THE W00LGR0WER AND THE WOOL TRADE. 7 
superior wool of considerable crimp that is uniform in character. 
Lofty wools possess considerable elasticity and spin higher than 
those lacking this quality. In well-grown wools the staples or 
locks are more distinct and the fibers are more nearly parallel than 
in the frowzy wools. Fleeces from poorly bred sheep show greater 
variation in diameter of fiber and are more likely to "run out" 
on the flanks, and this wool is consequently not so valuable. Black 
fiber shows up occasionally among mutton-bred sheep, and it is 
objectionable. Kempy wool is worth several cents a pound less 
than a similar quality free from this defect which denotes poor 
breeding. 
TENDER WOOL. 
Wool that has a weak part somewhere in its length must generally 
go into the clothing class, and in some instances it is inferior even 
for this. The exact cause of " tender" wool is not always known. 
It is generally agreed that sickness, a sudden shock from a blizzard, 
lack of feed, a rapid change from green to dry feed, or vice versa, 
and overfeeding often cause this condition. Sickness will often 
cause a distinct "break" in the fiber throughout the fleece. In 
general, better care and housing conditions decrease the percentage 
of tender wool, yet this is not always the case. Sheep that have 
been largely allowed to rough it, but having plenty of feed, have 
been known to produce better clips than the flock closely housed. 
"Frowziness" often indicates tender wool. After the wool has been 
clipped it may become tender through becoming wet. Tender wools 
are worth several cents per scoured pound less than sound wools. 
Plates II and III show well-grown, tender, and frowzy wools. 
USE OF PAINT FOR BRANDING. 
The practice of branding the sheep with paint is very generally 
established throughout the range country. The brands are usually 
placed upon the shoulders, side, or back — the most valuable parts 
of the fleece. Under some conditions it is doubtless necessary to 
brand, but tar brands should be avoided and the brands used 
should be as small as possible. At the present time most of 
the American dealers recognize no brand as soluble in scouring, 
but regard all paint locks with distrust. The damage done by 
the paint can scarcely be estimated. It is not only the damage 
to the locks directly affected, but the fibers carrying the paint 
are more or less mixed throughout the fleece, and it is almost 
impossible to get them all out. The amount of damage done 
varies with the kind of wool and the use to which it is 
put. One of the prominent felt manufacturing concerns that 
uses large amounts of the Texas wools for fine felts tries by every 
means to eliminate the paint. The painted wool is separated in 
