WHAT DOES THE WOOL BUYER LOOK FOR

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29021, 9 October 1959, Page 5 (Supplement)

WHAT DOES THE WOOL BUYER LOOK FOR

THE need for careful classing of wool to ensure the best price can be compared with a hardware merchant trying to sell nuts and baits of different threads, diameters and shapes all in th? same box. appraisal? d ° CS b " yer '° Ok when he makes his

Fineness of the fibre is frequently considered first. The “count” or quality number was originally described as “the number of hanks of yarn,

each measuring 560 yards,

which could be spun from one pound of tops.” (Tops is semimanufactured wool which has been washed and combed.) ~~

The length of the fibres is also of importance in the length which can be spun. In practice, about 70 hanks of yarn could be spun from one pound of 70’s Merino tops. The coarsest wools have the lowest counts, some as low as 36’s. For the worsted section, all the wool is combed so that the short fibres are removed and the long fibres are drawn lengthwise and the yarn spun is strong and relatively smooth. They are therefore suitable for making into suitings, gaberdines and other cloths which have to be durable, strong and smooth finished. Woollens For the woollen trade the wool is spun directly after carding and is not combed. Because of this the yarn is softer and fluffier than worsted and can be used for a wide range of fabrics from billiard cloths, tweeds and flannels to overcoatings. The shorter fibres removed during combing in the worsted section are used for woollen goods.

THE substance of this section on wool assessment is based largely on a Department of Agriculture bulletin on wool values, written by J. E. Duncan, wool supervisor, Auckland.

For felt and mechanical uses, long and sound fibres are needed to withstand wear and tear and mechanical strains. Some -types of wool used for felt manufacture, particularly the fine “paper felts,” bring good prices. Felt makers have special requhements and are interested in a wide range of,wools. A

felt floor covering may be made partly from crossbred wool for strength and to keep the cost down, but it may be faced on one or both sides with Merino to give an attractive, soft finish.

The carpet section of-,the industry is interested in the coarse and frequently hairy types of wool. Because length is a secondary consideration in the wool that carpet manufacturers are able to buy in New Zealand they are keen to buy large quantities of crossbred crutchings. YieldThe yield, or the net weight of the wool after it has been scoured, plays a big part in determining the price which will be received at the sale. Assessment of this is prob-

ably the wool buyer’s greatest skill. The clean yields of New Zealand wool vary considerably according to breed, locality, season and other factors. A Romney fleece from Wanganui might average 75 per cent, clean scoured yield whereas one from Westland might yield more than 80 per cent. From the Manawatu the fleece might yield only 70 per cent. One from near Foxton might yield as low as 60 per cent., because of ironsand in the fleece adding to the weight. Soundness is important for combing and paper felt manufacture. If a staple of wool shows a localised weak spot the defect is known as a

“break.” Wool which is weak throughout the entire length of the staple is termed “tender.” Wool “break” can be caused by sickness or periods of starvation.

Style The relative superiority of different lots of wool is termed “style.” The top grading AA is for wool of good colour, well grown, sound, well skirted, well classed and free from fault, and the bottom listing of E refers to inferior wools. As the style rating decreases the tolerance of faults gradually increases until D style includes most of them. A wool has to be really bad to be classified E. The buyer looks closely at the colour of the wool for the whitest and brightest is the most valuable. Some stains scour out readily and these are recognised by buyers and not penalised heavily, but stains which appear unscourable are discounted heavily. Uniformity, or evenness, depends on careful breeding and culling on the part of the stud ram breeder if the fibre varies in its uniformity of diameter, and on the classer if the variation is between individual fleeces.

The feel of wool, or “handle,” is described as soft, greasy, fatty, sticky, slippery, gritty or harsh or one or more of these in combination. Evaluation of this sensation is a skill born of years of experience. Lustre The lustre of wool—its characteristic sheen or gloss—varies with breed, count and type and this is not an important feature in the wool exhibited to the buyer. In addition to the above features of assessment, the buyer must be on the lookout for many faults which occur in wool. Some are of minor significance while others result in the wool being sold at a heavy reduction.