THE WOOLGROWER AND THE WOOL TRADE. 21 
mills is more capable than in the United States. This does not imply 
that American fabrics are inferior to imported, as a better cloth results 
if the wool is not so highly spun. 
GRADES OF WOOL FROM VARIOUS BREEDS OF SHEEP. 
It is impossible to assign wool to a particular grade solely upon the 
basis of the breeding of the sheep. In the mutton breeds especially 
there are wide variations within a single breed and within flocks. The 
following list shows in a general way how wool from the various 
breeds would be likely to grade:. 
BREED. GRADE OF WOOL PRODUCED. 
Merino (eastern States) Delaine, XX, X, or fine unwashed, etc. 
Merino (range States) Fine and fine medium staple or clothing. 
Rambouillet Fine and fine medium staple or clothing and a 
small amount of half-blood. 
Southdown Half and three-eighths blood (chiefly three-eighths 
combing or clothing, chiefly clo tiling). 
Shropshire Mainly three-eighths-blood, combing or clothing. 
Some quarter-blood. 
Hampshire Three-eighths and quarter blood combing or cloth. 
ing. 
Dorset Three-eighths and quarter blood combing or cloth- 
ing. 
Suffolk Three-eighths-blood combing and clothing. 
Cheviot Quarter-blood combing. 
Oxford Quarter and low quarter-blood combing. 
Corriedale Three-eighths-blood combing. 
Co.tswold j 
Lincoln >Low quarter-blood combing or braid. 
Leicester J 
Crossbred: Long wool on Merino or 
Rambouillet Half-blood, three-eighths-blood, and quarter-blood 
combing. 
Crossbred: Shropshire or Hamp- 
shire on Merino or Rambouillet. Half-blood and three-eighths-blood combing or 
clothing. 
SORTING WOOL. 
While wool is graded at the warehouses, as a rule sorting is done 
only at the mills. Its object is to secure lots of wool having greater 
uniformity as to fineness than could possibly be obtained if the 
fleeces were not divided. The wool as it grows upon the sheep's body 
varies in length and quality; consequently the fleeces can not be 
uniform in quality throughout. There is usually a wider range 
of quality in the coarse wools, such as Lincolns and Cotswolds and 
the crossbreds, than among the fine wools. Coarser fleeces might 
be of a three-eighths-blood grade or even half-blood on the shoulder, 
while the "britch" would be a quarter-blood. The shoulder wool 
is considered the best for strength, quality, and length, the sides 
