WOOL CLASSING AND SORTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 10

WOOL CLASSING AND SORTING.

■; Vv : :-PRACTICAL HIK.TS. •'.' ■'■ .";.:. [To- h.? Editor.].. classing • wool the operator has ,to cee thatValUthe.qualities aro.uniform. This can only'.bo'done.by carefully reading, the. classes, which becomes a study in itself, ■ and a' practical knowledge of the Vork. 'Seventy-five per cent of the controversy about foreign and vegetable matter, in- wool could be dispensed with if the get-up of tho .clips at the shearing were. more carefully done before leaving the woolshed for shipment. ■ Here comes in tho skilful -work of the sorter, and it is absolutely essential that the colonial wol-clasaer should have practical knowledge of .how-to-tell-.the different qualities of wool. In a large

woolshed, Hillersden," in Marlborough, for instance, where we shear from 45,000 to 45,000 sheep annually,' I' would bo better able to show how to class the ilceces, and sort the wool, than -I can explain by writing. My report would be much more easily and-satisfactorily done if I had tho fleeces' to.'work with, and tell which quality was 60's,: 64's, or 70's, merino wool., .>■ ': ■'. '.'. . ..

. Estimating the qualities by the numbering is simply "the word," defining the .fineness of fibre. The more, serated the,staple the.finer'thei.wool. How to tell the-unitiated which! is GO's, 6i's,'7o's, and .80's, is where the difficulty arises. It is all a question of experience, judgment by the" eye; and to some extent the rule of the -thumb. Even expert's estimates .vary somewhat in defining the qualities.

Wool-sorting .differs from .wool-classing. The iWool-elasser divides tho fleeces into several grades of qnality' and stapling, without breaking them up; whereas tho wool-sorter' divides ' each neece into the different" l ..qualities' " of, ■' wool required . by': -the'i.-. manufacturer . , to. enable him to spin an even "thread. A wool-classer and sorter of wool requires to have prompt decision of judgment/and great confidence, good eyesight, and a sensitive touch with the hand. In addition to his practical, training, he must; have .a.good..na.tural,light A to work with; "artificial'light" is'yery 'deceptive, 1 giving' , a wrong impression in regard to the wool. 'IV test the qualities always hold tho samples up to the light. To keep the staple even in length measure it over the thumb. The sainploover first joint class mark'B., second joint class mark A; not ovet first jointclass mark F. For local purposes, and a clip from small flocks varying frpnV&OO,. V 5000, do not' make more than 'flfour classes of the'dip, namely, Ist and 2nd. combing; and class-mark the bales of wool A. and B.; faulty fleeces, good bel-

lies, and pieces claBS-mark F; sweepings and 2nd pieces mark "locks." Cave is required in a large woolshed not to "throw" the teat samples to waste. No. GO's wool is considered, to be tho beginning; of merino,-'counts,; and anything i-below; ; and; 50's-;would rank as $ne crossbred 'wool. 'iSti'bu'g'.combing mer'inos 6i/'s to 70'sV'and anything above 70's class fine merino \rbA\e SO's, 90's 100's, and upwards are extra super-fine, and should 'be class marked . AA. All these classes are good in thc-ir places, and should bo judged "on their merits of the criniple serations, which is tho. secret of. wool-classing. Even, a fleece of wool is oftentimes much finer at the shoulder thanjat the britoh, and while the best part' of <■t&e fleece will go into'.64's class, yet po'sEJbly the britch is only 60's. ' ■•" ■" • Here comes in the skilful "work of the expert sorter and wool-classer. Carefully take from a dozen ''separate merino fleeces a staple out of eactt, and lay- them side by side. In all likelihood a marked difference in tho fineness of tlio fibre will be seen. Probably GO'S, til's,'to 70's qualities, and superfine combing, 80's and9o's. This tho practical wbol-clas-ser judges by tho crrmple serations in tho staple. The definition in the meaning of .the numbering is more applicable to ■ the spinning factories;. When they say certain- wool is of 6O's,-.quality, it conveys tbe. , '.'nieaning..t,h.rtt..yi?,.: w ool in question shbuld'spin'to such-a-length or smiillness of'-iyara; that it, , will ;take 00 banks to llb".';6jLspiin" material ■.'of clean scoured combing wool. ' .—Th'e.technical.cqlle.ges.where classes are coiiducttd do not go far enough with this teaching, and tho student gets hold of a foolish'notion,'which'is more hurtful than beneficial.' li my subject is' interesting, I willgive further accounts of cross and haltbred sheep and'.'wdqV. ~',' "li. ■ I am,etc., "'■-,-' -"'■■<■ ■ JAMES T. MACKAY; Bllengrove, Richmond, ' . Nelson. . ... February 24, 1910.

■ SALE OF ESTATE AT WAIHOU. A SWISS TAKES IT UP. (By Toloaraph)— Press Association.) ■ . Auckland, March 5. A.Te Aroha firm has "just-effected tho sale. of.the fine Burkedalo Estate at "Waihou to Sir. Cipriano Cardenus, a gentleman recently from Switzerland and formerly a resident of Colombia, South America. Mr. Cardenus has decided to establish a stud dairy stock fnrm. with a herd from Switzerland and Normandy, 'mid-ho will shortly proceed to Europe for the purpose of selecting the animals.

Says the "Taranaki Herald":—"A condition of ferment, wo aro told, exists in ■ the back-blocks, of Taranaki, intending right up to the Slain Trunk railway, on the subject of the roads. "Wo do not wonder at it, for matters have gone from bad to worse, ami it is practically certain that only a small portion of tho money voted for road construction by Parliament in December last will be ' soeiil this suiujuei-" . . ....