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Show IMFROVEMENTOF WOOL CLIP. Present and Future Effects of Agitation Agita-tion for Better Prepared Wool. Readers of the agricultural press havo noticed during tho past few months numerous articles advocating bettor preparation of the domestic wool clip. Strange to say, most of these articles, and the discussions following fol-lowing them, have dealt primarily with tho increased price per pound that the wool grower Is expected to receive for his wool. There have been some differences of opinion upon up-on this subject, some maintaining that a material Increase in the price of wool on the ranch will result, while others hold that the increase n price will bo largely offset by the increased labor cost of preparation Where- sufficient suf-ficient sheep cau bo shorn at one shed, and whore thj better-prepared wool sells on Its actual merits, financial finan-cial benefit should undoubtedly accrue to the grower. However, limiting the discussion to the immediate profit of the producer has caused many readers to lose sight of a larger benefit that will eventually bo brought about by properly constructed and properly operated op-erated shearing sheds the more careful care-ful breeding of American flocks. Up-to-date handling of wool upon the ranch requires men with a considerable consid-erable knowledge on the subject, and iho sheepmen for tho first time will havo access to this first-hand Information. Infor-mation. Formerly about all that tho average sheepman knew about his wool was that it was wool. This Is still largoly the case, but now the better-Informed ones are occasionally neard to talk about staple and clothing, cloth-ing, fine and quarter blood, shrinkage, etc. Their interest Is gradually being aroused, especially In the States where grading and baling was started this last season, and when this Is fully accomplished the greatest progress expected. One deslrablo condition remains to bo fulfilled. Of the clips that have been graded or classod that is, divided divid-ed Into lots of similar quality, condition, condi-tion, length, and money value many have boon offered for salo as a whole. Where tho clip Is sold as a unit the sheepmen do not fully recognize the difference In value between the different differ-ent grades or classes of wool. If those different grades could bo Bold separately separ-ately In the caso of largo clips, and in-tcrlottcd in-tcrlottcd in tho caso of small clips, so that only fine staple, quarter blood,' or whatever It might be, would bo offered of-fered for sale alone, it would soon become be-come apparent to the shoopraan which wns the Ynost profitable wool for him to produce, and he would select his ewes and rams accordingly. He would then knowingly try to produce this character of wool, or as near it as possible (which in the past has resulted re-sulted more from accident than from design), upon ewes producing the character of lamb he desires. There are few places in the United States, even in the West, where wool is cf as much importanco as the lamb end of the sheep Industry, but this no argument against realizing as much as possible from that very Important product. pro-duct. . oo |