Wool Washing.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 2

Wool Washing.

The question of washing or shearing in grease, says the Town and Country Journal, is brpught under discussion in a recent, issue of atx English paper ; but as usual no definite conclusion is arrived at. The matter being one of great importance to sheep farmers, it is welf that they should D 6 in possession of all available information 8b that they may be able to judge for themselves which course is likely to be the more profitable.' ' One view of the question is put ■something in this way :— All wools, whether greasy, washed or scoured, no matter how-well-got up, havtfto'be again washed by the manufacturer ■ he" can use 1 - tbettr, and as the natural yolk of the wool Contains a large percentage of potash which greatly assists the washing, he prefers to buy wool in the-grfease with all the yolk in it. Washed wools,- having lost their yolk. require to be revivified with a larger supply of lye or Roap, and even then do not come up as bright and clean as greasy wools, for manufacturers' purposes. As - against this it has been said that wool does not keep bo well in grease, being liable to become caked or yolk stained. But this, it appears, is an illusion. 'It is proved that co far from injuring the wool, the grease exercises a certain preservative influence. In wasted wools it is said that the wool becomes harsher as time adrances, and lore* in quality and spinning capacity. With reference to fleeceWftßhed wools the following observations'are made :-rFleece washed wools are, as a rule, not quite go open and free in staple 1 as .greasies, because the manipulation of washing often renders them somewhat twieted, 4 stringy, or felted.- The ill treatment of double waehing shows its bad effect* clearly «n the clean washed wool, which, besides its harsher quality and reduced spinning capacity;' will produce more water when passing through the different stages of ' manufacture. * The 'difficulty of making a good job of scouring a wool which has been already washed, or even partly washed, on thesheeps' back is undoubted. The experiment 4 has been frequently tried in Sydney, but not with, such; t-atisfactory _ results as .desired. . A washed wool will not acour well. But on the other hand, it must .not be forgotten that for a certain class of goods which require to be dyed with delicate colours— fine cloths for coachmen's and footmen s liveries, for instance— greasy wools have proved unsuitable, manufacturers finding that they can' only; apply Ithe dyes successfully to wools which « have been washed on the sheeps' back. This is no doubt the .reason, why the choicest fl'eeceu washed, wools fetchtup.to 4s and S&per lb in lxmdon occasionally . , Manufacturers! yho snake, a specialty ©fc delicate.dyes find they,, must have the superfine washed wools at any coflt.-Butrthis-demaffd'-is only a limited one ; and it seems beyond question that fo.r. -HTwferred., - f The, Question, of Irieghi and &f^?JßBP%)YkKnjn®s, qiiQ^vm* enter j>ut \ wjth. £S£i. ??h d w *** r^^^H^Sicostof transit is not the serious matter that it used to be in days gone by j and on the whole the weight of evidence seems to be in favour of a general shearing" in the grew