1 Mar, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 173 
Such as cannot be taken out by scouring; the fleeces are then partly broken up, 
Necessary, into subdivisions as to their fineness and qualities generally and 
48 to their length and fitness for this or that purpose of the manufacturer. If 
the fleeces have been carefully sorted and skirted, and if they are of good 
_ fhality and even throughout, a breaking up into several assortments on the: 
bart of the manufacturer is not necessary. In fact, good well-bred fleeces,. 
“refully skirted and judiciously classed on a station, do not require any more: 
utting before they are scoured, which proves that the woolgrower can enhance 
® value of his clip very much by careful breeding, sorting, skirting, and 
backing, and by so doing save a good deal of trouble and expense to the 
inufacturer for which he is willing to pay the grower in the shape of a better 
Mee. T shall again refer to this matter later on. _ : 
couring.—I have already mentioned the principal features to be observed 
m ‘couring.” At the same time we must remember that, whilst the woolgrower 
| aes the wool to save himself freight, the manufacturer scours for quite a 
| “Hferent purpose, His main object is to get rid of every particle of the 
Yolk and other admixtures in such a way that, firstly, the wool may take the dye 
; Y and thoroughly ; secondly, that the desirable qualities of the wool are not 
| “one Preserved, but, if possible, improved. Whilst there is no difficulty — 
; p Washing out those oily parts of the yolk, and those that have already been 
| ed into a kind of soft soap through the action of the potash salts 
 htained in the sweat—z.e., the product of the sweat glands—theré is: 
\ yen left a considerable portion of not saponified, sticky, waxy yoll« 
® ch the best colonial scourer does not, except in very few cases, remove: 
(i va € wool, particularly if the ridiculous opinion prevails that some yolk. 
~ quuld be left in the wool, for fear of lessening the weight, &e. It is this: 
Pad? Waxy stearerin which gives so much trouble to the scourer at home. 
| “sor Beaumont says :—‘“ The object in scouring is not simply to remove the: 
| <.°SY product from the material, but also the dirt and other extraneous matter 
a Which the wool may be covered. This should be effected without injury 
fhe: &r to the physical structure or chemical composition of the fibre (that means, 
pithex the cuticle nor the cortical substance itself should be injured). A 
ih thoroughly cleansed should be of a pure (white) colour, should handle soft 
ful clastic, dye readily, produce a true thread, and ultimately form a texture 
Ul an velvet-like to the touch. On the other hand, wool partially scoured 
‘sts the action of mordants (substances employed for slightly corroding the 
| 4 4Ce of the fibre, to assist the dye to get hold of the substance of the wool),. 
ah Ree a streaky colour, the dye not penetrating the fibre, but remaining on 
Ntace,” 
(st Amongst the several detergents employed for removing the sticky yolk 
| “arerin), potash, carbonate of soda, ammonia, and soap are more or less 
| theaeyeds amongst these, potash and ammonia are those less liable to corrode 
; “fibre, In many scouring establishments on the Continent, urine is employed, 
"er it has undergone a process of fermentation, during which carbonate of 
teow is formed. The greatest success in removing every particle of fatty 
‘iter will be accomplished by the use of such chemicals as dissolve fatty 
? within their own substance without decomposing it—such_ as benzine, 
th *, and bisulphide of carbon, and other similar substances. Not alone do 
of ,, Substances completely remove even the stickiest of yolk, but they permit 
cae fats being utilised again after evaporating the solvent. A good deal of 
Lerease is thus being obtained and turned to account—lanolin. 
bro ‘he temperature of the water employed in scouring should, for open, 
tees Wools, range from 32 degrees Cels. to 54 degrees Cels.; for fine wools 
aga, wPerature may range from 48 degrees Cels. to GO degrees Cels. In many 
mn tee Strength of the solution of detergents necessary for the style of wool 
Seg ind is best ascertained by experiment. In factories, as well as in colonial 
tenia’ places, scouring machines are used. ‘The wool is then rinsed out by a 
fop qaugal machine, and finally dried in the air or in a hot-air drying machine,. 
“scription of which, however, we haye no space. 
