Wool and Shoddy. 



347 



spun in exactly the same manner as in the worsted trade proper, 

 but the warp is cotton, which is used to secure greater lightness 

 and strength. The presence of cotton in these goods is avowed 

 and evident. The wools used are the same as in worsted, with 

 the addition of alpaca, mohair, camel hair, and cashmere. 



"Shoddy" and "mungo" are names of wool which has been used 

 before. 



Shoddy is produced by picking to pieces woollen or soft rags 

 or soft spun yarns, such as stockings and other hosiery, including 

 tailors' and hosiers' cuttings, and the yarn waste made in the 

 mills. 



Mungo is produced from hard rags, out of worsted or worsted 

 stuff goods, and is consequently longer and coarser than shoddy. 



The cotton or any other vegetable matter in these rags is 

 destroyed by a process known as carbonising or extracting. 

 The rags are dipped in dilute sulphuric acid and afterwards 

 dried by hot air, when the cotton is beaten out as powder. 

 Shoddy rags go through the same process when there is any 

 suspicion of the presence of anything that is not wool. It will 

 be seen from this that goods made from shoddy and mungo are 

 always in good sanitary condition. 



After being extracted, the wool is carded and spun just in the 

 same manner as it was in the first instance. 



The value of this second-hand wool is, for the best qualities, 

 about twice that of the average value of the English clip, but, 

 just as in the case of first-hand wool, there is a great variety of 

 prices. Some of it is mixed with the raw material for making 

 the very finest cloths, for various reasons, of which price is not 

 always the principal. Some of it is used to form the back of 

 worsted coatings to give weight and warmth. The cheaper 

 sorts are " scribbled " together with cotton before spinning, or 

 are spun alone and woven with a cotton warp. The goods thus 

 produced are called Union Cloth. 



Shoddy and mungo are not used with English wool, and, 

 speaking generally, they are not used in either branch of the 

 worsted trade. All the fabrics which are popularly known as 

 ladies' dress goods are entirely free from shoddy. What are 

 known as tailor-made costumes and dresses belong to the woollen 

 branch, and therefore may contain shoddy. 



