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Show BETTER PREPARED WOOL Considerable progress has been made in the movement to secure better preparation prep-aration of wool clips in the western ' states. The active sheep men of Car-j Car-j bon and Stillwater counties, Wyoming, j have inaugurated a change that should be of great interest and value to all j sheep raising sections. The complete Australian method of grading and packing wool, and also modifications of the same were tried. It is well known that the preparation of wool in our western woolgrowing states is behind be-hind that used in Australia and New Zealand. In these countrys the wool is examined when it is sheared, only one grade being put into bale, and the bales of the same lot are uniform. The fleeces are carefully skirted and each fleece is of even, servicable quality. " A representative of the department who viaited several shearing sheds in the Northwest, states that the work attracted wide attention. Visitors are numerous at each of the sheds and most of them were sheep owners, who are ready to adopt such new methods as may be found practical. It was ap parent, however, that the shorter woo's now common in the western states can not be passed over tables for skirting and rolling nearly as satisfactorily as longer wools. Nevertheless they can be graded to remove the necessity of opening the bags before they reach the mills. The Pioneer shed, located near Bitter Creek, Sweetwater County, Wyo., will place upon the market this year 1,500.-000 1,500.-000 pounds of wool, prepared under the supervision of men familar with shed operations in Australia and New Zealand. Zea-land. At this shed the fleeces were skirted, rolled, classified, and bailed according to the Australian methods. The young men employed in the wool room came principally from the uni versity of Wyoming and from the Rock Springs high school. This represented repre-sented the first instance of training young men at home for employment in the industry that is foreman in several of the Rocky Mountain States. At Ely, Nev., and at Wamsutter, Daley s Ranch and Solon, Wyo., the plan of preparation did not involve the use of labor skirting the fleeces and .n preparing the skirtings into first and second pieces and locks, as was done at Pioneer shed. The fleeces were carried from the shearing room, where men who had had experience in warehouse grading removed the heavier tags, rolled each fleece, and assigned to the bale under its proper name. No bale contained fleece of more than one grade and no string was used. The weight of the tags and locks amounted to about 6 per cent of the total weight of the clip. j A striking result of the work was the surpris shown by sheep owners who, for the first time, saw wool graded and for the first time knew what grade of wool they actually produced. Heretofore Hereto-fore in reading market reports most growers have be 'n prone to note quotations quo-tations tor the highest grade and to value their own clips accordingly. It was commonly stated thaf.eonsiderei a-lone a-lone as furnishing a lesson in breeding for the product'on of better wool, this year's expreiment was worth irs entire cost. The wools graded and baled at Wamsutter shed were offered for sale j by sealec bids on Mav 4, but on account of difference ir? bu.es' and growers' ideas of values no siih s resulted. Even had the wools been sold, the fact that ! the selling was not general at the ! time would have prevented comparing prices received for others of similar character and quality but put up in the oU.'-fashoneJ way. The quality of graded and baled wool offered this year in the northwest may ! not suffice to procure a final answer to : the question as to how far western woolgrowers can profitably proceed in changing methods of preparing wool. Some modifications an . alterations for this year's work may be suggested when these wools reach the mills, but this years step is considered to be in the right direction. The enterprise shown by growers in Carbon and Sweetwater Sweet-water counties has already been of great value and it is hoped that the ! growers in other counties and states j will join the movements. |