THE SHEEP. 
53 
WOOL. 
The kinds of wool, as distinguished from one another by the length of the staple, are termed Long and Short. The long 
wools are the produce of the larger Sheep of the plains, and possess a staple of seven inches and upwards. The short wools are 
the produce of the smaller Sheep of the mountains, downs, and generally of the drier or less fertile country, and have wool of a 
staple from two to four inches. 
Wool is prepared for being spun into thread by two processes entirely different in the effect and mode of execution : the first 
is termed Combing, and prepares the wool for being spun into worsted yarn, which is the kind of thread employed for the stuffs 
called worsteds ; the second is termed Carding, and prepares the material for being spun into woollen yarn, which is the kind of 
thread suited for the manufacture of woollen cloths. 
The process of combing consists in combing or dividing the wool by means of fine steel teeth, acting in the manner 
of the common comb on knotted or entangled hair. The comb is kept hot, and the wool is oiled, in order that it may 
pass more easily between the teeth of the comb. In this manner, the filaments are smoothed and arranged side by side, some¬ 
what in the manner in which the fibres of hemp and flax are assorted for spinning, and being then drawn out to the degree 
of tenuity required, are twisted or spun, forming worsted yarn. The tenuity given to these threads is of every degree, suited 
to the various kinds of manufacture, from the thickest and stoutest substances, to the most delicate articles of clothing and 
dress. The fineness to which woollen threads can be spun almost exceeds belief. It has been computed that, in ordinary spinning 
at Norwich, a pound of wool maybe extended to 13,440 yards, or in superfine spinning, to 39,200 yards, or about 22£ miles, so 
that a fleece yielding 7 lb. would produce a thread of 155 miles in length : and even this degree of fineness can be greatly 
exceeded. M. Luccock mentions a case, in which, from 1 lb. of wool, the produce of a sheep reared by Sir Joseph Banks, a 
female spun 168,000 yards of thread, or 95^ miles. The exportation of worsted yarn was formerly prohibited by law ; it is now 
permitted, and forms an increasing and profitable branch of trade. 
The preparation of wool by carding, for the manufacture of woollen cloth, is performed in an entirely different manner. In 
this process, the filaments are not kept entire and laid parallel to one another in the direction of the thread to be spun; but they 
are torn and broken into innumerable minute fragments, and then mingled together in every direction. By the spiral growth of 
wool, as distinguished from that of hair, each filament, or portion of a filament, is curled at its extremity, and the broken or 
divided parts tend to hook themselves to one another, so that, when a portion of wool is forcibly broken into pieces, the fragments 
remain loosely adherent to one another, and may then be twisted or spun. The operation of breaking the wool by means of the 
card is performed by machinery ; but the principle of the process will be understood from the following explanation :— 
Let there be supposed to be a board with a handle attached, and that in this board is fixed a great number of crooked wires, 
all bent in one direction. These wires are then partially filled with wool. Another board with the same kind of wires or teeth 
is then pulled in such a manner as to pass through amongst the teeth of the other board. By the repeated action of these two 
cards, the wool is broken into minute fragments, which, from the curling property of the wool referred to, hook themselves toge¬ 
ther, and are formed into long rolls or cardings, which, being drawn out and twisted, form the thread. 
This peculiar mode of forming the thread of woollen yarn has relation to the kind of fabric to be formed, namely, woollen 
cloth, which is a substance of a dense and close texture; while the fabrics formed of worsted thread are of a lighter and looser 
texture. This denser consistence is given to the woollen cloth by means of the property termed Felting. 
The property of felting consists in a tendency of the filaments of wool to unite or adhere when moistened and compressed. 
By compression in the moist state, a mass of wool becomes a dense body, as we see in the case of hats or beavers, which are 
formed of the wool and down of animals subjected to pressure and moisture. Nay, by this process alone, without the intervention 
of spinning and weaving, cloth can be formed. Thus, in ancient times, and amongst certain people of the east at the present day, 
caps, mantles, blankets, carpets, and the covering of tents, are formed by felting alone. In England, recent experiments have 
shown, that tolerably good cloths, both with respect to durability and fineness, may be formed by this means. The property 
appears to depend on the form of the filaments before referred to. Each filament is seen to be notched all round with minute 
serrations, formed by fine sharp lamina), proceeding from the pile like the leaves of an artichoke, all pointing in one direction from 
the base to the extremity. Now when, by the process of carding, the filaments are broken into minute fragments, the parts are 
intermingled in every direction, and the serrations tend to lock themselves into one another by meeting in opposite directions. 
But when wool is prepared by combing, the serrations lie in one direction, and do not in the same degree tend to lock themselves 
together. 
In the manufacture of woollen cloth, the felting process is not called into operation until the threads are spun and woven, 
and in the preparatory process the tendency of the filaments to cohere is prevented by oiling the wool. But when the cloth is 
woven, it is subjected to a process termed Fulling, for the purpose of freeing it from the oily matter. The fulling is performed by 
