TOPS IN WOOL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 15

TOPS IN WOOL.

Quotations are frequently given of ''Bradford tops," but they fail to convoy any information except to the ex|>ert, who knows, on examining any sample of wool, what tho loss will be in scouring, spinning, etc. The following extract from the Farmers' Gazette explains exactly what "tops" are: —"Farmers generally are not well acquainted with tho technical terms employed in the wool trade. The meaning of the word ' tops,' for instance, is not too clearly understood by many. Judging tho quality of wool is a matter of trained experience, and different experts vary somewhat, some topmakors calline their tops 64's, while other spinners will only call it super. 60s. The largest firm of topmakors in Bradford produce what they call a warp super. 60's, but it is equal to tho majority of other topmakors' 64's, and they nave made for that top a price that rules for the 64's of other firms. Tho beginning of merino counts is placed at 60's, and anything below that, such as 58's, 56's, and 50's, ranks as crossbreds. Anyone carefully taking out a dozen separate merino fleeces, say a staple out of each, and laying them sido by side, will see a marked difference in the fineness of the fibre. Probably there will be among thoso dozen staples 60's, 64's, and 70's quality. The technical term 'tops' in tho wooi sales' reports signifies tho combed fibrea of wool, which in spinning are laid parallel by tho combing machine, the short fibres called 'noils' being separated in tho combing operation, and both tops and noils are commercial units and standards of the entiro wool business. The word 'quality' simply describes tho fineness of fibre, and when certain wool is classed 60's quality it moans that tho wool in question should Hpin to such a length or smallness of yarn that it will take 60 hanks, each hank measuring £6oyds, to weigh lib, of spun This also, jt should be noted, is not lib of greasy wool, but lib of clean scoured oombsd top. It is onlv by comparison of what one may call ordinary merino which will bo 60's, medium to fine which will

bo 64's to 70's, and fino to superfine which will bo 70's, 80's, and 90's that any woolgrower can learn what are the elifferent qualities of merino wool. Mr Rollings, tho well-known wool authority of BradI ford, says, naturally the 50's is very much coarser than the 60's, 40's being considered a* about the standard of tho crossbred trade, and 60's tho standard of merinos, i Good halfbred wool should scale from 50's ! to 56's quality; quarter-bred, say 56's to ■ 58's, or very fine crossbred; three-quarter-j bred on the longwool side, 46's to 48's; J crossbred about a 40's; and a puro Lincoln, ! 36's to 40's"