

 ' fuper in clothing -wool ; whereas the beft fort of the com- 

 1 mon heavy combing-wools feldom ranges higher in point of 

 1 finenefs than the coarfeft fort of clothing-wool above the 

 '• breech locks ; w'z. the low abb and the livery. 



Short combing or hofiery wool requires a different length 

 of ftaple, according to its finenefs: for the better forts, 

 the ftaple fliould not be ftiorter than four or five inches ; the 

 lower forts may range as high as eight inches. A greater 

 length than this is not defirable for any kind of foft worfted. 

 What has been faid of the foundnefs and finenefs of ftaple 

 required for long combing-wool, applies equally to the 

 hofiery wool, but in this the finenefs of the hair and foftnefs 

 are of more importance. Moft of the fleeces which yield 

 fine combing-wool produce nearly an equal quantity of fliort 

 wool, which is thrown in the fame manner as the regular 

 clothing forts. The combing forts for the hofiery are gene- 

 rally called. 



Super matching. 

 Fine matching, 

 Fine drawing. 

 Altered drawing. 

 Brown drawing, 

 Saycaft. 



The names of thefe forts derive their origin from ancient 

 proceffes of the manufafture, with which we are unac- 

 quainted at prefent. The lower fort, or faycaft, was pro- 

 bably at firft the long coarfe combing-wool, thrown out for 

 the manufafture of fays, of which we have frequent men- 

 tion in the earlieft hiftory of the woollen trade in England. 

 The relative value of thefe forts, compared with each other, 

 varies according to the demand for the finer or coarfer kinds 

 of hofiery, and is alfo affefted by the clothing trade. When 

 any clothing fort which ranges in finenefs with one of the 

 combing forts is in great demand, the wool-forter will break 

 down the (horter combing-wool of this fort, and throw it to 

 the clothing-wool, which enhances the price of the former 

 by making it fcarce. The finenefs of thefe forts out of the 

 beft combing-wools, ftated numerically, as compared with 

 clothing forts, will be nearly as under, in the fraftional 

 parts of an inch. 



Super matching 



Fine matching 



Fine drawing 



Altered drawing 



Brown drawing - - ^„ 



Saycaft - ,f^ 



Moft of the beft forters throw out the hog combing-wool 

 from the beft forts, making a fuperfine hog for the bomba- 

 zine trade, hog-wool being lefs fuitable for the hofiery, 

 which does not require yarn fo finely fpun as for hard yam. 



As all the different forts of ftiort combing-wool, together 

 with feveral forts of clothing-wool, will frequently occur in 

 one Enghfh fleece, it is obvioufly the intereft of the grower 

 that his fleece fliould produce as great a proportion of the 

 beft forts as can be done without materially diminifliing the 

 weight. 



Skin Wool, or Pelt Wool, is the wool feparated from the 

 llcins of flaughtered fheep by the fellmonger. The quantity 

 of this wool, in a country hke England, where fo much ani- 

 mal food is confumed, is very confiderable, and has been 

 eftimated at near 50,000 packs of 240lb8. per annum, for 

 England and Wales. Soon after fliearing, the fkin-wool is 

 too fhort to be worked by itfelf, and is generally kept and 

 mixed in with the longer wools. The procefs by which 

 wool is feparated from the (Icins has a tendency to make it 

 hard, and deftroy or injure its felting or milling property, 

 on which account fhort-fliin wools are feldom ufed for the 

 manufafture of cloth, but more generally for flannels, ferges, 

 and thofe kinds of goods which require little or no milling ; 



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