The various Breeds of Sheep in Great Britain. 243 
and deep-<>;rown wools, such as Lincoln and Leicester, &c., only 
were used, and the variety of fabrics made from them was not 
large. In these the " hog " wools were used for the ivarp (or 
threads running lengthways), and "wethers" for the weft (or 
threads woven across the piece). 
The first important improvement was the combing of finer 
and shorter stapled wools, by which much thinner and more 
valuable fabrics, such as Merinos, &c., were made, for which a 
large demand existed for ladies' dresses, &c. This improvement 
produced a very marked effect on the comparative value of 
English wool. It brought into use for this purpose the Down 
teg wools, and the longer staple of the Down wether wools, which 
were previously used for woollen purposes, and thereby caused a 
large increase in their value. It also gave a materially increased 
value to tlie few Merino flocks which remained in the kingdom, 
and brought into use, for combing purposes, the longer kinds of 
Saxony and Australian wools. At this time the warps were still 
made from wool, and as the hogs and tegs were used for this 
purpose, it gave a very high value to the best half-bred hogs, 
which, combining a portion of the length of the deeper grown 
breeds with the fineness of the Downs, were particularly adapted 
for the purpose. 
During this period some of the lower kinds of foreign wool 
were also brought into use for coarser worsted goods. 
The next very marked improvement in the manufacture of 
Avorsted goods was the use of cotton warps instead of those made 
from wool. This change has had a most important effect, both 
upon the extent of the trade and the value of the goods and wool. 
As regards the value of goods, they are produced cheaper and 
are made lighter, so as to be adapted for spring and summer 
wear ; whilst the additional introduction of silk warps and foreign 
wool enables the manufacturers to make fabrics of a more valuable 
and finer description. Its effect on the extent of the trade has 
been tliat, by introducing sroods which owing to their lightness 
and cheapness compete with cotton fabrics, or by their beauty 
and fineness may be used as substitutes for silks, it has given an 
immense and legitimate impulse to the increase of the manu- 
facture in the worsted districts. 
The change effected in the comparative value of English wool 
is exhibited in the reduced price of hogs generally, and espe- 
cially of the half-bred hogs, which were formerly most valuable 
when the warps of the light fabrics then made v/ere manufactured 
from wool. 
During this period various additional kinds of foreign wools 
have been brought into use, such as mohair, alpaca, &c. The 
goods made from these have a bright lustre, and bear a high 
R 2 
