WOOL APPRAISEMENT How It Works

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 69, Issue 5, 15 November 1944, Page 453

WOOL APPRAISEMENT How It Works

Vi By ;

J. E. DUNCAN,

: Wool Supervisor, Livestock Division, Wellington,'

In its initial stages the detailed working of the Wool Appraisement Scheme was something of a mystery to the average wool-grower. Latterly the brokers have all been issued with full details of the system, and in many cases have explained these to their clients. Many misconceptions still exist among farmers, however, and this article is written in an attempt to clear them up.

A Precedent — “The Commandeer”

The present wool appraisement system is not novel in its general principles, as it is very similar to the system used in the last war and brought into force on December . 21, 1916. The requisition of New Zealand wool for the use of the Imperial Government on that occasion was generally referred to as “The Commandeer,” and covered the purchase of four clips from 1916-17 to 1919-20. The prices of the various grades of wool were fixed at 55 per cent, above the ruling rates for the 1913-14 season, and the clip was bought for the duration of the war and one season thereafter. There was also the provision that Great Britain would bear any losses involved in the resale of New Zealand wool, but would give the New Zealand producers a half-share of any profits made in such transactions. The clip was classified into something over 200 types of greasy wool for purposes of appraisal, and the average price paid to growers was 14.96 d. per lb. “BAWRA” At the close of the commandeer period Britain still held enormous stocks of unsold wool, including almost 800,000 bales from New Zealand. It was in an effort to dispose of this surplus without completely glutting the market that BAWRA was formed. The name stood for British Australia Wool Realisation Association, Ltd., and it was established in January, 1921. In addition to the operation of BAWRA in disposing of old stocks. of wool, regulations were brought in in New

Zealand, firstly completely prohibiting any sales of the new clip for two months, and later allowing increasing quantities to be sold, but with the imposition of a minimum price. A: market values, were steadily rising, the minimum price clause was revoked ir 1922, but a permanent legacy from this period is the control of quantities o: wool offered at auction sales by the Wool Committee, which has persisted, This committee still functions, and includes z a chairman appointed' by the Minister of Agriculture and representatives from the Wool Brokers’ Association and the Sheepowners’ Federation. With the disposal of all surplus wool stocks by 1924, BAWRA was dissolved, after performing in an outstanding manner a necessary and difficult task. Normal Disposal Methods Before describing the present appraisal system it is desirable to consider something of the usual methods of wool disposal which immediately preceded it. At the beginning of the century only a quarter of the wool grown in New Zealand was sold through the auction sales conducted by the wool brokers, the remainder being sold by direct, consignment to Britain, or by private treaty to country wool-buyers. By 1913 approximately half the clip was being sold at auction, and by 1934 the proportion had risen to 81 per cent. Just prior to the present war this figure had risen still further, to approximately 85 per cent., so it would be safe to say that sale at public auc-

' tion is the normal method of disposal for most of the wool grown in New Zealand. Prior to the war the methods of disposal actually open to the grower were as follows: — 1. Sell wool at auction through a broker. (a) The -broker both skirting and classing the wool. (b) The farmer doing the skirting, but leaving the classing to the broker. (c) The farmer skirting and classing, the broker merely displaying and selling. (d) Small lots were often -skirted and sent to the broker for binning, or (e) Sent to the broker for skirting and binning. (Binning is the process of gathering together large numbers of fleeces of similar type from various sources to make a large, even, saleable line.) (f) Lines of 3 bales or less might be “interlotted” by the broker with other small lines of similar type, to avoid “star lots.”' (A “star” is any lot of less than 4 bales, and is not sold in the main catalogue.) This

interlotting was done free of charge, while binning was charged for, but in many cases the latter method still brought the grower the better net ' return. 2. Ship direct to England for sale at the London wool auction sales. 3. Scour wool locally and ship to London for sale. There is normally no demand for the scoured product in New Zealand. 4. Sell by private treaty to an itinerant wool buyer. 5. Sell to a co-operative concern specialising in wool-sorting. 6. Or a combination of any of the above. Grading and Inspection These are not normally. Government functions at all. In peacetime there is no compulsion on the farmer to carry out any grading of his wool, although it is in his own interests to do so. He may either class his wool himself, or employ a professional woolclasser to do it for him, or he may leave these functions to his broker. Inspection of wool offered for sale at auction comes within the province of both the Wool Brokers’ and the Wool Buyers’ Associations. Both these bodies have books of rules and regulations, which cover the manner in which wool is to be handled, displayed, and sold. In normal times the Buyers’ Association employs an inspector, who visits

the wool-stores prior to sale, and sees that the brokers observe the conditions mutually agreed upon between the two associations. Although the Government enforces no laws covering the grading of wool, the Department of Agriculture takes an active interest in advising and instructing farmers in the best methods of preparing their wool. In normal times two officers are employed, whose work is mainly the giving of advice, lectures, and demonstrations to farmers on wool-growing and the proper preparation of their wool for sale. This instructional work covers the whole of New Zealand, and is carried out in conjunction with a certain ' amount of investigational and extension work on related problems, all with the same ultimate objective; viz., to encourage the most efficient methods of wool production combined with the most effective means of marketing. THE APPRAISAL SYSTEM. Immediately on the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 Britain once more offered to buy all our wool for the duration of the war and one season thereafter. The only point in question was the price to be paid, and a meeting was held in Wellington to determine this. All interested parties were represented— producers of the wool, the Government, which would have to administer the scheme, the Wool Brokers’., Association, which would have to handle the wool, and the Wool Buyers’ Association, which would have to supply the personnel to carry

out appraisement. The aim was to fix a price which, while being reasonably remunerative to the farmer, would not unduly penalise Britain. An average price of 1/- per greasy lb. for the grower of the wool was agreed upon as a fair one, and when the negotiations were completed the net average price to the farmer worked out at 12.25 d. per lb. The next step was to secure a body of men to implement the appraisal system, and the only ones available in the country with the requisite knowledge and experience were the woolbuyers. The Wool Buyers’ Association immediately set to work to draw up a type and price schedule for all grades of wool, or, as it is generally referred to in the trade, the “Bareme.” Some idea of the magnitude of this task can be judged from the fact that eventually 977 types of greasy wool were established, for each of which a standard clean-scoured price had to be fixed; so that the over-all average price to the farmer for the 800,000 odd bales of greasy wool falling into these many different grades would work out at 12.25d.' per lb. in the greasy state — the figure agreed upon with Britain. Besides the Bareme for greasy wool there is another for the slipe wool from freezing works and fellmongers, embracing nearly 500 additional types. A Controlling Appraiser was appointed, who has one Assistant Controlling Appraiser stationed in the North Island and one in the South. Each of these assistants has attached

to him a team consisting of supervising appraisers, appraisers, and samplers. The actual numbers vary according to the amount of wool which has to be dealt with, and members are transferred between the ’ two teams as required to handle the work. A large clerical staff is also necessary. Instead of a roster of auction sales being drawn up, as was done before the war, a list of wool appraisals is now prepared, covering the normal selling season. Before the war wool was sold at eight centres, namely, Auckland, Napier, Wanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill. Since then it has been found necessary to include additional appraisal points to expedite the handling and shipping of the wool, and these are Tokomaru Bay, Tolaga, Bay, Gisborne, Nelson, Blenheim, and Oamaru. Facilities for storage and valuing were provided at these points. As far as the wool brokers are concerned the introduction of the appraisal system has not brought about any radical changes. The wool is handled and displayed in the same way as previously, but there is now no point in a farmer pestering the broker to get his wool into a particular sale, as sometimes happened previously, because whatever appraisal it is sold at the basis of valuation will be exactly the same. The appraisers work in pairs, and later their work is checked by a supervising appraiser, so that uniformity in valuation will be preserved from store to store and centre to centre. Provision is also made that if the broker (acting on his client’s behalf) considers that any lot of wool has been under-valued, he can ' have it rechecked, and if necessary the supervising appraiser can be called in to act as arbiter. His decision is final. Details of Scheme In Fig. 1 is shown a reproduction of a single page of the Bareme, and it will be noticed that it is headed “Fleece,” provision being made on the remaining 15 pages for all other types of wool such as cotts, pieces, bellies, locks, etc. In the top left-hand corner the . word “Carding” appears, indicating that the wool is of this —i.e., relatively short in staple. The count or quality number indicates the average fineness of the fibrethe higher the count the finer the fibre. In New Zealand . the range .of counts from 36’s to 70’s covers practically all the wool we produce, and the Bareme is designed to cover this range. Some lines of wool may ' be straight, even types, e.g., 46’s Carding. Others may be inclined to be mixed in fineness, so that a range of counts such as 40/44’s or 44/46’s is necessary to cover all the wool in that line. As will be seen these have been . provided for, and the price adjusted accordingly, to cover the mixture of types. It will be noticed that on the lower portion of the page wools of mixed

Fig. 1.

lengths have been provided for under the heading “Carding and Preparing” —the preparing wools being longer stapled. (This is only the beginning of the range, which finishes on the next page, with 36/40’s.) Preparing wools are set out by themselves. The reason for dividing the wool up according to length is so that it can be allocated to mills which have the appropriate type of machinery for handling it. Each main category of wool is subdivided into seven types, e.g., 46’s. Carding can be type AA: A: BB: B: C: D: or E, but for the sake of brevity each of these types within the

category is given a distinguishing type number this case from 132-138. In practice these numbers are all that are required to nominate any of the 977 types of greasy wool. The letters AA-E refer to the grades of wool within the category from Super to Inferiorfor although two fleeces can both be 46’s Carding they may be very different in other characteristics, such as yield, colour, tensile strength, freedom from seed, etc., all. of which have a big influence on commercial value. The actual definitions for the various types as set out in the Bareme are as shown in Fig. 2.

FLEECE.

Super AA Good colour, well grown, sound, well skirted, well classed, free from fault. Good/Super A Good colour, well grown, sound, well skirted. Free, may contain very slight fault, suitable spinner.' Good BB Good colour, well grown, well skirted, free or practically free from seed, may contain slight tender. Good/Ave. B Good topmaking, fair to good colour, • skirted, may contain odd cott and/or ; very slight seed.

Average C Topmaking, fair colour, may contain few cotts, may be unskirted and/or bush stained and/or part seedy. Ave./Inf. D Average to inferior topmaking, may be poor colour, may be cotty and/or seedy, unskirted and/or bush stained. Inferior E Any wool inferior to the above mentioned grades. GENERAL. —Hairy or badly bred wools must be thrown down in grade.

Some of them require amplifying to make the full meaning clear to the layman. Super —AA To get into this category a wool must be almost perfect, and although a number of fleeces in a bale may reach the required standard, it is seldom that the whole bale will qualify, unless the classing has been very well done. To take an example, from last season’s appraisalsin the category 56’s Carding the following were the numbers of bales in each grade for the whole Dominion: —

Fig. 2. It will be observed how few bales were included under the two extreme grades AA and E, and how many fell into the three middle grades. In many categories no wool at all will be found under AA or even under A, and very little under D and E. Good/ — To qualify for this grade a wool must still be very high-class in most respects. Colour is important, because the wool may well be used for an undyed material, and even with dyeing, where light and delicate shades are required, stains and discolourations in the raw material are detrimental. “Well grown” means that the staples or . locks of wool should separate freely and be uniform in characteristics from butt to tip. ■ With the ex-

ception of the Down breeds, the crimp should be well defined and regular sign that growth has been steady and unchecked. The yolk should not be excessive or deeply coloured, but should be well distributed along the length of the. fibres to protect them from weathering. “Sound” means that the staple and the individual fibres comprising it must be free from weak places, and be capable .of withstanding a fair degree of tension. “Breaks” are weak zones in the staple where the individual wool fibres are reduced in thickness by a check of some kind which the sheep has received. Any severe setback, •' be it due to starvation, ill. health, or climatic conditions, will be reflected in the wool as a weak zone, corresponding in extent and position on the staple to the duration and timing of the check.

Good skirting is necessary to separate out all inferior wool, and will be dealt with in detail later. If skirtings are left on, the appraiser has to play safe by lowering the ■ grade and the value of the wool, because he cannot be sure how much of this inferior material there may be in a bale. “Free” means that the wool must be free from seed and vegetable matter in general. Wool containing seed has to be specially. treated at the mill, involving extra labour and expense. To be suitable for the spinning section of the trade a wool must be of good quality in most respects, particularly in regard to tensile strength and uniformity. . Good—Bß Most of the. good qualities already specified are still required in this grade,' but a certain amount of slightly tender wool is permissible; this means wool which is riot absolutely sound and shows some diminution in tensile strength, either as localised “breaks” or general “tenderness” throughout the length of the staple. Good/Average B More of our wool falls into this grade than into any of the others. The name Good/average gives a good indication of the sort of wool included.. Wool for the top-making section of the industry must be of reasonably good all-round quality, but need not be up to the same high standards required for a “spinner’s” wool. It should be noted that the wool must still be skirted— even if it is up to standard in all other respects, it still cannot qualify for this grade -if skirtings are left on. “Cotts” (matted fleeces) are of inferior value, because they have to be put through a special opening process, which causes

a good deal of fibre breakage. When this wool is subsequently combed these short broken fibres are separated as “noils,” which are of much inferior value, so the proportion of cotts allowed in this grade is not high. Very slight seed means what it says, with the emphasis on the “slight.” Average — C The main difference between this grade and the one above is that the

wool need not be skirted. In . many ■cases will be shown presentlyit is merely a waste of effort and money to attempt to do much in the way of skirting to wool of this type. “Bush-stained” means that the wool may be stained with charcoal from the blackened logs on bush-burn country, and a higher proportion of seed or vegetable matter is often responsible for wool being reduced to this grade. Average/InferiorD By the time this grade has been reached the wool may show a high proportion of the faults ' enumerated, although it still has plenty of commercial uses in certain sections of the trade, for articles where cheapness is the prime consideration. Inferior —E This grade includes all the very poorest fleece wool, and in addition to the faults already enumerated may contain much sand or earthy material, harsh handling and hairy fibres, and kemps. General This footnote must be emphasised. Hairy wools are considered inferior by the manufacturers, because the hairy fibres show up a lighter shade when the material is dyed. The reason for this is that a hairy or medullated fibre is hollow (in contradistinction to a pure wool fibre, which is solid), and the air trapped in this hollow core of medulla makes the fibre appear much lighter in shade after dyeing. Badlybred wools include those which show long straggling , tips to the staples, harsh handling wools, fuzzy or characterless wools, fleeces with odd scattered black fibres, and wool which

Fig. 3. shows marked irregularity in characteristics from one portion of the fleece to another. HOW WOOL IS VALUED. In Fig. 3 is shown in detail part of a page from the Bareme, the section dealing with a particular category of —46’s Carding. On the, left are three columnsthe first two, indicating the grade and the type number, have already been explained. The third column ranging from 21d. to 15fd.

is the “clean price,” i.e., the price in pence per lb. that will be paid for that particular grade of wool in the cleanscoured condition. In practice, of course, the wool is bought in the greasystate and one of the principal tasks of the appraiser is to estimate the “yield” of the —i.e., what proportion of clean fibre will be left after all grease and dirt have been scoured out. This yield is always expressed as a percentage, e.g., a yield of 73 per cent, means that out of 1001 b. of greasy wool 731 b. of clean fibre will remain after all foreign matter has been removed. Correct estimation of yield is difficult, and requires long experience. The appraisers have had pre-war buying experience where their living depended to a considerable extent on their ability to assess yield correctly, so it is not often that they make serious mistakes. With the team work and checking which takes place errors are still further reduced. When the clean value and the yield of a wool are known a simple sum in proportion is required to arrive at the greasy value. Clean Value X Yield ; = Greasy Value. 100 e.g., Suppose the clean value of a certain wool is 16d. and the yield is 75 per cent., then 16d. X 75 —12 d., the greasy value. 100 To save tedious calculations of this nature, a range of yields is set out — in this case from 62 per cent, to 84 per cent., and below each of these can be read off directly the greasy price—e.g., see Fig. 3. 46’s Carding B, Type No. 135. Clean price, 18£-d. Yield, say, 77 per cent. — greasy price is 14|d. In brief, the procedure followed in valuing is as follows: —

(a) The kind of wool whether fleece, hogget, lambs, pieces, etc., is at once apparent to the appraiser, apart from the fact that it is specified in the broker’s catalogue, (e.g. Fleece.) (b) The appraiser next examines the wool and determines the average count, or range of counts. He may require to pull more-or-less wool from the open ends of the display bales for this purpose, (e.g. 46’5.) (c) At the same time he decides on the length—whether it is preparing,

, carding, or a mixture of these, (e.g. Carding.) <d) He now determines the grade, by considering the various factors set ' out above, including a test for soundness by stretching a staple reasonably tightly between the thumb and forefinger of each hand and drawing the middle - finger of the right hand sharply across it. If the wool is reasonably sound it will stand this test and emit a sort of “twang.” (e.g. The grade is decided as 88. This also sets the type number. 46’s Carding. 88. equals Type No. 134.) (e) The next thing is to estimate the average yield, (e.g. 79 per cent.) (f) The greasy price can now be read off directly from the Bareme at the inter-section of the line opposite Type No. 134, and the column under 79 per cent. The greasy price is thus seen to be 15|d. per lb., and is i entered up in the appropriate column in the catalogue. Price Alterations Under the original agreement with Britain she offered to pay an over-all average of 10.55 d. sterling per lb. for our ( wool, which included the charges for appraisal and handling up to f.o.b. 'The appraisers are paid set salaries, and the brokers receive 5-Bd. per lb., to cover the handling, insurance, etc., of the wool. They are also paid storage at the rate of 3d. per bale per week, after the initial free storage period of 28 days has expired. The average price received by the farmer for his wool, from Britain, 1 in the original agreement was 12.25 d. per lb. Of course, from this had to be deducted the charges for services rendered by the broker. e.g.— 5-Bd. per lb. for skirting and binning. 3-Bd. per lb. for binning alone. id. per lb. for skirting and classing, id. per lb. for classing alone. 1/6 per bale for -lotting. Displaying and selling the wool is included in the 5-Bd. which the broker is paid by the Government, and is not a direct charge on the farmer. It will readily be appreciated that with a quantity of wool as large as the New Zealand clip, and comprising so many types, it was virtually impossible for the average to work out exactly at 12.25 d., so a Retention Fund of 5 per cent, was established to cover discrepancies. That is to say, the farmer was actually paid out the value of his wool less 5 per cent. 14 days after the completion of appraisal. Thus, if the season was a poor, one and the style of the clip below average, it meant that appraised values would be

somewhat down. So at the end of the season the farmer received his share of the 5 per cent, retention money, plus the difference by which actual average appraised values were, below 12.25 d. Conversely, in a particularly good season the reverse would apply, and the pay-out at the end of the year would be slightly less than 5 per cent., although this has not so far occurred. The Retention Fund also takes care of any slight alteration in . the standard of valuing from season to season, for in spite of every care the appraisers are only human, and there is a long gap between wool seasons. On account of increased costs of production in Australia, Britain granted that country an increase of 15 per cent, for her wool in 1942. At the same time she voluntarily granted a similar increase to South Africa and New Zealand, bringing the price to the New Zealand farmer up to 14.0875 d. per lb. Actually the farmer did not receive the whole of this 15 per cent, increase, as it was decided in the interests of stabilisation not to increase the issue price of wool to our local New Zealand mills, which still get it at the old price of 12.25 d. per lb. The aim was to prevent a further increase, in the price of clothes. As the local mills, even in wartime, use only some 5 per cent, of our wool, the effect on the price received by the farmer was relatively small, and he actually received 13.9676 d. for his wool last season, instead of 14.0875 d., which would have represented the full 15 per cent. During 1942 the Retention Fund was increased to . 10 per cent., and the present arrangement is that at the end of the season the wool-grower receives half of this in cash and the other half in bonds, or he may elect to take the full amount in bonds. (In practice the farmer can sell these bonds for cash if he so wishes.) The adjustment money, i.e., the small addition to the retention money, is also paid in cash. The half-share of any profits made by Britain, on resale of our wool will be paid out in a lump sum after the war. PREPARATION OF CLIP FOR APPRAISAL. In New Zealand the average size of flock is approximately 1,000 sheep, and the number of bales of wool these will produce varies from, say, 20 to 30, according to circumstances. It must be remembered, however, that this average of 1,000 sheep is derived, from a relatively large number of small flocks, and a correspondingly small number of large flocks, and actually nearly three-quarters . of the country’s flocks are of less than 1,000 sheep, and half of them less than 500. On this basis at least half our wool clips are of 15 bales or less, so the amount of wool-classing that can be

done on the farm, is strictly limited in these cases. However, before dealing with classing it will be necessary to consider the preliminary stages of skirting and rolling. Skirting The object of skirting is to remove all the wool below the average quality of the fleece, thus enhancing the value of the fleece wool and leaving it as uniform in length and quality as possible. Proper skirting calls for careful judgment, as each fleece has to be treated on its merits, but it is nevertheless broadly governed by certain factors, for example: 1, Whether the fleece is crossbred or Merino; 2, whether it is good or inferior; 3, whether it is free, slightly affected with seed, or seedy throughout; and 4, to some extent by the state .of the market. This factor does not apply at present, of course. 1. The main difference is that with Merino the skirting has to be deeper and heavier than is generally the case with crosbred wool, because Merinos are densely covered with wool right to the points, and there are more dirty edges to be removed from the fleece. This applies to halfbred and Corriedale wools to a lesser degree. Dealing now with wool of the crossbred type, Fig. 4 shows skirting being done by two men working in unison. They usually start at opposite ends of

the fleece and the job is quickly completed, by pulling off the inferior wool, but where a single skirter is employed the principle is still the same. The diagram Fig. 5 shows what is removed, but it must be emphasised that there are no hard-and-fast rules about this, and the sketch merely illustrates theaverage range found with crossbred wool. 2. If a fleece is good except for a small area round the edges, it will be well worth while removing all the inferior wool. This will bring in the best overall returns. E.g., suppose the bulk of a fleece is of B grade, or better, then skirting should be worth while, because if the skirtings are left on it cannot be graded higher than C at best. > To take a specific example, suppose 1001 b. (about 10 fleeces) of 46’s Carding : wool with skirtings on is graded as C grade and 70 per cent, yield, it will be worth 12d. per lb.—a total of 1,200 d. After 201 b. of skirtings have been removed there is 801 b. of 46’s Carding B grade wool left, yielding 73 per; cent, and worth 13|d. per lb., which comes to l,080d.; but the various skirtings themselves are worth 196 d., so the total value is now 1,276 d. —a gross gain of 76d. on 1001 b. of wool, and a net gain, after allowing for labour, of at least |d. per lb. If the bulk of the wool was of BB grade the removal of the skirtings would be still more profitable, as the remaining wool /would be worth at least 14d. per lb., and the net gain would be in the vicinity of Id. per lb., after allowing for labour. If the fleece is inferior and dingy throughout, it is obvious that no amount of skirting will convert it into

a good fleece. E;g., if the bulk of a fleece is of C grade or lower, skirting cannot possibly lift it to B grade; in fact > heav skirting will be simply throwing money away, because it will mean so much less wool to be paid for as C grade, and a correspondingly larger amount of low grade and low value skirtings. In a case like this all that should be done is to remove the worst of the short, stained, and heavy conditioned wool from round the edges of the fleece, thus slightly

increasing the yield, and hence the value of the remaining wool, which will still be in C grade, nevertheless. 3. A similar principle ' applies to the treatment of seedy wool. Any small amount of seed around the points and edges should be completely removed, as it will greatly detract from the value of the fleece wool if any is left on it. If a fleece contains any appreciable quantity of seed, it cannot go above C grade, even though this seed is confined to the edges. The bulk of the fleece might well be of B or BB grade, and leaving on these seedy skirtings would occasion a loss of from Id. to 2d. per lb. with medium crossbred wool, according to conditions. What is still worse is that one or two such fleeces can easily pull down the value of a whole line of wool by that amount, so where seed is light and confined to the edges of the fleece by all means remove it. Again, if the fleece is seedy throughout, skirting heavily will not remedy the position, and the amount of wool taken off is then determined by other factors, such as stain and dirt. Also, it must be remembered that where seed is confined to a few fleeces throughout the clip the skirtings from these should not be mixed in with the free skirtings from the rest of the clip, or they will reduce the value of the whole lot by as much as 2d. per lb., or more. 4. The fourth point does not apply just now, as all our wool is > being bought on a fixed-price schedule, but when prices are very low heavy skirting is obviously not worth while,

as the resulting increase in value of the fleece wool will be small and the value of the skirtings so low that the more wool that goes into this category the lower the over-all returns. Nevertheless, even under these conditions it is still necessary to do a certain amount of skirting, to remove wool which is very much inferior to the rest of the fleece. Ist and 2nd Pieces It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the skirtings are divided into several sorts. Starting from the neck, it will be seen that a small amount of wool is usually removed in this region, because it tends to be light and weathered. This wool is not always kept separate— fact it is sometimes run in with the Ist pieces, but if there is a quantity, it is worth keeping it separate, for because of its lighter condition, its value is greater, by as much as Id per lb., or even more, according to circumstances. On the other hand, the neck is often seedy, which is another reason why it should be kept separate. The Ist ' pieces consist generally of all the wool removed along the shoulders and flanks, with the exception of the small area behind the armpit. This goes into the 2nd pieces, because of its shortness, dirty nature, and heavy condition. Do not skirt more heavily than necessary in the shoulder region; remove just the dirty edges, as the shoulder is generally the best and most valuable portion of the fleece. The - coarser, matted, and dirty wool on the points is all removed, and, together with the coarser fringe from' the britch, goes into the 2nd pieces. The amount of wool which requires to be removed from the britch varies a good deal, but in some cases it will be . found that this wool is markedly coarser than the rest of the fleece, and frequently hairy as well, so that it is better to remove any wool of this type completely. Stains, etc. There is frequently a stained area in the centre of the britch, and, if this is pronounced, it is better kept separate, as it will detract from the value of the 2nd pieces. If there is any quantity, it can be run in with the stained wool that should also have been picked out from the bellies, and can then be sent in to the broker for binning. Provision is made for this type of wool in the Bareme under the category “Stained Pieces.” Occasionally it is also necessary to remove a strip of wool from along the centre of the back where it is very earthy or sandy, as it will detract a good deal from the value of the fleece

if left in. If the brand is still showing, it should either be removed entirely, which is the safest and quickest way, or else the pigmented portion should be clipped from the end of the staples with a pair of shears. Bellies Belly wool is normally pulled off by the shearer, and is then kept separate from the rest-of the fleece wool and oddments. Leaving the belly on a fleece of average to good quality is simply throwing money away, and where any quantity of wool is being handled it is also a mistake to mix in bellies with pieces, because of the heavier condition and lower value of the former, average Crossbred bellies being worth anything from Id. to 3d. a lb. less than the corresponding Ist pieces. Where the quantity justifies it it is a wise plan to pick over the bellies and remove all stained and very heavy conditioned portions, because these detract considerably from the value of the whole line. Locks These are the lowest grade of wool in the clip, and, unless the quantity is very large, will seldom justify any special treatment. They consist mainly of short bits of wool, fribby greasy locks, and short second cuts, which fall through , the slats of the wool table. Short dirty floor sweepings should also be included with the locks. Skirting has been emphasised because it is important. When it is worth doing at all it . should always be done at shearing time in the owner’s shed, because then the fleece is in the most favourable condition for doing the job properly. Once the fleece has been rolled the original arrangement of the staples is to some extent altered, and after unrolling in the broker’s store efficient skirting is no longer nearly so easy. ; On a small property all the lines of oddments mentioned above will not be made, and the wisest and most profitable plan is often to send in the oddments, along with numbers of cast fleeces which will have accumulated, to the broker for binning. Keep the fleece wool, the bellies, and. the remaining oddments separate. This can be done by placing them in separate bags, or, if they are all in one bale, by placing pieces of sacking, or even brown, paper, between the different lots to separate them. Rolling Rolling the fleece before pressing is practically universal today, although this has not always been the case. Rolling should serve two main functions— to reduce the fleece to a

compact form for easy handling, and secondly to give it an attractive appearance. Strangely enough, some of the methods of rolling practised in this country do not achieve the latter objective. It is a business axiom that the vendor should display his goods in the most attractive manner possible; therefore it is not dishonest for the grower to roll his fleeces in such a way that the best wool is showing. It will not deceive the appraiser, with his wide experience, because he can easily find the bad wool if he wants to, but it will ensure that the best wool is not overlooked. ' In general, the shoulder wool is the best part of the fleece, and the back wool and britch the poorest. There are several methods of rolling, but the two described below are actually all that are required, depending on what is, subsequently to happen, to the wool. If the fleeces are properly skirted on the farm, they do not have to be unrolled , again in the broker’s store, even if they have to be classed or binned when they arrive there. In that case the following method is recommended: Method No. I. Fig. 6 shows the, skirted fleece lying on the table ready for rolling. The following operationsare now carried out in sequence:— 1. If it is not reasonably square across, the neck and britch, a little can be folded in at the two,ends to make it so, and also the near edge of the fleece can be folded in a couple of inches to make it straight, although this is not essential. 2. Fig. 7 shows the next step. Fold the fleece over about a third of its width towards you; this gives a strip of wool lying “flesh-side” up. 3. Now fold this doubled portion over again towards you on top of the remaining third, as shown in Fig. 8. The fleece is now» lying ready for rolling, with the back wool on top, running as a strip down the centre. 4. Begin at the britch and roll the fleece tightly all the way to the shoulder, as shown in Fig. 9. \ 5. The finished roll is shown in Fig. 10. It is neat and compact, and will stand quite a lot of handling without coming undone. Reference to the diagram Fig. 12, E,. F. G, and H, shows clearly that by this; method the back and britch wool is rolled in and the shoulder wool is displayed to best advantage. Method No. —When skirting is not done on the property (although ample reasons have already been given why it should be done there) the following method should be adopted: Proceed as described in the first method up to stage 3, where the fleece is folded into a narrow strip as shown

in Fig. 8. Then, instead of rolling from britch to shoulder, roll from both ends so that the fleece ends up as shown in Fig. 11. This has the advantage that the fleece is very easy to undo in the wool-store, and it is not torn about in the process. After it has been skirted it can be rolled again by method No. 1. Methods Not to Use: The top portion of Fig. 12 shows one of the methods not to use if the wool is being finally rolled- on the farm. The figure marked A represents in diagrammatic form the skirted fleece ready for rolling. If it is then folded in as shown at B, or the other method shown at C, and rolled as at D, practically all the best shoulder wool will be ’ hidden and the strip of inferior wool along the back will be plainly displayed. . The method shown on the lower part of the diagram (E to H) is no more trouble to carry out, and is much more effective in presenting the best wool. A method practised by some farmers and often described as the “shoulderroll” is carried out by folding the fleece as at B (Fig. 12), with the exception that the shoulder end is left more or less spread out. The fleece is then rolled from the britch, and when the shoulder end is reached this portion is more or less “draped” over the rest of the fleece. It certainly shows this part to advantage, but makes the fleece very difficult to unroll later on, and should never be used where the fleece will have to be unrolled again in the store.

WOOL CLASSING. The scope of this article does not allow for any lengthy discussion of classing, and it is proposed to outline a few of the main principles involved rather than to attempt to fill in the details. The aim in classing is to divide the clip into the minimum number of lines with the maximum difference between each. Over-classing is definitely to be avoided, as it will result in the making of a number of “star- lots” (lines of less than 4 bales), which in pre-war days usually suffered in price, and today are still not regarded with favour by either the brokers or the appraisers, even though they now receive full market value. The fundamental principles of classing are to divide the clip up as far as possible according to: (a) Types of wool from a manufacturing point of view; and (b) Types of wool according to value. These two considerations are in most cases inter-related, although the first is usually of major importance. (a) The Bar erne recognises the manufacturing aspect throughout, first of all subdividing the wool into major groups (such as fleece, pieces, etc.), next according to fineness (counts),

then according to length (Preparing and Carding types), and lastly according to grade (AA —E). These divisions take into account the manufacturing aspect in every case. For instance, one of the major divisions of the wool manufacturing industry is into the “woollen” and “worsted” trades. Both use wool covering a wide range of spinning counts (fibre diameter), but there the similarity practically ends. In other characteristics the two sections of the trade have totally different requirements in the way of raw material. In general, the woollen trade uses the shorter and lower grade sorts of wool, and employs a relatively small number of processes in conversion from fleece to fabric, turning out utility goods usually at a fairly cheap price. The worsted trade, on the other hand, requires longer and sounder wool of generally better quality, and puts it through many processes before finally converting it to fabric. One of these processes—which alone is sufficient to distinguish the worsted process from the woollenis that of combing. Combing serves to lay the fibres parallel and remove short, wasty, and ' broken ones as “noils.” That is why tender wools and those containing a proportion of cotts and/or short stapled portions are

unsuitable. The ' ultimate effect is shown in a smoother and stronger yarn, which in its turn gives a different type of fabric of superior quality. In general worsted materials are of better quality, different construction, and dearer in price than woollens. The worsted trade may be further subdivided on the basis of its raw mater t ials into Preparing and Carding sections. The Preparing section uses different machinery in the initial stages to deal with the longer Preparing wools, while the Carding section is fitted up to deal . with the shorter stapled Carding wools. In addition to these main divisions specialty wools are required for certain purposes, e.g., the “paper felts,” which are given a special section to themselves in the Bareme. As their name indicates, these wools are used for making special felts for the paper-*, making industry, and must be of good length and absolutely sound. Without elaborating further, it can thus be seen that if wool is classed according to its future use in industry, it will fetch more than' wool of very varied type, because in buying the latter the manufacturer receives a proportion which he either doesn’t want at all, or which is of inferior value as far as he is concerned.

(b) In regard to the second division according to price—this runs all through the Bareme, and is superimposed on the first grading, mentioned above. It is influenced by the kind, of wool— wool is worth more than crutchings; by the fineness—7o’s fleece is worth more than 48’s fleece; by the grade—A is worth more than C; and by the yield given wool yielding 78 per cent, is worth more than the same wool yielding only 72 per cent. It will thus be seen that wool classing is not the mysterious process it is sometimes made out to be, but is largely the application of certain welldefined principles along with a good deal of common sense. Where a large clip is involved there is plenty of scope for classing if the wool involved tends to be mixed; ' but with the average crossbred clip the size does not allow more than two, or at the most three, main , lines to be made. Where a clip is so small that proper classing on the farm is impracticable, the system of binning as carried out by any reputable woolbroker offers the best solution. Under this system the smallest quantities of wool (even a single fleece) are correctly graded and sold to the best advantage, as part of large, well-graded lines. In medium-sized clips it is often possible to class the bulk of the clip on the property, and send in the oddments for binning. This is better practice

than having them interlotted by the broker. Interlotting is merely a makeshift grouping of similar bales to avoid the selling of “star lots.” It seldom pays, except in the case of very large clips, to attempt to make “super” lines. It is better to leave this good wool in the top line, to enhance its value, rather than to skim off the “cream,” consisting of perhaps two or three bales, to make the -super line. Also, avoid the practice of “forcing,” that is, putting a fleece into a higher line than that to which it belongs. Adequate facilities are necessary to carry out good classing, and first and foremost among these are good light, plenty of space, and an adequate number of bins in the woolroom. ' Examples The following are examples of the lines to be made in some typical New Zealand wool clips of moderate size, but it must be emphasised that no really hard-and-fast rules can be laid down, as every clip must be treated on its merits. In Merino wool length is of relatively greater importance than in the case of Crossbred wool, where length is usually adequate and count is of primary importance. Condition is also a greater consideration with Merino than with Crossbred clips.

Merino Clip: AA. Comb. (Fine Merino). — count. Consisting of all the longest, soundest, and brightest wool, not, too heavy in conditionA. Comb. (Medium Merino) .—6o/64’s count. Ditto. Ditto. B. Comb. (Strong Merino). —58/60’s count. Ditto. Ditto. M. —5B/70’s count, consisting of all the wool similar in description to the above lines, but lacking in length. M. —58/70’s count, consisting of all the heavy conditioned and fatty fleeces in the clip regardless of length. Half bred Clip: AA.|B. (Fine . Halfbred)s6/58’s count. Good length and all the soundest, brightest, and lightest wool of these qualities. A.JB. (Medium Halfbred). —54/56’s count. Ditto. Ditto. ' B.JB. (Strong Halfbred) . so/54’s count. ' * 50/56’s count. All fleeces lacking in length and heavy in condition. Crossbred Clip: AA.XB. (Fine Crossbred).46/50’s count. Sound, good length, and colour, free from seed. A.XB. ' (Medium Crossbred) —44/46’s count. Ditto. Ditto.

B.XB. (Strong Crossbred). 40/44’s count. Ditto. Ditto. Cast lines may be 1 made, if necessary, to take care of extra coarse fleeces, fleeces from the above lines showing a break, or fleeces unduly short in staple. These can all be binned. The above grading applies to medium-sized clips, and in the case of larger clips any or all of the lines mentioned can be subdivided as may be necessary. E.g., the top line might be subdivided into 46/48’s and 48/50’s. Other subdivisions could be made on the basis of colour and condition. Keep all hogget wool separate from the rest of the clip, and keep cotted fleeces and very heavy conditioned and discoloured 'fleeces separate. In the case of tender or seedy fleeces, if there are only a few, keep them separate, but if the whole clip is affected, disregard and class as if these faults were not present. In clips where the proportion of inferior wools, such as stained and dingy, are not high the best way of disposing of this wool is to have it binned, but where the inferior grades form a considerable proportion they can be made into one or more cast lines. The same principles of treatment and disposal apply to the oddments, such as necks, pieces, bellies, locks, etc.

Bushel Measure The imperial bushel introduced in 1826 is a measure of capacity, not of weight, although now it is common trade practice to buy and sell grains, some feeding stuffs, and ryegrass seed according to an accepted reckoned bushel weight, rather than by a capacity measure. The imperial bushel has a capacity of 2,218.2 cub. in., which is the volume occupied by 8 imperial gallons or 32 quarts. Accordingly a 4-gal. petrol tin makes a useful i bushel measure, while the standard bushel apple case 18in. x lljin. x login., the volumetric measure of which is 2,225 cub. in., contains for all practical purposes one bushel.

CARDING 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 21 .. .. .. .... 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 19J 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 19} .. .. ... .: 13114 14} 14} 14114} 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 18}.... Hi 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13114 14 14} 14} 14} 141 15 15} 15} 15} 17 10} 10} 11 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13 13} 13} 13} 131 14 14 14} 16J 10} 10} 10} 101 11 11 11} 11} 11} Hi 12 12 12} 153 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10111 H} H} 11} 11} . 62 63 64 65 6$ 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 16 16} 164 16* 16} 17 174174 173 132 15 15} 15} 154 15} 16 16} 164 16* 133 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 46s C. AA 132 A . 133 BB 134 B 135 C 136 D 137 E- 138 21 191 19} 13} 14 14} 14} 14) 14} 15 15} 154 15* 15} 16 16} 18}.. .. 11} 12 12} 12* 12* 12} 13 13} 13} 134 13} 14 14 14} 14* 14* 14} 15 15} 15} 154 17 10} 10} 11 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 124 12} 12} 13 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 16} 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 151 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 11} 11} 11} 11} „ AA 139 201 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 15! 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 139 A 140 191 ... .. .. .; 14}15 15} 154 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 140 44/46s BB 141 183 '. 1 .13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 141 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 141 <C. B 142 18 .. .. H} Hl 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12113 13} 13} 13} 13113} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15 142 C 143 161 10} 10} 10} H H 11} H} 11} 111 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14 143 D 144 16. 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 11 11} 11} 11} Hi Hi " 144 E 145 151 9} 9110 10 10} 10} 104 10} 101 11 lit H| 11} 145 AA146 204 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 . 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 . ' .. 15} 151 16 16} 16} 16} 161 17 17} 146 A 147' 193 ‘ 14} 14! 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 147 44s . BB 148 184 .. 13} 13} 13! 14 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 148 C. B 149 17} .. .. 11} H} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 131 14 14} 14} 14} 141 15 149 C 150 161 10} 10} 10} .10} H H Hl 11} H} 111 12 12 .12} 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 13} ■150 D 151 151 91 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 151 E 152 153 9} 9} 9i 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 101 11 11} H} 152 A A153 204 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 .. .. ■, .. .. .. .. 15} 151 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 153 A 154 193 • .... ... 14} 141 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 154 40/44* BB 155 18* 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 155 C. B 156 173 .... 11} H} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 156 C 157 164 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 13! 157 D 158 151 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} H H} 11} H} 11} ; 158 E 159 153 9} 9} 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 H} 11} ./ 159 AA160 204 62 63 64 '65 66 67 &8 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 '. • 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 160 A 161 193 .. 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 161 . ''40s BB 162 BB 162 18* 18} ’ 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14* 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 162 162 C. B 163 173 .. .. 11} Hi Hi 12 12 .12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 163 C 164 16* 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11 Hi H} U} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 13} 164 D 165. 15} 15} 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11} Hi U} Hi 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} 11 11} 11} 11} 11} 165 165 E 166 151 .9} 9} 91 10 10 10} 10} 10} 101 10} 11 11} Hi 166 62 63 64 65 66 67 <8 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 . 79 89 81 82 83 84 AA167 204 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 .. .. .. .. : .. .. 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 17 17i 167 A 168 191 ■.. .. ;. .. :. 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 168 BB 169 184 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 169 36/40* B 170 171 .. .. 11} H} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13i 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 170 ' C. 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11 11} U} Hi Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 12} 13.13} 13} 13} 13} 13} 170 ’C. C 171 C 171 164 16} 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11 11} 11} H} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} 121 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 131 13i 171 D 172 151 91 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 10} H 11} 11} 11} 111 172 E 173 151 9} 9} 9} 10 10 10} 10} 10} 10} 101 11 11} Hi.. .. .. .. 173 CARD. &PBEP. & PREP. ? A A 244 A A 244 26} 52 53 54 55 5$ 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 26} ... 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 18 18} 18} 19 19} 19} 52 53 54 55 5$ 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 ... ;. .. .. .. 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 18 18} 18} 19 19} 19} 244 244 A 245 25 ' .. 16 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 18 18} 18} 245 Ms BB 246 241 .. .. 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 18 246 C.4P. B 247 23} .. .. 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14! 15 15 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 247 C 248 211 11} 11} Hi 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14* 14} 15 15} 15} 15} .. .. 248 D 249 214 H U} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 249 J D 249 21} U Hi 11} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12! 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 249 E 250 204 10} 10} 11 H} H} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 13 13 13} 13} 250 AA251 241 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 • ;• .’. 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 18 18} 18} 18i 19 19} 251 A 252 23* 16 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 17} 17} 18 18} 252 SO/SOs A 252 .231 .. 16 16} 16} 16i 17 17} 17} 17} 17] 18 18} 252 BB 253 23 .. .. ..' .. .. .. .. 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16] 17 17} 17} 17} 18 253 C.&P. B 254 221 .. 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} .. 254 C 255 20} H} Hi 12 .12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} .. z .. .’. .. 255 D 256 19} H 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} , .. .. .. .. 256 E 257 191 101 H 11} 11} H} 11} 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13 .. .. 257 AA258 23* 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 .. .. .. ; 17},17} 17} 18 18} 18} 18} 258 A 259 224 .. .. 16) 17 17 17} 17} 17} 18 259 Ms BB 260 21} • .-. 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 16 16 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17} 260 C.&P. B 261 21 .. ... .. ... .. ... 13*13)13)14 14} 14} 14} 15 15 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 16} 261 C 262 19} 11} 11} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 262 D 263 181 H 11 H] 11} 11} 11) 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13) 14 263 E 264 18 10} 10} 10} 11 Hi 11} 11} Hi 12 12 12} 12} 12} .12] 13 13} 13} .. . 264 AA265 221 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 * 80 81 82 83 84 .. .. ' .. .. :. 17} 17} 17) 18 18} 18} 18) 19 19 265 A 266 21} .... 16} 16} 16} 17 17} 17* 17) 17) 18 266 48/50s BB 267 20} X15 15} 15} 15} 15} 16 16} 16} 16} 16) 17 17} 17} 267 C.&P. B 268 20 .. .. 12) 13 13} 13* 13} 13} 14 14} 14} 14} 14} 15 15} 15} 15} 15) 16 16} 16*. 16} 16} 268 C 269 18} Hi 11} 11) 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 13 13} 13} 13} 13) 14 14 14} 14} 14* 14) 15 15} 15} 15} 269 D 270 18 11} 11} 11} 11) 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12) 13 13} 13} 270 E 271 17} 10} 10} H 11} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12) 271 E 271 171 16} 10} H H} 11} 11} 11} 12 12 12} 12} 12} 12} 271 r* -

FLEECE

56’S Grade. C. No. of Bales. Type No. No. of Bales, . 1943-44. Super .. .. AA 83 . . 7 '■ Good/Super A 84 218 Good .. BB 85 3,188 Good/Average .. B 86 10,755 Average .. C 87 /•. . 3,629 Average/Inferior D 88 78 Inferior .. E 89 1

62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 71 72 73 74 75 76 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 AA 132 21 16 161 161 161 162 17 17} 17} 172 171 171 171 132 132 A 133 191 15 151 151 151 152 16 16} 16} 16} 161 161 161 133 133 46s BB 134 191 .. 132 14 141 141141 142 15 151 151 151 152 16 161 134 C. B 135 181 Ilf 12 121 12112112t 13 131131131 13t 14 14 141 141 141 143 15 151 151 151 135 • • 112 12 12} 12} 12} 122 13 13} 13} 13} 13} 14 14 14} 14} 14} 142 15 15} 15} 15} 135 C 136 17 101 lot ii 11 11} 11} 11} 112 12 111 111 111 lit 12 12 12} 12} 12} 122 13 12 12112112112113 13 13} 13} 13} 132 14 14 14} 13 131 131 131 131 136 14 14 141 136 D 137 161 101 101 101 lot 11 11 m 111 Hi 112 12 12 121 .. 137 E 138 151 92 10 10 101 101 101 102 lot 11 111 Hi 111 lit • • 138

CARDING