WOOL. 



cefs. On all chalk and light calcareous foils, the wool is 

 always much harfher than wools of the fame degree of 

 finenefs grown on argillaceous or filiceous foils ; and this 

 arifes from the calcareous earth penetrating the fleece, and 

 abforbing the natural greafe, and thus rendering the fibres 

 hard and elaftic. Thefe foils cover a large portion of the 

 fouth-eaftern counties of England, and of fome of the mid- 

 land counties ; and it is well known to cloth manufafturers 

 that the wool from thefe diftrifts do not work fo well, nor 

 make fo foft a cloth, as wool on filiceous or argillaceous 

 foils. Nor will this wool felt in the fulling-mill like the 

 fofter w-ools. The praftice of greafing would be of un- 

 doubted advantage in calcareous diftrifts, applying the 

 ointment more fparingly than in the northern counties. 

 Perhaps twenty-five pounds of butter, and one of tar, or two 

 of bees'-wax, might be fufiicient for one hundred South- 

 Down (heep ; and if the mixture were applied once after 

 fhearing, and again in Oftober, the expence would be 

 abundantly compenfated by the improved condition both 

 of the fheep and wool. The foftnels of wool appears to 

 be eflentially connefted with the property of felting, and 

 depends partly on the fti-ufture of the furface of the fibre, 

 and partly on its pofieffing but a moderate degree of elafticity. 

 The procefs of felting is beft illuftrated in the hat manu- 

 fafture, where the fibres of wool or fur are brought into 

 contaft by prefTure and warmth, and form a compaA fub- 

 ftance without the aid of fpinning and weaving. In fome 

 parts of Tartary, coarfe cloth for tents is manufadlured by 

 fpreading the wool on the ground, and prefling it in warm 

 water with the feet ; this was probably the firft mode of 

 making cloth. All good woollen cloth is dill woven com- 

 paratively loofe, and is made firm and clofe in the fulling- 

 mill. The fibres of wool or fur have a tendency 

 to move more eafily in one direftion when preffed, than 

 in the oppofite direftion. This motion has been compared 

 to that of an ear of barley placed under the coat-fleeve, 

 with the points of the beards downwards ; by the aftion of 

 the arm the ear is moved in a retrograde direftion, until it 

 has advanced from the wriil to the (houlder. When 

 we draw a hair of wool or fur through the fingers 

 in a direftion from the points to the root, we can 

 feel a fenfible degree of roughnefs, which is not felt if 

 the hair be drawn from the root to the point. Hence 

 we may fuppofe, that the furface is covered with a number 

 of points or rings, which are too minute to be obferved by 

 the microfcope, except in fome kinds of fur, as in that from 

 the South-fea feal, in which, with a powerful microfcope, 

 we have feen the furface covered with diftinft leaves or 

 points, (haped like thofe of the artichoke. We have a 

 ftriking illuftration of this tendency of the fibre to move in 

 one direftion in that particular procefs of hat-making, 

 where it is intended to cover the felt or fubftance of the 

 hat with fur of a fuperior kind. The felt on which this 

 fur is to be laid being finifhed, the hair of the beaver is 

 uniformly fpread upon the furface, and being covered with 

 a cloth, it is prefled and agitated by the hand for a certain 

 time. The fibres of beaver-hair introduce themfelves by 

 their roots into the felt, and proceed to a certain depth, 

 and become firmly fixed in it. If the prefTure were con- 

 tinued for a longer time, the hairs would pafs entirely 

 through the felt, going out at the under furface, as each 

 hair follows the direftion it acquired at the beginning of 

 the procefs. 



As the felting property, therefore, feems to depend on 

 the minute ftrufture of the furface of the fibre, it is eafy 

 to conceive how this may be injured by a dry calcareous 

 foil, and how this property is beft preferved in thofe furs 



y 



which are grown under a covering of coarfe hair, and pro- 

 tefted from external injury. The procefs of greafing is in 

 fome refpefts a fubllitute for fuch a covering, and not only 

 defends the furface, but prevents the fibre from becoming 

 dry, harfh, and elaftic. The ancient Greeks and Romans 

 were in the praftice of covering their foft-wooUed (heep, 

 called mollei oivs, with flvins : this has been fuppofed to 

 have been intended merely as a proteftion from briars and 

 underwood ; but we have no doubt that wool fo covered 

 would be much fofter than wool expofed to the aftion of 

 light, and of the foil. That the rays of the fummer fun 

 have a tendency to make wool both coarfer and harfiier, 

 may be feen in the effeft produced on fiieep that are ex- 

 pofed to it without fhelter immediately after fhearing. 

 The top point of the ftaple which was grown at that time 

 is almoft always coarfer and harder than the bottom of the 

 ftaple which has been grown under the cover of the upper 

 part of the fleece, and confequently more protefted from 

 light. An analogous effeft is produced on the f]<ins of 

 horfes kept in coal-mines, which become fleek and foft. 

 Thefe fafts may fuggeft to wool-growers defirous of im- 

 proving their wool, the advantage of providing (hade for their 

 flocks during the fultry heats of fummer. The natural in- 

 ftinfts of fheep might teach them the impropriety, not to fpeak 

 of the cruelty, of keeping their fheep in fummer inclofed in 

 pens, and unfheltered, upon a dry foil, where the animals are 

 almoft roafted alive ; a praftice not lefs injurious to the health 

 of fheep than to all the bell qualities of the wool. Next to a 

 regular fupply of food, proteftion from the effefts of heat 

 and wet are objefts of the firft importance in the manage- 

 ment of fheep ; and it may be ftated as an undoubted truth, 

 that whatever contributes to the comfort of the animal, 

 will enable it to fatten with a fmallcr quantity of food, will 

 tend to preferve it in a healthy ftate, and will alfo increafe 

 the quantity and improve the quality of the wool. 



Wool, Chemical Examination of. The chemical proper- 

 ties of wool are very fimilar to thofe of hair, and as we 

 omitted to fpeak of thefe in their proper place, we fhall 

 introduce them here. 



From the experiments of Achard and Hatchett, it ap- 

 pears that hair contains gelatine, to which it owes its fup- 

 plenefs and toughnefs. When hair is boiled in water, this 

 principle is feparated, and the hair becomes much more 

 brittle than before. Indeed, if the procefs be continued 

 long enough, the hair crumbles to pieces between the 

 fingers. The portion infoluble in water pofTeffes, according 

 to Mr. Hatchett, the properties of coagulated albumen. 



Mr. Hatchett has concluded, from his experiments, that 

 the hair which loies its curl in moift weather, and which is 

 fofteft and moft flexible, is that which yields its gelatine 

 moft readily ; whereas ftrong and elaftic hair yields it with 

 the greateft difficulty, and in the fmalleft proportion. 

 This conclufion has been confirmed by a very confiderable 

 hair merchant in London, who allured him that the firft 

 kind of hair was much more injured by boiling than the 

 fecond. 



Vauquelin has publifhed a curious fet of experiments on 

 human hair of different colours. He found it completely 

 foluble in a Papin's digefter. During this procefs, ful- 

 phuretted hydrogen was evolved. The folution thus ob- 

 tained contains a kind of bituminous oil, which is depofited 

 very flowly. This oil was black when the hair was black, 

 but yellowifh-red when red hair was the fubjeft of experi- 

 ment. When this oil was removed, nut-galls and chlorine 

 produced copious precipitates. Silver was blackened, and 

 acetate of lead precipitated brown. When concentrated 

 by evaporation, it did not concrete into a jelly. 



Water 



