8 BULLETIX 206, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
sorting, and yet the scoured wool contains so many specks that it is 
necessary to ''hand pick" it. This process costs from 3 to 5 cents 
per scoured pound, and with the quantities handled by this firm 
in one year the expense amounts to between $8,000 and $10,000. 
This concern will pay one-half to 1 cent extra for wool suitable 
to its need guaranteed free from paint. Another manufacturer 
writes: "-If the brand marks on a lot of wool were unfailingly and 
altogether soluble it would enhance its value to us about one-fifth 
of a cent per pound, the usual cost of clipping." It is good prac- 
tice to clip off the brands before shearing. 
TAGS. 
Tags are worth about one-third as much as good wool, depending 
somewhat upon condition. Ordinary tags shrink much more in 
scouring than the fleece proper taken from the same sheep. Most 
clips have the tags on the inside of the fleeces. In buying 
wool containing tags the buyer usually discounts enough so 
that he will be safe. It is generally better to remove the tags 
so that the exact amount can be ascertained, as the grower 
will generally fare better under this system. It must be admitted, 
however, that the custom of discounting 1 per cent for tags even 
after they have been sacked separately does not recognize the value 
of separate sacking. Another very serious objection to allowing 
tags to remain in the fleece is that they are likely to stain the 
surrounding wool, especially when it is wet. 
WET WOOL. 
Wet wool has been known to ''take fire," and there are numerous 
instances where it has been damaged to the extent of from 1 to 2 
cents per pound. The damage is not altogether due to the weak- 
ening of the fiber, but also to staining, especially when there are 
any tags present. 
Often wool must be hauled for long distances and piled up along 
the tracks waiting for shipment. In such case it is sometimes sub- 
jected to heavy rain, and while the bags apparently dry out where the 
air has access, there is no chance for drying inside the pile. When the 
bags once become wet it often takes months for them to dry out. It 
is said that as much as 10 per cent of the wools from one of the western 
States was damaged by moisture hi 1913. 
WOOL CONTAINING BURS. 
Burry fleeces should be separated from the others if there are very 
many burs present. The hard burs can usually be knocked out during 
the process of manufacture with a little extra work, but the soft burs 
entail considerable extra expense. They often open up in a spiral or 
