COMBING AND CLOTHING WOOLS.

Northland Age, Volume VI, Issue 40, 30 May 1910, Page 2

COMBING AND CLOTHING WOOLS.

THE RELATIVE USES TO WHICH r THEY ARE PUT. By S. B. HOLLINGS. This month I promised to give several correspondents an article on "What are Tops," and to try to explain what seems to be to many growers a knotty problem. Several who have written me cannot define one quality from another, and in response to these I had hoped to be able to tackle the subject. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I am such a busy man, and time flies so quickly, that I have not had the chance to take a single photograph to illustrate my point, and it is useless dealing with this subject unless I can show them pictures of what I mean. Then, we are still in midwinter, and we have had a constant succession of dull days and fog when photography was altogether out of the question, but I will try for the April issue to "delve" into this question to the best of ray ability. While thinking over this subject it is absolutely essential to somewhat clear the ground, and it appears to me that the question of combing and clothing wools is a kind of preface to the subject of topmaking. " Tops" are simply a trade term which is used in describing combed wool, and before that operation is done we must bear in mind that anything and everything cannot be made in tops. For a man to attempt to comb all the wool that is grown would be embarking upon a very suicidal career, hence woolgrowera everywhere should have an intelligent idea of what is meant by combing and clothing wools.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORD COMBING." The word "combing" is no doubt a term very familiar to every grower of the raw material, and he naturally looks upon the best part of his fleece as being the combing portion. That part is the longest and straightest, length of staple being the sine qua non of all wools coming under the designation of combing. Here comes in the dividing line between combing and clothing, and if a staple is not long enough for the former, it should always be put into a clothing lot. It is impossible to lay down any hard-and-fast rule to define or determine what is combing and clothing, but all wool of good length can well be classed as combing, no matter whether it be of Merino or crossbred quality. In handling a fleece of shorn wool the classer naturally looks to the length of the staple, and when the faulty parts have been skirted off, the condition and fineness of that fleece will determine whether it will go into super, first, second, or ordinary combing lots. The length of even combing wool can vary up to l£in. It is a very common thing to see fine Merino wool measuring only l£in. in length described as combing, but all wools coming under this category should be at least' 2in. long, and they will be all the better if they are 2£ to 3in. long. Here comes in the great question of breeding, a subject which 1 think can be best handled by practical sheepmen, and not by one whose experience is more closely identified with the wool end of the trade. But, after all, the principle of growing wool appeals just as forcibly to the user as to the grower. We have seen during the last dozen years good, long-combing wools, which are often spoken of as "warp wools ;" come into increasing favour, and this season those clips which have shown a good combing length have done a long way the best. The longest wools that I have seen in London are those from South Australia and Riverina, while a few Queensland clips and also a few from the western province of Cape Colony have been of good combing length. I have thought this last two or three years that the pastoralists of Australia in their great rage for density of fleece have rather under-esti-mated length of staple. All sorts of reasons are advanced for this. No matter what the cause, the fact remains that complaints have been numerous that there has been plenty of good clothing wools, but very few good combing wools, and this is to be regretted. Short combing wools are all right enough for spinning thick counts of yarn, but wh?.n they have to go to what is known in the trade as " long lengths," that is, spun to high counts, then a good length of staple is absolutely essential. This is also imperative for double combing, where tops are dyed and then recombed before being spun. During the last ten years this has grown to be a big trade, and short, or what is usually spoken of in Australia as "common" tops, are not suitable at all. I say, unhesitatingly, that all combing wools should measure at least 2in. in length, and if the staple runs out to Sin. so much the better.

Of course, every sheepbreeder knows that finer the quality and shorter the [ staple, nobody expecting to see 80’s | quality tops the same length as I CO’s. Here comes in the importance . of a station classer doing his work thoroughly at the time of shearing, j and the manager cannot be too j strict in enforcing upon the man in , charge the importance of making his 'surer combing of the longest, lightest, and finest fleeces, the shorter ones going into the second and ordinary combing. It is exactly on th's principle that the custom has 1 grown of baling the hogget wool by itself, .an 1 it is a wise thing to do. Hece get the longest stapled wool, and other factors being equally as geo 1 , the highest price is usually make. 1 Combine' wool? are pre-eminently

suited for topmaking purposes, and I it is here that I should say 8U per cent, are used. The word combing . is derived from the operation, which j can be seen daily when a woman is doing her toilet, and as she combs out her long hair, and lays every one in a parallel form, so wools of good length are put through the combing machine, every fibre being laid parallel to each other, the result being that the long-combed silver is called tops. I hope to 6how ■ a photograph of these in a succeeding article, when the importance of length of staple will be clearly seen. Combing wools are more essentially suited for topmaking purposes than anything else, solely on account of length of staple. Woollen manufacturers while wanting a nice staple are not so particular about a big length ; in fact, a great length 1 of staple with them is not of first j importance. In handling a lot of combing wool topmakers will run over the bale, and sorters oftentimes make two to ; four sorts. It all depends what kind of top a man wants that determines the methods employed by his sort- ' ers. For instance, a Merino top-' maker will have an ordinary or short 60’s, into which the short combing wools of that quality will go, and possibly the longest and best of his 58’s. Then he will have his super 60’s, being made of hi's longerstapled 60’s wool. Next comes his 64’s, a top which shows a finer fibre, some even making an ordinary short 64’s, and others a better quality still, comprising a longer length and. higher quality. Then there will be his 70’s, and some even make 80’s. Sorters who are engaged in sorting a bale of Merino at our best establishments will sort carefully every fleece, and even if a portion of that fleece is either longer or finer than the remainder, it will be torn ofl and thrown into the skep for that quality and length of top. Clothing wools are a very useful commodity, and will always remaiD so ; in fact, it will be a dark day indeed for the whole of the textile industry when there is not grown a sufficient quantity of both combing and clothing wools to meet the wants of the world. 1 have no doubt that woolgrowers everywhere must have been surprised at the very long figures which are oftentimes paid for clothing wools, the same frequently making more than the combing descriptions. I have asked many a time what is the reason for this, and the only reply that can be given is that that particular parcel is finer and shorter than the combing descriptions. This raises the question—Then why not always grow wools instead of combing ? To do that would be a mistake, and anyone attempting it would find that out in three years’ time. Because one little lot of super clothing fetches Id. to 2d. more than the combing is no sound reason for ceasing to produce combing, for to do that would soon bring down the value of the entire clip. I say, unhesitatingly, that it is the classer’s duty when handling a clip of wool on station to select the very finest and somewhat shorter-stapled fleeces, and so make a super or first clothing lot. It is a knowledge that this has been done that gives more confidence to buyers of the combing, who expect, and as a rule find, that that portion of the clip is more regular in length, while the clothing lots will show uniformly both in regard to quality and length of staple. These are factors which should be known by every classer, and this principle should also be observed by thoss responsible for making up catalogues when the clip is offered for sale. At the same time a competent station classer should do his work so thoroughly as to facilitate those who are responsible for cataloguing the wool when it comes into the broker’s hands for sale. WHO BUYS CLOTHING WOOLS.

Clothing wools, owing to tht shortness of staple, are very seldom bought by topmakers, this wool going to an altogether different purpose than the production of tops Really tip-top clothing wools find their way into the hands of the woollen trade people, and firms who as a rule make a specialty in producing fine fancy trouserings, * tweeds, suitings, flannels, and a host of other fabrics, which are all made on the woollen principle. Some day I will try to describe tbe difference between woollens and worsteds ; suf- ■ fice now to say that while the former consist of spinning combed yarns whose fabrics have been laid parallel to each other, woollen yarns are spun j from wool treated on an altogether different principle,, namely, that of rolling together the various fibres in a carding or scribbling machine. This : no doubt will be too technical for most woolgrowers, hence I try to . deal in a plain practical manner ; with this subject without going into technicalities. Now, it is a wellknown fact that woollen manufac-' turers can afford to pay a trifle more per lb. for anything that suits their purpose much better than can a to roarer, for in the production oi woollen specialities he has a chance

to get back his own, no man living Icing able to so minutely estimate the cost of superfine woollen fabrics the same as can be done a combed top. This accounts for fine silky lambs selling anywhere from Is. 3d. to Is. lid. per lb. is of little consequence. So with a special lot of Merino clothing wools. It is solely on account of quality and length that they sell so well, and especially if the wools are not excessively yol y and earthy. I have sometimes thojght that by way of an experiment it would be a goo j thing for some renowned grower o'. Mud re'* wools to thoroughly scout a i ortion of his clip, and to see what could be got for the wool.