Preparation of Wool for Market. [aug., 



pride, while manufacturers could urge with some degree of 

 reason the necessity of preparing wool for market in a real^ 

 practical, and up-to-date manner. A high tribute is paid to the 

 manner in which the Colonial clip is placed upon the market, it 

 being stated that more objectionable and foreign matter might 

 be found in 250 fleeces taken from an average English sheep 

 farmer than would be taken out of 1,000 to 2,000 fleeces of 

 Australian or New Zealand origin ; and while in view of the 

 much smaller size of the flocks at home it would not pay British 

 wool-growers to divide their wool into the numerous classes 

 which usually constitute an Australian clip of wool, buyers 

 want a better system than that at present in vogue under which 

 English sheep farmers as a rule roll into the fleece all the bellies, 

 britch, and shearlings which adhere to the fleece. This cannot be 

 called wool, it being simply so much foreign matter which the 

 sheep has picked up during its existence ; all this has to be 

 removed in some way or another, either by the sheep farmer 

 himself or the buyer, for, as Mr. Rollings says, " earth, dung, 

 straw, and vegetable matter never made tops, yarns, or pieces,, 

 and never will." 



In regard to Colonial methods of preparation Mr. Rollings 

 observes : — 



" Briefly put, every Colonial station of even average dimensions 

 places at the head of the clip a competent classer, whose business 

 it is to see that every fleece is properly classed as to quality, then 

 skirted and locked before being put into the bale to be packed- 

 for market. Every shorn fleece is handled with intelligence,, 

 careful attention being paid to those points which a grower 

 Knows will tell in his favour when the wool is offered for sale. 

 A good attempt is usually made to keep all the qualities 

 separate, " mixed " parcels only being taken by those who Hke 

 to buy such a clip of wool at more or less a speculative price. 

 Uniformity of quality is a very valuable feature in any parcel 

 of wool, and buyers know how to appreciate this when they see- 

 a clip straight and uniform in regard to quality and breed of 

 wool. It is a great mistake to bale together fine and coarse 

 fleeces, and even when handling fleeces of the mutton breed it 

 pays to bale separately the fine, medium, and coarse fleeces. 



" It must be remembered that before these leave the sorting 



