WOOL CLASSES

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 9980, 4 May 1911, Page 6

WOOL CLASSES

AN AUSPICIOUS OPENING.

The wool classes in connection with the Mastorton Technical School commenced last evening, under decidedly favourable circumstances.

Mr W. H. Jackson extended, on behalf of the Technical School Managers, a cordial welcome to Mr Lees, the instructor. They were l'ortunato, he said, in getting an instructor with such a wide experience as Mr Lees, and in having the wool classes opened again so auspiciously. Allusion was made to the generous assistance received from the members of tho Mnsterton a. and P. Association, who had done all in their power to further the classes, which he trusted would be tho means of disseminating an inknowledge among wool-grow-ers generally Mr Lees, in response., trusted that he would ho able to impart some useful information and that be would not only be with thesu during the present Sanson, but also duriug that following. Although the classes were nominally for the purpose of wool classing, it was his intention to go further ami to give as much information to his students as possible, for it had been his experience in regard to wool that there was always something to learn. He then proceeded with the class of instruction, following which he gave a short address on the aim and object of the wool classes.

He stated that they were goiug in both for practice and theory as they hud to practice the theory to see if it was correct. Allusion was made to the spread of technical eclucatiou during the past few years and the tendency to specialise. In no branch had this buen so apparent and the benefits so great as in the science of chemistry. Formerly tanners had ro relv'ou their tasto to test the leather", but now they employed a chemist ro aualvse it and to see if it was of the required strougth. A tanuer had recently explained to him how badly ho bad been had some years asc The hides had not been giving the returns they should. A chemist was called in and it was discovered that the hides had been subjected to some process which gave them a false appearance. This was an instance of the value of chemistry. The wool was subjected to similar tests, and as the result of experiments it had been uiseovotod that some of the soap used in scouring was too strung and iujureo the iibie. The water, too, when used at too high, a temperature was injurious, while bleaching had also been carried out by a wrong process prior to the conducting of the experiments. it would thus hf seen that researches were of the utmost value. A manufacturer wanted to know the why and wherefore of tilings. If he did not know he would go to the wall. The same applied to woo! buyers, but it was only reasonable that if the buyer wanted a certain thing the grower should know the. reason for it. If. for instance, the biner wanted a good spinning wool the grower should know how to grow it. Wool wonhl sometimes be spoken of as tender and it was a matter of very grave importance to know why it became tender in order that the difficulty might be avoided. It was the aim uf the classes to give the grower the knowledae that would help him to overcome these difficulties. The information imparted would be from the tune of the birth of the lamb up to the point of manufacture of the wool. They might even go further back and say what the lamb was going to be according f~> the Jaws of herertit*, The fibre • t wool v a , - a put'< ul.irlv delicate thins ami « is \en subject ro detrimeit.il < fl« ct Llic question of which breed- ot -deep suited certain soiis would he dealt with and also the etlect of dipping on the wool Farmers, he said, frequently placed thfir sheep immediately after dipping, in a pen on which the sun's rays bear straight down. He advised those present who were doubtful as to thy barm ilono in this way to try to lie on th" ground wirh their hack.' exposed to the sun after a hath, and they would then realise bow the sheep felt This: accounted for poor backs in regard to the wool. Shearing by machine was ai-o responsible for some of the poor backs in that the wool was taken oii so clo-e that it did not snilice to keep out the weather. He stated in conclusion, that he would be pleased at any time during the classes to answer any questions that might' be put to him.