THE WOOLGKOWER AND THE WOOL TRADE. 3 
its handling only as there is chance opportunity to learn of them 
through the speculator or the distant commission agent. 
During the past six seasons a growers' semicooperative selling 
agency has been in operation in Chicago, with branches in Boston 
and Philadelphia. The establishment has handled considerable wool, 
but according to report its growth and service have been less than 
might have been realized if growers had adhered to the policy of 
consigning their wool to it instead of using it as a lever to secure 
higher prices from buyers in the field. 
Eastern wools. — The fact that much of the wool produced on farms 
of the Central and Eastern States is considered as secondary to mutton 
production does not lessen the need of giving the highest possible value 
to the grower. Here the producer is even farther removed from the 
manufacturer than in the case of the range sheepman, who can usually 
deal with some one acquainted with the values of wools and capable 
of distinguishing between clips varying in grade and quality. Con- 
siderable farm wool is sold to country storekeepers at a uniform 
price to accumulate into lots of sufficient size to be sold to a traveling 
buyer. In Minnesota and Wisconsin cooperative selling agencies 
have been established. The managers of these agencies put the 
entire amount received into suitable grades for selling to the manu- 
facturers and set a fair price upon each lot of wool received. 
Lack of contact between the manufacturer and the wool grower is 
largely responsible for the latter' s failure to place his wool upon the 
market in such a way as to secure its full value. In order to dispose 
of wool to the best advantage growers must know the shrinkage and 
the proper class and grade names for their wools and be able to under- 
stand the reports of the market as published. 
The pages that follow deal with the factors that determine the 
value of wool, market reports, grading, sorting, and methods of 
effecting improvement in the preparation of wool. 
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE VALUE OF WOOL. 
SHRINKAGE. 
It is the buyer's first duty in inspecting an offering to make an 
estimate of the yield of clean or scoured wool. American wools 
may shrink from 25 to 80 per cent. Since more than 300 pounds of 
grease wool may be required to produce 100 pounds of scoured, the 
importance of shrinkage in the eyes of the buyer is readily recog- 
nized. Some of the wastes that occur during manufacturing can be 
used in other types of fabrics, but the loss hi scouring is a complete 
loss. 
Shrinkage is due first and chiefly to the oil present in varying 
quantities in all natural wool. The term ''condition" has a special 
use in the wool trade, referring to the amount of oil or yolk and 
