FEBRUARY ‘I961 g Problems uauaTvusnou MENTS D I A i021? comma of TEXA5 Icouasa STATION, 1W“ THE AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE OF TEXAS College Station, Texas TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION R. D. Lewis, Director Summary Texas ranks first in the United States in sheep and wool production. Stock sheep amounted to 6,159,000 head in January 1961. These are mainly fine-wool types, but cross breeding is common and Texas wool varies in its physical characteristics. Core sampling of 307 lots representing 2.75 million pounds of wool was carried out at three warehouses during 1957-59. Yield by lots varied from 32 to 57 percent and averaged 42 percent clean wool. Most Texas wools are considered fine; that is 64’s or finer with an average fiber diameter of less than 22.0 microns. Of the wool sampled at the warehouses, 86.4 percent was finer than 22.0 microns, but individual lots ranged from 18.0 to 24.6 microns. Proposed USDA standards for length classify lots with an average length of 2.75 inches or more as strictly staple and those having 2.0 to 2.75 inches as staple and good French. The average unstretched length of the wool sampled at the warehouses was 2.8 inches and individual lots ranged in average length from 1.3 to 3.8 inches. On a-YY 57 percent of all wool sampled was and 37 percent was classified staple and _ To get an average color rating, the’ “I are given an “A” or 1.0 rating, less H" or 2.0 ratings and on down to “E” or 5.0 j Visual comparisons of the sampled 3 years brought an average color for p 1.9 or approximately “B” color. Of all j 28 percent were “A” color, 59 percent l3 percent were “C” color and one lot L Crimp is the natural waviness L. fibers ofa lock of wool. The given length indicates the degree of ._ average crimp for all wool sampled‘ inch. Variations by lots and by years characteristics show the problem of _ ing wool in the original bag or by ph alone. wool is marketed in Texas by the tradi- istem. The wool is sheared mechanically 2' nt shearing crews working in an open pen ‘g boards. Each fleece is tied separately "undle with paper string and then placed ‘ with other fleeces. Carelessness in shearing I handling methods damage the wool through ifititlfiS of dirt and vegetable matter picked caring, discoloration of the fleece by the §mixing of wools of variable quality. ' Texas wool is moved into local warehouses ly after shearing The bags are weighed, ind stored until sold. Most sales are by f eaty or sealed bids to buyers who rely on examination of samples t0 estimate clean i physical characteristics. The buyers often Ate the bagged or loose wool in bales and A y trucked to the processing area. ’! f’ the raw wool reaches its destination, it g- ed, blended and scoured before it is ready Wools that lack uniformity of prepara- l. includes most Texas wools, are sorted of quality- fineness, length, soundness, Qamount of vegetable matter included. 5 wools are well known to the wool trade. tely 1,600 wool handlers and manufac- contacted by questionnaire to determine ‘less to supply specific data about their ' with Texas wool. Seventy-five firms ypsupply data and 39 firms finally did so. : in the previous year handled a volume g pounds of scoured wool and l6 million Q grease wool. " endations were given by the firms on prove Texas wools. Their suggestions phases of the wool program; breeding " characteristics, shearing properly and 6- baling at the shearing pen, sorting at s- and so on. The consensus of the firms f as wool was equivalent to other domestic 'l1ysical characteristics, but inferior to a d South African wools in preparation. acre made to worsted and woolen mills ~ ufacturer of papermakefs felt to dis- _' acteristics of the raw wool they pur- ?- operations. They used Texas wools, "ic wools and foreign wools. Factors '- Texas wool at a disadvantage compared tic wools were higher shrinkage, higher h lack pf fiber strength, felting proper- ‘is fabrics and higher price. Compared with foreign wools, Texas wools were said to be at a disadvantage because of incomplete classification, cost of conversion, more sorting re- quired, short and irregular staple due to second cuts in shearing, black fibers and lack of strength. Core samples taken at three warehouses during 1957-59 were used to determine the comparative accuracy of wool pricing at the warehouse level under existing conditions. After the samples had been analyzed for length, fineness, yield, color and crimp, the analyses were mailed to the grower and ware- house operator for their information. The wool was sold in the usual manner and the warehouse operator recorded the sale price, data and terms of sale. Analysis of these data for pricing efficiency indicated that only 13 of 332 cored lots sold for a price reflecting its exact physical characteristics. Most lots, 186, varied l to l0 cents from the calculated price while 94 had a price variation of l0 cents or more and 22 of these exceeded a 20 cent differential. Of all lots varying from the calculated total, 61 per- cent sold too low and 39 percent sold too high. There was an average loss of 2.4 cents per pound on the entire amount, indicating the buying practice of underevaluating wools in order to provide a margin for error. Wool at a given location tends to be sold on a lot price basis with little price variation on the basis of quality of individual lots. This offers no inducement to the producers to improve the quality and preparation of their wool. This problem is accentuated by the lack of accepted uniform stand- ards to describe important quality elements of wool and by the absence of adequate classification and market information services. The information required to improve Texas wool marketing is available but the incentives re- quired for change are not offered. Sheep producers are not convinced that it is to their economic ad- vantage to emphasize wool production over meat production. Only a small percent of sheepmen be- lieve that it pays to do a better shearing job or to grade at the shearing pen. Many warehousemen see A no advantage in a change from sale in the original bag to alternative systems of grading or sale on a description basis. The current stalemate in wool marketing can be broken when important groups in the wool trade provide the necessary incentives. Some form of integration, cooperation or public control eventually will remove the inefficiencies of the Texas wool marketing system. HWHWHMHMHWHWHMHMHWHMHWHMHWHMHMHMHMHMHWHMHMHMHWHMHWHWHWHWHWHmHMHWHMHMHWHMHWHWHMHMHMNWHm“MHWHMHMHMHWNMHWHMHMHMHMNM contents WWWMMWWWWMWWWWMMWWWWMMMWWWWWWMMWMWWMWMWWMWWWWWWMMWMWWWWWWWMWMWWMWMWMMMM H. " t I Summary ............................................................................................. .; " Introduction ....................................................................................... .. Characteristics of Texas Wools ..................................................... ..; Yidd ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fineness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. x Length ........................................................................................ Color ...................................................................................... .. ‘ ................................ "q Crimp ..................................................................................... .. Present Wool Marketing System .......................................... .. Shearing and Handling Wool at the Ranch ............ .. Warehousing the Wool .................................................. .. Selling the Wool .............................................................. .- _ Transportation of the Wool to Eastern Markets ........... Processing Wool in Manufacturing Area ........................ Problems Expressed by Wool Trade .................................. .. g Evaluation of Texas Wool ................................................. l Improving Texas Wools ................................................ .. l‘ Competitive Position of Texas Wool ........................ .. p Preferred Manner of Buying ............................................. .51 Additional Suggestions for Improvement ...................... Summary of Survey with Woolen and Worsted Mills ........ Possible Improvements in Wool Marketing System ............ ..* Some Australian Marketing Practices ............................. Shearing and Handling Wool at Ranch ..................... Warehousing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . _ . .. Standardized Wool Grading System ......................... .. Pricing. .. Selling Wool on Description Basis .......................... .. Alternatives and Implications ............................................ Acknowledgments ........................................ ---. .......................... ..- ~ Glossary of Terms ................................................................ .. , Y sheep industry ranks second in contribution total livestock production in Texas. Texas tin the United States in lamb and wool “on, and the United States ranks seventh in oduction. pr the Civil War when the large expansion J. ranching began, the sheep population 1n- 'until 1943 when the peak in numbers was iwith 10,607,000 head of stock sheep. ysis of recorded data for the 50-year period, ’ reveals that in the first decade the average f. of stock sheep on Texas ranches was l head, Table 1. In the fourth decade when was reached, the average was 9,580,900. In El. 1961 stock sheep on ranches were reported a 0 head. 2 wool clips shorn increased in pounds of in shorn from the low of 12,690,000 pounds f0 80,713,000 pounds in 1935. The pound- wool shorn does not give a true picture "eld as both number of head shorn and conditions seriously affect the poundage of ‘- wool clip. The heaviest clip of grease shorn in the severe drouth year of 1935. pvalue of the grease wool clip varied greatly 0-year period. The peak was reached in in grease wool was valued at 99 cents per 3' have been many different breeds of sheep ,4 into Texas. Probably every breed which uced in} the earlier periods made some fn toward improving the native stock. jive sheep or Mexican Churras developed I , professor, Department of Agricultural Economics w; ; wool technician, Department of Animal Hus- istant professor, Department of Home Economics; , ating agent, Marketing Division, Agricultural 1Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Wool Marketing Problems in Texas john G. McNeely, Stanley P. Davis, Phyllis Drake and Robert L. H0lland* from the flocks of the Christianized Indians and early Spanish settlers. The Churra sheep were small and sheared a light, inferior fleece of wool. These flocks were kept mainly as a source of fresh meat. The Rambouillet breed was introduced direct from Rambouillet, France in 1853. This was the Spanish Merino that had been developed in France as a dual-purpose sheep. The Rambouillet was larger and more rugged than the Delaine, with longer and stronger legs. It developed into an ideal trail sheep. The Rambouillet breed produced a larger, stronger, quicker maturing lamb although the fleece was not quite as fine and heavy as the Delaine. There are no records available which give an accurate population breakdown by breeds in the State, but breed popularity is indicated by the number of registered flocks in the State. In 1959, there were 335 Rambouillet, 182 Suffolk, 100 Delaine Merino, 39 Corriedale, 21 Columbia, 17 Hampshire, ll De- bouillet, 7 Shropshire, and a few Southdown and Panama breeders who submitted applications for registration. With few exceptions, the fine-wool type and the crossbred-wool type breeds are located in the fine-wool producing area. The Suffolk breeders are. distributed all over the sheep-producing part of the State. The other registered flocks are concentrated in the Grand Prairies and adjacent farming areas. The early sheep producers established many practices of production, management and marketing which prevail today. Over the long period of time some of these practices have become traditional in spite of their inefficiency. The producer was never informed of the importance of quality in his products since a wide void existed between him and the wool processor. Hence, the producer came to believe that weight was the most important factor and produced wool with little or no consideration of market de- mands. The markets have always taken the total production at some price. Characteristics of Texas Wool Many Texas wool producers believe that their wools sell below true value as compared with foreign and other domestic wools. Wool value is determined by a combination of physical characteristics. Each wool clip differs in its particular combination of characteristics. Information on the characteristics of Texas wools was obtained by sampling 307 lots representing 2.75 million pounds from three warehouses during 1957-59. Goring of wool has increased in popularity with growers, warehouse operators and buyers, since about 1947, when the government cored a considerable quantity of grease wool on a loan program. The core test is a well recognized method for determining the clean fiber content of a particular lot of grease wool. This sampling method by core test is the most accurate known means for laboratory determination of grease wool yield. The procedure has been accepted by the American Society for Testing Materials; United States Department of Agriculture; Bureau of Customs, Treasury Department; Wool Associates of the New York Cotton Exchange, Inc.; and by a large segment of the wool industry. Argentina requires that all wools exported to the United States be cored as a basis for sale. Other countries are considering adopting similar procedures. Fineness, length of staple, crimp, color, strength and handle are evaluated almost entirely by visual estimation and inspection. However, the American Society for Testing Materials has approved standards for yield, fineness, length and strength. Methods for the determination of color and crimp have been de- veloped by the USDA. None of the standards for length, fineness, color or crimp have been accepted to any degree by the textile industry. In recent years the commercial testing companies have started giving the fineness or grade of a lot from core analysis when requested. Yield Wool as it comes from the sheep contains various nonwool components, such as dirt and sand, grease, vegetable matter and moisture. The percentage of these impurities in any one fleece may range from 20 to 80 percent of the total weight. Actual per- centages depend on the conditions under which the wool is grown, fineness, length of staple, weather conditions and other factors. The grease wool must be scoured and the impurities removed before it can be used in manufacturing. Its value depends largely 6 on the quantity of useable wool or clean yi scouring. ’ The sample of grease wool from the th i houses yielded, on the average, 42 percent cl in 1957; 48 percent in 1958 anél 47 percent ' Yield by lots ranged from 32 to 57 percent; variations by lots and by years show the pr‘, selling and buying wool by physical inspee Fineness The two most important quality ch '7 that determine the usefulness of a partic l lot are fineness or grade, and staple len Texas wools generally are considered fine, 64’s or finer with an average fiber diamet than 22.0 microns, no more than 7 percef fibers exceeding 30.1 microns and 1 percent » 40.1 microns (a micron is equal to about, of an inch) . Of the wool sampled at the w’: 86.4 percent was finer than 22.0 micronsf; maining 13.6 percent ranged in fineness to 24.6 microns in diameter, or using t a count system, 86.4 percent was 64's and g_ 13.6 percent was 60’s and 62’s. The avera of all wool sampled was 21.0 microns. I Wool produced in 1957 was finer th if 1958 and 1959, averaging 20.2 microns as? with 21.3 and 21.4. The fineness in 1957”; been caused by poor range and feed conditi wider variations occurred between lots ra 18.0 to 24.6 microns. This indicates the ;;, ness of Texas wools and the necessity _ measurement of individual lots if price ' quality precisely. *1 Length Length is one of the major physi g of the wool fiber. It is a basis for the ; and description of wool, whether market wool or wool top. Longer wools of the‘; usually are worth more than shorter woo staple length varies within a fleece and,’ to fleece within a graded lot so it is " classify wool for length with exactn length estimations are made by me, samples. Y The average unstretched length l sampled at the warehouses in the 3 inches and the variation in average len" to year was very small. On the other vidual lots ranged in average length frl inches. I ding to the USDA’s proposed standards for its of wool which have an average length hes 0r more are classified as strictly staple, ‘inches are staple and good French; 1.5 to g7 are average and good French; and lots less nches are short French and clothing wools. ’ ; basis, 57 percent of all wool sampled was ‘ple and 37 percent was classified staple and “ch. Five percent was average and good ‘l percent was clothing wool. : "id wool tends to have a light ivory or light r. A yellowish cast is the most prevalent ils and true white is comparatively rare. arity of the light and pastel shades in wool made color in wool much more important. j. uly objective standards are not available jining the color of wool. 10f the sampled wools was determined by used by the USDA. Representative f colors were used, ranked from “A”—the iough “E”-the creamiest or least desirable Jvidual lots were compared visually with 8 p168. ly Texas wools are not the whitest wools 111116 United States. To get an average the whitest wool or “A” color was given . > A .0, “B,” “D,” and values of 2.0, 5.0, respectively. Visual comparisons of wools for the 3 years brought an average gsamples of 1.9 or approximately the “B” V" TABLE 1. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHEEP SHORN, GREASE WOOL PRODUCTION AND AVERAGE VALUE BY DECADES, TEXAS, 1909-58 Average Grease ‘ Average Decade number of . wool value of sheep shorn production grease wool Millions Thousand pounds Thousand dollars 1909-18 2,161 13,846 3,104 1919-28 3,617 26,722 9,052 1929-38 7,532 61,980 13,694 1939-48 9,581 73,541 928,944 1949-58 5,820 45,31 1 28,446 Source — Wool Statistics and Related Data, U. S. Department of Agriculture Statistical Bulletin No. 250, May 1959. color. Wools produced in 1957 were considerably whiter than in either 1958 or 1959. Of all lots examined, 28 percent were “A” color, 59 percent “B” color, 13 percent were “C” color and one lot was “D” color. Almost all of the lots with “A” color were from the 1957 samples. Crimp Crimp is the natural waviness or curl in the fibers of a lock of wool. The number of crimps per given length indicates the degree of fineness; the more crimps per inch, the finer the wool. The sampled wool was measured with a ruler and the crimp was determined by counting through a magnifying glass. Average crimp for all wool sampled was 15.5 per inch which may indicate the fineness of Texas wools. No measurements were made of the crimp depth. Rambouillet ewes and lambs on an Edwards Plateau ranch. This is the predominant breed in Texas and the 7 is the major producing area. Courtesy: San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, Texas. Present Wool Marketing System Some of the most difficult problems associated with Texas wools develop in the marketing system. They arise mainly from the producers’ unwillingness to provide the extra work and management required to avoid the resulting problems. This is caused partly by the failure on the part of middlemen to reward properly the individuals who market most effectively. The trade has made no’ consistent effort to require improved marketing methods. The result is a con- tinuation of the traditional system. Shearing and Handling Wool at the Ranch In Texas shearing is done primarily by itinerant shearing crews, that vary from l to 16 men. The apparatus used for shearing usually includes an old truck chassis with a line shaft arrangement from which a number of shearing drops are attached. The number of drops will vary from 1 to approximately l2 per machine. The newer apparatus sometimes includes an electric generator powered by a gasoline motor. Small electric motors in turn transmit the necessary power to the shearing clippers. The clipper is similar in principle and function to a barber’s clipper. A good sheep shearer is a highly skilled worker, who learns the trade by serving an apprenticeship. The rate of pay is comparable to the rate of pay found in other skilled trades such as carpentering, plumbing and bricklaying. A good shearer can aver- age shearing more than 100 sheep per 8-hour day and collects 20 to 25 cents per head. However, his annual income usually is not large because of the seasonal nature of his work. Texas ranchers have never adopted the custom, followed in some of the Western states, of driving their sheep to a central shearing location. Each rancher provides his own place for shearing. The manager of a shearing crew makes an oral agreement with each rancher as to the date and place of shearing. It is important to discuss the facilities for shear- ing because here the wool starts its marketing journey, and many factors which affect the value of the wool are encountered in the shearing pen. Since many ranchmen shear their flock only once each year, the facilities provided for shearing are frequently makeshift and inadequate for proper handling of the wool. The facilities vary from a permanent installation with sheltered concrete or wooden floors, to a corner cow-lot with a “pallet” or piece of canvas spread on the ground. 8. The typical shearing facility provided by sheep producers consists of a set of “shearing I (two or more), which are made by nailing? or l”x8" planks to a 2"x4" frame, creating»? form 4" high and 4’ wide and as long as the 5 machine. In addition there might be a woodi 3' x 5’ in size, used for tying the wool, and a L wool rack large enough to hold two wool sac j double wool rack is not used to allow the 0g graded as might be supposed. It is used t0§ continuous sacking of the wool; that is, while sack is being taken from its rack, sewed an sack put in its place, wool can be placed in sack. ' The shearing crew, on arriving at th places the shearing machine in an open pef the shearing boards on both sides of the _, and moves the wool rack and tying table i pen; the shearing crew is ready to begin o“ In a typical Texas operation, a flock of,’ or more are turned into the pen with the, western states have large permanent she , where the sheep are placed in small pensf ' to the shearer. The loose sheep mill arou 1! open pen kicking up great quantities of dust-i ' and often run across the shearing boar. partially sheared fleeces off the boards into and vegetable matter. The quality or val, wool suffers as a result. 7 Most shearing crews furnish their 0 u, and tiers. These workers are usually uns - who pick up the fleece from the sheari J take it to the tying table, tie the fleece wi. string and put it in the wool sack. The pi usually become members of the shearing men retire or quit. It is common practice’; whole fleece into one bundle without ~- tags, clippings, or any off-sorts from the i’ of the fleece. If the fleece includes an? quantity of dung-matted stained locks and! the shrinkage of the fleece will be high value downgraded for this reason. More -- these tags and off-sorts may stain and damage the main body of the fleece by During the shearing time, ranchmen by other duties which take them away‘. shearing pen. They are so busy gath from the range and taking care of other f: tions that they seldom take time to sup the actual shearing operations. Many 5 that it would be an unnecessary expe capable wool handler to prepare the wooll since the shearing crew puts the wool i in any case. Q e use of improvised shearing facilities and ndling methodsdamages the wool irreparably if ways: (l) an additional quantity of dirt table matter is picked up from the shearing )- the main body of the fleece is discolored itags and (3) after the tags and clippings have ‘ixed with the main body of the fleece it is fficult to segregate them, a job which should f somewhere and at a greater expense, during jteting process. l housing the Woo| ranches in Texas do not have the facilities l their wool clip for a long time. Conse- the clip is moved into local warehouses itely after shearing, either by the grower or l» al warehouse which furnishes a truck for .se. g clip is weighed when it enters the ware- d each bag is given a lot and bag number. fnumber is placed on the bag to identify the The weight of each bag is entered in a ong with each bag number. These weights 9» as sale weights, but to credit each owner amount of wool delivered. The wool is ,1 when it is sold. Seldom are the two weights because wool tends to gain or lose moisture, gig on atmospheric conditions. Wool shorn amp weather and stored and sold during a .1 may lose several pounds per bag. ibags are weighed and marked, then stacked sSome warehousemen put small lots in one the warehouse, and others stack according f bers, shrinkage, class, or length of wool. ousemen try to stack wool so that any de- is easily accessible. t 95 percent of Texas wool is handled y’ e local warehouse. The principal purpose it the wool warehouse in Texas is to provide assemble wool. Safely stored and insured, A able for inspection in sufficient quantity buyers. It is possible thus to offer wool f: lots, which is usually the minimum ton- i, buyers like to ship. Most wool growers i produce less than a carload lot of wool jtherefore, a buyer trying to make up a car- ilar types of wool would incur greater _y he had to visit each ranch to inspect clips. are able to inspect and obtain wool from lints such“ as warehouses, the grower may igher price for his wool. ilhe Wool wool usually is sold by private treaty or paled bids. Though auctions have been Wools from different parts of the sheep vary in their physical characteristics. a. body wool; b. face wool; c. neck wool; d. belly wool; e. leg wool; f. breech wool. held in the State, they have never become popular, warehousemen believe that both auctions and sealed bid sales, because of their more competitive nature, result in higher prices, only when the demand is strong. Private treaty, the term used to describe the most common method of selling wool, consists of a ware- houseman and a buyer getting together on a price. When a buyer comes to the warehouse to buy wool, sample bags of the wool type in which he is interested are taken from each lot and opened for his inspection. From 5 to l0 percent of each lot is shown, but if a buyer cares to inspect the lot more thoroughly, it is his privilege to do so. Wool is commonly shown in “lines” arranged by the warehouseman. Some operators line up their wool according to shrinkage, but for the most part wool is lined according to fineness and staple length, with all lots of approxi- mately the same length in the same group. These “lines” are made for sales convenience, since they make inspection easier. This practice permits a buyer to evaluate wool quickly as to whether it suits his purpose. After he assures himself that the wool is of the fineness and length desired, the buyer is concerned mainly with the clean wool yield of the clip under examination. He is also concerned with the prepara- tion, which he can see after he opens the bag. A properly prepared lot of wool requires less expense in handling by the mill than one which is poorly prepared. Wool is bought in Texas by experienced buyers who estimate visually the clean wool yield. They base their estimations on experience gained through years of buying wool. Sheep are concentrated in holding pens adjacent to shearing shed. Courtesy: West Texas Livestock Weekly, San Angelo, Texas. After the warehouseman and the wool buyer have agreed upon a price, the warehouseman normally will have to contact at least. some of the wool owners to get their consent to sell. Once the sale is made, all the growers are notified of the price received and each one is sent a check for his clip, less the market- ing charges. Transportation of Wool to Eastern Markets Undoubtedly, one of the most significant recent ‘changes in Texas marketing wool lies in the field of transportation. Before 1952, practically the entire clip moved to the eastern markets by rail, boat, and seatrain. Around 1953, wool was first transported from the State in trailer trucks to the Boston area. The first two years were largely experimental and resulted in small quantities being moved by this method. By 1955, a portable wool baler was designed and built by one of the leading truck lines. This invention greatly increased the trucking of wool. By 1956, almost all of the production in the State for that year was moved by truck. The baling of wool in the bag, loose grease, or scoured, results in considerable space saving. Before baling a truck can haul about 21,000 pounds. After baling it can r handle as much as 35,000 to 40,000 pounds. Thus, baling has almost doubled the wool- carrying capacity of trucks. Some warehouses have stationary balers to bale grease wool that has been graded or sorted and is not to be scoured locally. There is no minimum restriction on the exact amount that must be shipped by truck, but an effort is made to load 30,000 to 35,000 pounds. This offers no special problem since the advent of the wool baler. Wool is exempt from the regulations of the Inter- state Commerce Commission and for this reason rates l0 Manufacturing Area fabrics. However, growers cannot fit their‘? . may vary from time to time and from point ti within an area. Processing Wool in Raw wool must be sortedé blended and st; after it reaches its destination before it is carding. Wools that lack uniform preparation applies to most Texas wools, are sorted on t? of quality-fineness, length, soundness, amount of vegetable matter included. All fit, similar characteristics are placed in one group. facturer’s requirements are used as a sortin and the higher the quality of the goods to’, duced, the more carefully the sorting is don well prepared wool must be inspected for .0 quality. Most Texas wools require much i sorting. ‘ The degree of specialization in the wool . may influence the agencies mainly concerned grower’s wool preparation. If the manu system were so integrated that firms buying Y s from growers carried processing and through to the finished fabrics, preparation ers could be directed toward meeting thef ments of those who manufacture different the needs of individual manufacturers becaf vidual manufacturers seldom buy directly fl ers. This accounts for the specialization in» industry. Aside from growers themselves of mediate handlers and processors of wool are concerned with the grower’s preparation; these conditions, firms that buy wool at after the scouring process are concerned a with the suitability of grower preparation. A concerning the suitability of grower prepa. mainly with firms that control wool up through the scouring process. Topmakers are specialized firms. The cerned with grower preparation because th the wool from the raw to the finished stab; buy and prepare wool, then scour and com selling it as top. Topmakers, therefore, -! concerned with the suitability of grower pi because they use the wool as it comes from Many dealers who are not topmak services similar to those of topmakers a; similar role in the field of grower preparar; buy the wool outright, remedy faulty p: provide a stock of grease and scoured W00 tion by manufacturers and assume the r" i changes. i a wool trade, especially the handlers and turers, can be very influential in improving ‘iity of Texas wool. Each year, their buyers i’ Texas wools in relation t0 other wools and a price presumed to reflect comparative luring the past 5 years, this Texas wool price fged 1.4 cents above the U. S. price. This i, erence varied from year to year as might ted since laboratory tests indicate annual sin the length, fineness, color and other iistics of Texas wool. wool is well known to the trade. A pre- {questionnaire was mailed to approximately handlers and manufacturers asking their “on in obtaining specific information about rience with Texas wool. Favorable replies ived from 75 firms, which expressed an in- the proposed research and designated an l in the firm to contact for further informa- more detailed questionnaire was sent to these y-nine firms located in 15 states provided ta. Most replies were prepared by presi- presidents or wool buyers for these firms. irted handling a volume of 46 million pf scoured wool and l6 million pounds of a l. perating firms engaged in one or more esses by which wool is converted from' a to a finished product. Number of firms ' each function were: ding - 21 Carding - 29 ‘ting — 23 Combing - l2 ding — 32 Weaving —- 21 j ring — 24 Dyeing — 21 firms which comb wool, but do not weave idered topmakers; there were seven of this ion of Texas Wool yy-nine of the firms had used Texas wools A preceding year and all but six reported ltisfactory. The approximate poundage of it by these; firms during 1957 is shown in 001 that was unsatisfactory was ungraded. in important, all Texas wool that was satisfactory. A total of 47 million pounds i ted, which accounts for a large percentage - wool. The fact that no Texas wool was i‘ Problems Expressed by Wool Trade unsatisfactory after it was sorted points out the neces- sity for good preparation before marketing. Improving Texas Wools Representatives of these 29 firms were asked to comment on practices which might improve Texas wool quality. Their comments on breeding were specific». “Breed to eliminate kemp, coarse and black hair." “Keep high natural quality with length 3", fine- ness 64’s and 70’s.” “Breed for wool instead of lamb, getting rid of old ewes.” “Do not crossbreed; even a small percentage of low quality wool spoils the lot for use by a fine-wool mill.” “Eliminate uneven length and grade.” The shearing pen is the next point in the market- ing process. Here the firm representatives were con- cerned with some practices which created problems and other proposed practices which might result in improvements: “Carefully watch how sheep are paint branded and cuts are doctored. They slap the paint on too heavily and cover too great an area.” “Eliminate all paint-tar-wound medicines not readily removed by commercial scouring.” “Keep shearing areas free of straw and trash. Use clean tables.” The shearing area tends to become cluttered and dirty unless boards are swept and tags picked up frequently. ll TABLE 2. APPROXIMATE VOLUME OF TEXAS WOOL USED AND GRADED BY 29 WOOL HANDLERS AND MANUFACTURERS DURING 1957 _ A roximate Type Firms psolume Number Thousand pounds Ungraded Satisfactory 7 4,239 Unsatisfactory 3 5,240 Graded p Satisfactory 4 4,445 Unsatisfactory 2 795 Sorted Unsatisfactory l 20 Blended Satisfactory 1 75 Scoured Satisfactory l 1 47,168 Total 29 61,982 hilt” “In shearing take only one cut, to reduce exces- sive short fibers.” “Shear off shank and tags, in some cases perhaps belly wool, especially if it has bulk or defect.” “Skirt like Cape and Australian wool so that sorting can be eliminated.” “Be sure that all off-sorts such as black pieces, tags, bellies and locks are packed separately.” “Grading and baling at shearing pen is inex- pensive and would greatly increase the value of Texas wool.” “Eliminate use of strings in tying fleeces—fleeces can be wrapped as in South America and other major wool countries.” The sheared fleece is tied with paper cord with the flesh side of the fleece exposed. This tying keeps the fleeces separate. Courtesy: Sheep and Goat Raiser Magazine. l2 Most specific recommendations applied activities at the shearing pens. However, some: tioned a few additional practices to be carri at the warehouse: l “Sort out paint wool, skirtings, belly wool, wool, coarse wool, seedy, defective and lamb’s “Grade wool by length and diameter.” “Pack in compressed bales”: A further question pertained to the scourii blending of wool in Texas. They were asked", preferred further processing: “Scouring is O.K. We prefer to blend of wool.” ' “Blending and scouring for short wools “Manufacturer prefers to do own blen' scouring.” “Blending has no advantage as the e prefer to do their own blending. Some n! Texas scouring, some do not. It saves freigé ever, going North or East.” Competitive Position of Texas i g A series of questions dealt with the of Texas wools with other domestic or Since Texas wools are largely fine, it would the average price of these wools should ex A U.S. price by more than the usual amoun also felt that Texas wools should be able to”, successfully in price with the Australian i‘ wools. The first question in this series in” there had been any dissatisfaction with the l9, wool clip: A a “I957 wool was very defective and yellow in it.” “Too much variation in length and st staple.” “Contained unscourable paint and tarf; “Poorly put up.” “Excessive burry bellies.” “ln general, Texas wool is too soft wear and too expensive.” ‘i “They do not remove buck’s tags and fleeces.” “Fall Texas crop was defective. Did chase.” p, “Too mixed for grade —had to be ha “Quite a large percentage of poorly fgroi A second question asked how shorn f” compared with wool graded, sorted and sci where. The answers ranged from comple if l5 t0 22 fleeces are packed in the average 6 foot i This bag is the basic unit for original bag wool. p-fsheep and Goat Raiser Magazine. Texas wool t0 a marked preference for other ded wool compared same as wool graded H rior to most other domestic wools.” Val except for colored fibers.” iestic wools are not as well prepared as 001s.” y to all wools except small clips in fleece A African far superior—also Australian.” as good as Cape or Australian sold by n‘?! ‘i mills use Texas wools as a blend with other fiveral reasons were given for this practice: ilike the characteristics of Texas wools for lbrics-wonderful for use in flannels.” wool combed alone is not usually satis- yarns of fabrics that our customers make.” lending we can maintain better uniformity. i} are soft, mushy, weak, uneven. Must i» with wools which have strength, guts and .3, wool does not produce the handle we r goods — a small percent assists in fulling.” liiisoft for one product if used by itself.” imes we ‘blend Texas wool with foreign l economically advisable to do so. Foreign sually put up better and contain less vege- r", dial large proportion of the Texas wools are l, original bag, there tends to be a consider- ' e- able amount of variation in the wool as it reaches the processors. A question was asked as to the varia- tions in Texas wools as compared with other domestic wools and the specific factors that might place Texas wools at a disadvantage: “Too warm a climate to make quality wool.” “Growers are not selecting their sheep properly; too much attention to mutton characteristics in cull- ing; not enough uniformity of grade and staple length and incidence of black hair.” “Uniform quality is advantageous but irregu- larity of length ‘of combing wool is a disadvantage.” “When a man is buying fine wool he expects to receive fine wool. In recent years the trend toward the larger lamb for market has naturally resulted in some mixed clips.” “Foreign matter.” “Short fibers caused by second stroke of shears.” The concensus of the firm representatives was that Texas wool was equivalent to other domestic wools but inferior to Australian and South African wools in preparation. Most of the firms indicated that they used Texas wool in blend with other wools because of felting qualities or price. Texas wool was considered too soft to use alone by some firms. However, it had the same or less variation than other domestic wools, with existing variation caused by management practices. Process- Most Texas wool is stored in metal warehouses. The bags are stacked in piles by various systems. Courtesy: Sheep and Goat Raiser Magazine. l3 ing costs were estimated to be about the same as other Western and domestic wools with some mills estimating higher costs and some lower._ But there was general agreement that foreign wools could be processed more cheaply. There was no clear cut preference expressed for Texas wools under existing methods of preparation. Preferred Manner of Buying Approximately half of the manufacturers pre- ferred to buy Texas wool by small samples and an almost equal number preferred to buy by lot examina- tion. Only a small number preferred purchase by description alone. Those preferring a small sample would accept samples ranging from one-fourth pound to l0 pounds. The sample size depended on how reliable the manufacturer considered the source and thus how much wool he thought necessary to give a representative idea of the lot. It is probable that the wool marketing system of, the future will include a greater proportion of sales on a description basis. The firm representatives were asked to give their evaluation of the following de- scription: Lotl202; 44,275 pounds of grease wool; 225 bags. 1. Fineness, Texas 64’s Average fiber diameter 20.7 microns 2. Average staple length (unstretched) 3.2 inches Distribution percentage 2.75 inches and up 90 2.0 - 2.75 inches 8 under 2 inches 2 S. Clean yield percent (clean fiber present) 47.14 A few warehouses grade wool prior to sale. This eliminates the identity of the original fleece and original bag. Courtesy: Sheep and Goat Raiser Magazine. 14 and knows ACH or the man who made the" 4. Vegetable matter, percent Type — cocklebur 0 Bur clover 2.1 Grass bur A 1.4 ; Chaff 0.13 p 5. Number of black fibers. present free 6. Color scoured A p 7. Staple crimp, per inch 16.8 8. Other: Branded with scourable pa paper lined bags and tied with paper good strength; produced in the Son tion of Texas; from Rambouillet sheer‘ and stapled by ACH. Although most of the firms indicated t; did not prefer to buy Texas wools on de. alone, they did give a favorable response», adequacy of the above description for sales if, Most of them believed that this description i too detailed and there were only a fewsu . for additions or deletions: . “Add more detail on strength.” “Would still want samples.” “We have not as yet accepted micron r, g on grease wool.” é “The description might be adequate ' p were constantly buying wool in definite areas 9! _l ' ac ~ ' f: l: Staple crimp 1s not necessary for us. - “This information is adequate, but m buy in scoured state. Consequently only w; will be supplied such information.” " “Descriptions are not as accurate as th‘ be.” “Omit fiber diameter and staple crimp ‘x “Purchase by description is completel \ tical.” i, “Could delete color, crimp and other‘ “If this description is based on labor” made from a coring sample, we would use a guide and prefer a lot examination by} buyers.” A “No sound wool firm would pay out above description or any other until improve.” “Why not check to see how wools , in the Australian sales.” There is no general attitude against s by description, only a lack of confiden, method could be more reliable than ti; system. Similarly, a question on the fe; ing Texas wool by description brought no ut opposition. About two-thirds of the firms f .ered it possible and several believed that it ’ be a more economical method of procurement. ijty-seven firms indicated a preferred agency to the description. Of these, l7 favored the rcial testing companies, 2 government, 2 V wool growers associations, 2 favored reliable i backed by testing company reports and the _ ing 4 selected miscellaneous agencies. i e firms listed several reasons they do not Ytly buy wool on description: an’t rely on it.” ool bought by experienced buyer, not by ion paper.” f. efer to see sample.” guy through wool dealers who know our re- ents.” e like to see what we are going to get and shipment with the sample.” efer to see wool, however, we do buy Aus- ifclassed wool from firms we have had experi- 'th, on description which they stand behind.” jcause it is impossible to agree (seller and fon fineness, etc., of descriptions.” never been offered wool on description. le plus some description would be much ‘i. T7,} ause we have never been able to rely on 'ons.” icriptions are not practical until such times ,1are graded and baled at the shearing pen.” “r would still have to go by grade and staple ifause past practice has indicated the descrip- t not fit the wool.” ].ers indicate the need for a completely re- tem before Texas wools can be sold on a basis. The current variability in wool f original bags makes personal examination nt necessity and contributes to the continu- gthe present marketing system. ,na|~ Suggestions -rovem;ent ll question asked for additional suggestions ld be useful to» Texas wool producers and Imen in marketing a more suitable product: antee that no 8-month wool is packed with .lwool.” A buyer examining wool in a warehouse. The bags are slit, some fleeces are removed for examination and then replaced and the bag is sewed by hand. Courtesy: San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, Texas. “If a clip has a small edge of 64’s but is bulk 70/ 80’s, some years for definite customers it may pay to grade.” “Sell wool on a core basis. Warehousemen can- not now sell wool without calling each individual grower.” “Endeavor to eliminate tippiness so that entire fiber has some dye affinity. Attempt to improve tensile strength.” “By some means lower percentage of burr and shive presently found.” “If Texas were to use the Australian method, we wouldn’t have any further trouble.” “Culling all sheep producing grade over 64's; eliminate crossbred sheep with grade under 60’s.” “Grading and baling at shearing sheds. Portable baling presses make this method of packing just as cheap as bagging and the packages are more economic to store and blend.” " “Eliminate the warehouse system of selling and adopt an auction system which would tend to elimi- nate politics and horse traders from wool marketing and show the grower the true value of different grades of wools.” “Grading at time of shearing and packing; that is, preparations similar to those used to grade the Australian and Cape wools.” 15 Summary of Survey with Woolen and Worsted Millsl The kinds of raw wool manufacturers required for their type of consumer 0r industrial wool fabrics also were considered important. Therefore, arrange- ments were made in the spring of 1959 with a number of worsted and woolen mills and one manufacturer of papermaker’s felt to see their manufacturing processes and discuss with their management and production personnel the characteristics of the raw wool they purchased for their operations. All were more or less extensive users of Texas wools and some used or had used Texas mohair in varying amounts. Written questionnaires were obtained from six of the nine mills visited. Two of the cooperating mills had been in their present locations more than 50 years, one for 36 years and three for 12 years or less. A variety of mill operations were carried out including grading, sorting, blending, scouring, card- ing, combing, spinning, weaving, dyeing and finish- ing. Grading, sorting and scouring were done by fewer mills than were the other processes. Most of the mills made fabrics for men’s and women’s wear. One was exclusively a combing operation for top- making. During 1958, 1.5 to 71.0 percent of the total wool fiber used by these mills was Texas wool. One worsted mill decreased its use of Texas wool and one topmaker used less than 7 percent of Texas wool. ~ The manager of the worsted mill preferred the’; acteristics of territory wools in the tops whi purchased. Another fabric manufacturer for w wear considered decreasing his use of Texas i because of the black hair content which coul of course, be tolerated in fabrics to be dyedf colors. Most mills indicated that they woul, tinue to use Texas wools for various reasons grade suited the type of fabrics made, the pri favorable in comparison to that of foreign E the felting quality of Texas wools was good. ‘e was indicated also as a deciding factor. i Favorable competitive price, felting q length, fineness, color and spinning qualiti among the satisfactory qualities of Texas W00 in 1958. Lots of original bag wools were sele one big mill to meet basic mill standards v1 and quality, and graded staple lots were co principally for specialty use in various seaso f Statements that concerned unsatisfactory if ties were limited, perhaps because the Texas? used in 1958 were carefully selected to be satis . However, there were complaints about if materials such as tar and paint, excessive v matter, black hairs, excessive shrinkage rffg dirt, and fleeces tied with strings. One mi l f the short Texas bags objectionable. Some fleeces were mixed in lots of supposedly good ~. Buyers making visual estimates of wool characteristics such as length, strength, fineness, color and shrink prior to f Courtesy: West Texas Livestock Weekly, San Angelo, Texas. l6 . é y ment, original bags are compressed and wired. he Radio Post, Fredericksburg. mills used Texas wools scoured in Texas and f‘ scouring plants. Two received wool in the 1g did their own scouring. if the mills preferred raw wool baled for imills bought Texas wools through dealers ision warehouses. One mill had its own er, although others sometimes sent buyers A One mill which was buying from a dealer, fa great deal of interest in sending a buyer _ nd purchasing directly from producers and A _ -: Buying was done on dealer's descrip- A fijgu samples when not through a dealer and Fjmill buyer could not see the lot, and by gation. Most managers expressed satisfac- Ztheir present buying method. However, at, at times, lots were not as they were if by the samples examined before purchase. size considered adequate ranged from 1 ds. One man suggested a minimum of ghich would represent 20 percent of a lot. was little agreement on purchasing specifi- little definite information was given. eness and staple length were mentioned if Color and price were also included. {mills out of six expressed a favorable ard core sampling. One of these used g ouring tests and wanted fiber strength f, mill used core testing in a limited way d to use it altogether. Another mill l, visviilaal- and hand tests planned to adopt . One used core testing and considered when lots could not be examined prop- ibuyer. One used tests for moisture and ton virgin stocks but did not use core others did not use core testing and one fidered this sampling method unreliable. The response was very favorable to the type of lot description developed by the Wool and Mohair Laboratory at The Texas Agricultural and Mechan- ical College. The management of each mill was asked to con- sider this descriptive method and suggest ways it could be improved for their purposes. Two were enthusiastic about such a description, one indicating that it gave much more information than they were now getting. Both suggested that in addition to the information already given in the description, types of wool be designated perhaps by number. This is similar to a system used in Australia and would enable a mill to readily repurchase similar wools. One large mill with very modern equipment thought the description too detailed for a woolen mill and better suited to the needs of a topmaker or a worsted operation. This mill and the manager of one other mill felt that the description was not adequate for their purchasing. Two others had some reservations, one that the sample would have to be large enough to assure statistical accuracy and the other would still want a representative sample submitted before pur- chase. All but one manager thought it would be feasible to catalogue Texas wools by such a description and by location and that it would help their firms to secure wool more economically. Opinion varied as to who should supply such a description, whether the government, commercial testing companies or ware- houses. Trucks are used to carry most Texas wools East for process- ing. Courtesy: The Radio Post, Fredericksburg. 17 When asked why they did not purchase raw wool 0n a description basis, managers indicated that ade- quate descriptions were not commonly available, that they bought from dealers whom they could rely on, that they supplied their own descriptions or that descriptions such as the one under consideration were too general. Presumably the latter meant that the mill might have some other requirements not covered by this description. The Texas wools used by these mills were gen- erally 8-month or l0 to tl2-month clips, 2 to 3-inch staple or better and 60’s, 64’s and 70’s. In general, the managers did not think that Texas wools needed a further breakdown as to fine- ness, although one indicated that a further break- down for medium and half blood would be an im- provement. Opinions of these men were divided as to the variations in uniformity of fineness and length of Texas wools compared to other wools. Three out of five said Texas wool was less uniform in fineness than either western or other domestic wools. Two said Texas wools were more uniform in fineness than foreign, one said less uniform, and two said about the same as foreign wools. Staple length was con- sidered more uniform by one, less so by two and about the same by one, when compared to western wools. Of the four answering this question, all thought staple length of Texas wools less uniform than other domestic wools. In comparing staple length to that of foreign wools, they were equally divided between the opinion that it was more uni- form and the opinion that it was about the same. Regarding staple length, Texas wools seemed to com- pare favorably with foreign wools, but were considered less uniform than western and other domestic wools. Factors which placed Texas wool at a disad- vantage compared to other domestic wools were higher shrinkage, higher scouring cost, lack of fiber strength, felting properties for some fabrics and higher price. One man said there were no disadvantages in Texas wools when compared to other wools grown in this country. Compared with foreign wools, Texas wools were at a disadvantage’ because of incomplete classification, cost of conversion, more sorting required, short and irregular staple due to second cuts in shearing and lack of strength. The presence of black hairs was emphasized as a distinct disadvantage. Difficulties encountered with Texas wools were the insoluble branding paints and tars used and ex- cessive vegetable matter which presented problems in carding and which necessitated the use of a car- bonizing process. These added to the cost of process- ing Texas wools. Over-felting properties, lack of strength and poor color were problems in some fab- rics, in spinning or in blends. Difficulties were 18 found most often in sorting, scouring, cardi spinning operations. 7 These experienced wool manufacturers. like the following improvements in Texas woo; elimination of black hairs, the use of soluble f ing materials, longer and more uniform staple ‘I better tagging, improved color and strength .- drying of fleeces before packijng. Several '-_“ the poor color often encountered in Texas wl caused by shearing and packing when fleec damp. Several had found cotton strings and-l these eliminated. I’ Long range breeding programs and d feeding practices would accomplish much in; ing these improvements in quality. The mill f the establishment of effective shearing, sort; putup methods and uniform adherence to th tices. Many of the complaints about Te could be decreased or eliminated in a short these improvements. Problems of color, stre ' some of the more intangible qualities 0f w, as “character,” which are probably probli concern breeding and feeding, would r, period of years to correct. Several of the agers also stated that they could use more T and 645s in both their woolen and worsted o I A wide variety of wools were consideg substitutes for Texas wools. Australian, foll Cape or South African, were mentioned if‘ South American and Territory wools Others named were California wools a Pennsylvania Delaines. Opinion was about equally divided re . cost of processing Texas wools compared l wools. Those who indicated processing c, higher, quoted only a small percentage inf’ Wools from most other world sources ‘v in addition to Texas wools. These wools; all degrees of fineness, but many were coa'”_ ranging from 40’s to 62’s. Staple lengths i, erally reported as 2 to 3 inches, although indicated a staple length up to 5 inches. i The manufacturers listed a variety of that Texas wools imparted to their finish’ Their excellent felting properties result with “good face” and “good cover.” Th: “soft handle,” “excellent blind face for, “nice drape" and they “spin to a fine cou quality most often mentioned was the “g y’ that Texas wool gives to fabric. Qualities contributed by other wools _ ness and long nap from coarser, longer s Strength and sharpness of handle were alsof qualities from other wools. For some t rics, Texas wools were considered too fi strong enough and they did not card cle Australian wool of the same quality as } u make efficient use 0f low quality forage found on a Courtesy: San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, the range in the Edwarda Plateau and Trans- Texas. was used by one mill in its place because of the absence of black hairs. During the previous year the trend in these mills swung toward a greater use of synthetics. Five 0r l0 percent of synthetics, such as nylon, orlon and other acrylic fibers add strength and stability. The increased strength makes it possible to spin finer yarns for the lighter weight fabrics now in demand. How- ever, there was some opinion that the present com- petitive price of wool was resulting in an increased demand for all-wool fabrics. A variety of fabrics were made by these mills including blankets, apparel fabrics for womenswear, menswear and childrenswear and women's coatings Possible Improvements in Wool Marketing Syste Less progress has been made in the marketing of wool in the United States than in any other agri- cultural commodity. Yet most of the possible changes are well known to people in the trade. For many commodities, the middlemen have integrated the marketing functions vertically for greater operational economy and to insure the adoption of methods con- sidered desirable. In cotton, for example, contract selling is a means by which mill buyers can specify t0 producers the variety to be planted, methods of planting, fertilizing, spraying, defoliating, harvesting and ginning. The crop may be purchased before the seed is planted. Mill owners apparently are satisfied with present methods as indicated by a lack of com- parable arrangements in wool marketing. Since these methods are unscientific and haphazard, it follows that the middlemen are able to protect their interests. Some Australian Marketing Practices A variety of potential improvements in wool marketing have been developed theoretically here and in other countries. Some of the major opportunities for improvement will be described. However, none of these methods will be adopted unless financial re- wards are offered or unless some type of vertical integration requires change as a part of a contractual arrangement. Comparison of the prices of Australian wool with domestic fine wools indicates a customary premium for the Australian wools. A review of the Australian marketing system provides some clues for this price differential. In Australia, each large ranch has its own shear- ing plant. An important method used in Australia but not in this country is the sweating of sheep prior to shearing. The sheep are transferred from the 20 and sportswear. Most mills used many of tively recent developments to make wool fabr' proof, washable, wrinkle and shrinkage res' stain repellent. Also used were water-repelle , softeners and whiteners. Blankets were sani one mill. Washability was named most of quality that would do much to make wool more acceptable to consumers._ A These management and fl-production V’ cussed a number of qualities which they consumers desired in wool fabrics. Style or “handle,” stability of fabric, Washability, Q for children’s clothes, lightness and quality, i ’ wearability and durability, all were consi portant. corrals to the sweating pens which have te l0 or more degrees warmer than regular ~- sheep are herded together closely in these if 2 to 8 hours before shearing. This causes‘. to flow more freely, putting the wool in w»; dition for shearing. Machine shears are used for shearing,’ country, except that the bellies, breech, A‘ legs and face are usually removed separat the shearing platform, the fleece is spreadfi and skirted; the tags and inferior wool, in neck are taken off, and the remainder the classer or grader. Here the fleece rolled and thrown into one of the differ bins according to its classification.‘ Next, '_ grades go to the press, where they are f bales weighing about 325 to 350 pounds, p: about 40 fleeces and are carefully wra' type, grade and owner’s name are then _“ stenciled on each bale. After the wool has been sheared, baled the producer usually consigns the, j brokers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisban or Geelong to be sold at auction. The vi no contract with the grower for the de 1 wool except as he may have a claim to advanced. This holds true for the orf well. Under these conditions the grower if to consign his wool to the concern he I‘ give him the best service or net him return for his wool. A The woolhouse does a strict broke and buys no wool for its own accou' catalogued for sale in the order in whi at the broker's warehouse, and at of the total clip must be in store to i_ entry. Advances on wool may be made i’ as the grower and the broker may "-5; is no specific rule covering the amo 8-,; E except as may be agreed upon in conjunc- 'th the Australian Wool Growers’ Council. l broker furnishes storage space for holding l and show floors for displaying auction lots, ers it with insurance. i ontrast to the practice of the London Auction, ;ertain percentage of each lot offered for sale and displayed on the show floor in the es. In 5 to 10-bale lots, 3 bales are shown; gm of lots of 10 to 20 bales; 15 percent of 0 bales to 100 bales; and l0 percent of lots bales or more.) These bales are drawn at to represent the entire lot as fairly as possible. “e stores open normally at 6 a.m. in the The broker’s catalogues are offered daily, g a combined offering of not more than Ies, the limit per day. Buyers must begin y if they wish to view all the wool offered, ction starts punctually at 3 p.m. in the wool I = lace an order to purchase a certain amount grade of wool in Australia, a manufacturer ignited States must first go to the various ipresentatives of the Australian wool buyers. ‘rrticular grade is selected, the representative ble giving the number of bales desired and will pay delivered in Boston. The buyer Tia purchases the wool at the auctions and 5;» transportation and insurance to Boston. fanufacturer receives exactly the kind of Qeds, in the exact amount he wants, with- tf expense, delay and trouble that would f» in purchasing Texas “original bag” wool, ‘(hoping to have enough of the quality he then disposing of the lower grade wools that he cannot use. The manufacturer at the Australian preparation and grading {l0 to 15 percent to the value of the wool. - and Handling i Ranch earing and handling of the wool at the A is perhaps the most important link in g chain. It has been shown that wool ectly, and handled properly before it is i-Ibe worth approximately l0 percent more hich is treated improperly. economically feasible to grade or sort ftely atfathe shearing pens, as in Australia, . The ‘cost per pound would be relatively A of the absence of large shearing sheds, . ained and experienced graders and the ll nature of the work. However, grow- i ease the value of the clip by taking tions: (l) have sheep tagged before regular shearing, (2) provide adequate shearing facilities, such as clean, dry shearing floor, with separate pens to hold the loose sheep, take all necessary precautions to eliminate dirt, dust and vegetable matter from the shearing area, (4) insist on skilled shearers to prevent “secondcuts” and mangling of the fleece as it is sheared, (5) see that any black fibers coming from the face or legs of the sheep are not mixed with the main body of the fleece and (6) when the fleece comes from the shear- ing floor, place it on a table, weather side up, and separate all tags, dung-stained locks, and badly cotted or burry pieces from the main body of the fleece and sack separately. The fleece should then be rolled, flesh side out, and placed in the wool sack. Not only will these procedures enhance the value of the wool, but they can be carried out by an average wool pro- ducer without additional training, and in most cases with an insignificant amount of additional capital. These suggestions are not intended to preclude grading wool at the shearing pens. Where the flock is large and adequate facilities and trained grading personnel are available, the shearing pen is the logical place to prepare the wool properly for market. In experiments where the facilities and trained personnel were available, wool was graded at the shearing pen for 0.25 cent per pound, whereas in the central market at Boston, the cost averages 1.2 cents per pound. Warehousing The local wool warehouse performs an important function in the marketing of Texas wool. More than 95 percent of all wool produced in Texas is marketed through about 90 local wool warehouses strategically located in the wool-producing area of the Edwards A scouring train in the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station wool laboratory. Similar commercial scouring trains wash the wool and treat it chemically to remove dirt, grease and other foreign materials. Z1 Plateau. The remainder is marketed directly from the ranch. In addition t0 the services offered by the local warehouses such as storage, insurance and selling, they could offer a wool-grading service which would be of inestimable value to the wool producer. About l4 million pounds of wool were graded in Texas in 1956. More than half of the warehouses reported grading some wool. If the wool producer is to be encouraged to produce a high quality wool and is to receive the full benefit of quality produc- tion, then that quality must be recognized while the wool is still in his possession. The average local wool warehouse in Texas has a storage capacity of 1.5 million pounds of wool, but the warehouses vary greatly in size. Most warehouses have the capacity to handle more than their normal volume of wool. This excess capacity, along with additional lighting equipment, wooden tables and bins could furnish the facilities necessary for a grad- ing service, with the addition of an experienced wool grader to grade the wool as it comes from the ranches. This grader might be employed on a full-time basis by the warehouse, to help with some of the other warehouse duties during the off-season, or to help ranchmen cull their flocks for better quality wool production. A warehouse which handled too small a volume to employ a full-time grader could probably obtain one on a part-time, commission basis, as is done in some areas of the Edwards Plateau. Probably the grading costs would be higher when grading is performed in the local warehouse than when it is performed at the shearing pen. This cost increase would be caused mainly by the additional labor involved in opening the sacks, dumping the wool for grading, resacking the wool and resewing the sacks. However, the grading costs at the local warehouse logically should be no greater than the grading costs at the central market area, since these same operations would have to be performedi. experiments have been made to prove this, t; data available to make a valid comparison r: grading costs at the local warehouse and the market. This lack of essential data is caused if. small amount of grading done at the local houses and the difference in kinds of wool systems used. it ( Standardized Wool w Grading System There is a complete lack of wool grading: ardization in Texas and the United States. ;. most wool is graded in the central market, _ trated mainly in Boston, Massachusetts, a jarg; describes wool characteristics has arisen amok members of the wool trade. The average w_ ducer seldom knows about the grades of produces, since his wool clip is usually sold u A and loses its identity when it reaches the . market. It is doubtful that the wool produceri be much better informed, even if different n, were to retain their identity, since the wool 1 in the central market are not disposed to ;; formation on grades and shrinkage. if No single grading or classification systg universal use. Domestic wool is classified o_ on the basis of fineness or fiber diameter, In addition to the official standard of fine wool trade considers other important chara of wool such as length, color, vegetable I strength and resiliency as the place, time and require. a Two alternative systems of designating of of shorn wool—the blood system, commonlyji as the American system, and the count syst These scoured wools are being sorted and blended at a mill. Courtesy: Sheep and Goat Raiser Magaine, San Angeloyf 22 wool staple sampling tool to draw a small sample f-gl bag. pwn as the English system—are shown in ;Originally, the blood grades designated the jg of Merino blood in the sheep which pro- wool. The count numbers originally indi- jnumber of hanks of yarn (560 yards each) d be spun from a pound of wool top. Both ; grade terms, however, have lost their ificance. They are terms now generally I accepted in the wool industry for the Q; ee of fineness in the wool fiber. In the Mites, blood terms are used more commonly f terms, whereas in practically all other p e reverse is true. Table 3 shows the e correspondence between grades in the i 0 jppition to general grading systems, various y used locally in wool-producing and wool- iéfcountries. In the British Dominions, wools t? es classified in order of fineness, as Merino ine crossbred and medium crossbred; the ‘is are designated by breed names, such as Cotswold. South American countries use generally used in the world wool trade. i second system grades wool from fine to jllows: Merino, prima, l’s, 2’s, 3’s, ‘l’s, Bu used in both blood and count systems wool classification on the basis of fiber yfineness. In the United States, the two describe market groups for length are pools” and “clothing.” In general, comb- f e those long enough to be combed, that e, on the worsted system. Since English combs require longer wool than French mustiflbe long enough to comb on Brad- be graded as combing wools. Wools Bradford combing are graded as carding ever, those long enough to comb on but shorter than desired for Bradford lmetimes referred to as French combing each grade, the longest wools are the combing wools. For the fine and half-blood grades, it is customary to make three dvisions; strictly comb- ing, French combing and clothing. The term “De- laine” is frequently used to describe strictly combing fine wools from the eastern farming states and the term “staple” for strictly combing fine territory wools. Texas wools are classified according to growth as l2 months, 8 months and fall shorn. ’The present grading or wool classification sys- tems show that the methods not only are not stand- ardized, but the system itself is inadequate for a good job of grading wool. The wool grading system, like so many of the other techniques used in wool preparation and marketing, seem to be an accumula- tion of makeshift methods. Pr|c|ng Core samples taken at three warehouses during 1957-59 were used to determine the comparative accuracy of wool pricing at the warehouse level under existing conditions. After these samples had been analyzed for length, fineness, yield, color and crimp, the analyses were mailed to the grower and ware- house operator for their information. The wool was sold in the usual manner and the warehouse operator recorded the sale price, date and terms of sale and forwarded these data for summary. Each lot was evaluated using the objective measurement data as obtained from the laboratory analysis on fineness, length and shrink. No adjust- ments were made for color or crimp characteristics, since these factors are not considered in the present market quotations for wool. Prices were calculated on a clean basis delivered, Boston. An electric coring device is used to draw representative samples from one or more locations in the wool bag. The sample is placed in a plastic bag and sent to a wool laboratory for analysis. 23 TABLE 3. STANDARD U. S. WOOL AND TOP GRADES Blood system Count system (American) (English) Fine 80’s, 70’s, 64’s Half-blood 62’s, 60’s, 58’s Three-eights blood 56’s Quarter-blood 54’s, 50’s, 48’s Low quarter-blood 46’s Common 44’s Braid ' 40’s, 36’s Source—Carr, D. W. and Howell, L. D., U. S. Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin N0. 1078, p. 88. The difference was then figured between the quoted price at which clean wool of a particular quality was selling in Boston and the price actually paid for the cored wool lots at the Texas warehouses. Transportation and handling costs were added to the Texas price at the prevailing average rates. Boston prices were obtained on a standardized basis from the market news reports of the USDA. A total of 332 cored lots was analyzed for pricing efficiency. Only l3 lots were sold at the exact calcu- lated price and an additional 29 lots varied a cent or less. Most lots, 186, varied 1 to l0 cents from the calculated price, while 94 had a price variation of l0 cents or more and 22 of these exceeded a 20-cent differential. Of all the lots whose selling price varied from the calculated total, 61 percent sold for less than the calculated amount and 39 sold for more. Also, wool selling for less than its calculated value averaged 8.5 cents too low per clean pound delivered, Boston. Wool that sold too high, averaged 7 cents above the calculated figure. The net difference between the Complete wool fiber analysis requires such devices as the microprojector to determine fiber fineness, an Emerson condi- tioning oven to test moisture content, and apparatus for determining grease content of the sample. 24 losses and gains in total selling prices was a; about $30,000 on 1,254,000 pounds of clean 2.4 cents average loss per pound on the entire i; These figures indicate the wide variat prices actually paid in relation to calculated The present system of wool buying lacks p; In addition, the data confirm the assumpti the buyers tend to underevalilate wools in provide a margin for error initheir buying. Se|||ng Wool on DGSCFIPTIOH- 1 The major physical properties which d the value of wool for a textile fiber are yield i fibers and fineness and staple length. Ti determined usually by visual inspection for a poses. Producers and many buyers areuf evaluate accurately clean content, fineness, strength and other clip characteristics. Con A wool at a given location tends to be sold i price basis with little variation in prices on of individual lot quality. This offers no w‘; to the producers to improve quality and pr of their wool. e This problem is accentuated by the form standards to describe important qualityf of wool and by the absence of adequate cl and market information services. Official ards for wool grades based on fineness of i‘ " were established in the l920’s and amend proposed in 1955 but have not been accep trade. Facilities and methods have been for taking samples and estimating the yield wool. Standards have been adopted by the, Society of Testing Materials for length, fii strength. Objective measurements for color; quality elements have not been adopted. tively small quantities of wool are grad‘ shearing pens. But some market agency; responsibility for assembling, transportin storing, financing and mechandising the passes from producer to manufacturer. Development of adequate classifi market information services for handli f; a description basis would be helpful to? The procedures required for these servic are already in use on a, limited basis. at some warehouses and, the laboratory ~ to some extent as a basis for sale. Th expanded. Willingness to accept a classificatiof grease wool by buyers, growers, wareho and others depends on several factors. a be mutual confidence in the system; operation by a competent and unbi Measurements must be guaranteed if-tra ' to be based on these measurements. . .1 . iation of quality elements in individual lots " to some variation, but these variations iii-small and should average out under normal When variations are extreme, recourse iivailable to the seller or purchaser. Prob- ? arise through lack of lot uniformity or u of the sampler in terms of training, K equipment, methods, core samples and '0n. This may necessitate the use of an it: pler, licensed and supervised by a state agency. ntly, one way "to build and maintain con- a classification service would be to provide of all wool by producers on the basis of n by a reliable agency and to permit no r rejections of individual lots on the basis formation about quality. ‘ge from the producer’s practice of sale 5 n to sale on the basis of a classification ld require cooperation of wool producers, ___:| and buyers in the use of this service. fof better wools would benefit from the since superior quality would be reflected formation required to improve Texas ting is available but the incentives re- change are not offered. Sheep producers yvinced that it is to their economic ad- emphasize wool production over meat y Neither do they believe that it pays to lshearing job or to grade at the shearing warehousemen see no advantage in a i» sale in the original bag to alternative shading or sale on basis of description. ent stalemate in wool marketing can be in important groups in the wool trade necessary incentives. For example, if decide to obtain their necessary volume ‘u by contracting for these wools on a basis, they might offer specific price 3 wool which met quality standards in jding and preparation and equivalent lower quality. These contracts might th warehousemen who would take the * to work with producers to get each ormed properly. i,way to get improved marketing would reducer cooperatives. If the producers a it would be profitable to prepare their a system that had the same general the Australian system, they could organ- vely to do so. The objective would be properly and efficiently for themselves ctions required to obtain maximum net The wool fiber has physical characteristics which make it especially useful in textile manufacturing. in the sales price. But these benefits would be partly at the expense of producers of poorer wools who actually benefit from selling on a flat-price basis, with no premiums or discounts for quality. Alternatives and Implications returns for the wool clip. This would require a con- siderable amount of advance planning to insure that a profitable market existed for the product that the cooperative would sell. It is possible that the trade might discourage this type of organization and refuse to do business with it. Producer members of coopera- tives are not always dependable in adopting methods which require better management or in remaining loyal to their cooperative organization if other firms offer incentives for breaking ranks. A method used to obtain producer cooperation in the marketing of many agricultural products is the marketing agreement. Existing agreements in Texas are operated by the USDA under national legislation. Following a favorable vote by the pro- ducers, controls are established covering quantity, quality and rate of sale of the product. Usually producers do not approve marketing agreements until market disorganization is acute and prospects for gain through this method are substantial and evident. Some form of integration, cooperation or public control eventually will remove the inefficiencies of the Texas wool marketing system. The new system will have to consider solutions for the following problems: 1. Dual nature and significance of producing both wool and meat as well as the economic conse- quences of alternative programs. 2. Small size of individual producer operations as a limitation on facilities, grading and marketing. 25 3. Difficulty of obtaining shearing crews at the time desired and usual lack of supervision of shear- ing and wool preparation. 4. Producers’ low evaluation of penalties for heavy shrinkage, black hairs, burs, paint, stained wools and second cuts. Similar low evaluation of rewards for following the best practices. 5. Criticism of poor practices of producers by wool trade and lack of substantial rewards to pro- ducers for following good practices. Present buying methods that fail to provide proper incentives. 6. The fact that any comprehensive program for improvement will eliminate some personnel or firms and they can be expected to provide opposition. Also, the fact that many firms are well satisfied with their costs and returns under existing methods of wool marketing and will oppose any change. The fact that no change in wool marketing will be ac- cepted without violent opposition and critics can be expected to be more vocal than the sponsors. 7. The lack of generally accepted goals that makes it difficult to organize a wool marketing or 26 production program as well as the fact that p’? are quieted by incentive payments. Gro varied goals that include agreement on gr: standards, specification buying, grading at I ing pen or warehouse, breeding for length fl ness, a- decrease in the unpredictability of s ' foreign matter, the Australian system of n A scouring in the West, new methods for "i" length, fineness, color and crinip, to name if of the desired programs. c t 8. The fact that everyone but the A protects his interests under the existing sysy Acknowleclg men The authors are grateful for the coo“ nine woolen mills in the Southeast and o, plants and woolen mills in Texas whose a were observed and whose managers answ, tionnaires. The assistance of the Textile visited at Clemson Agricultural College a '5', versity of North Carolina is appreciated. i; Glossary of Terms Bregch wool __________ __Wool, usually the coarsest in the fleece, from the lower parts of the hindquarters. Burr); wool ___________ __Wool that contains burrs from any plants. Fine burry, medium burry refer to the grade of wool. Clean basis. __________ __ Quotations of prices that are based on the estimated weight of fiber after removal of the grease and foreign matter. Clip ________________________ __The weight or type of wool from all of the sheep in a particular area. The area included may be a single farm, county, state, nation, or the entire world. i’. Crutchings ____________ __Wool shorn from the breech and inside the hindlegs. Also may refer to wool shorn from these areas before the regular shearing as part of the flock management. ' Dead wool ......... -.Wool removed from dead sheep. This does not include wool from slaughtered sheep. Domestic wool ...... ..Wool produced in this country in contrast to foreign grown wool. Fleece wools ......... -. Grade ..................... .. Grease wool .......... .. Locks ...................... .. Off-sorts ................. .. l‘ Put-up .................... .. i Rejects ................... .- shrinkage .............. _- t skirting .................. - Sorting ................... -- Stained wool ......... .. Tags ....................... .. A trade term for wool grown in the eastern and central states. More specifically this includes all wool grown under farm condi- tions as opposed to territory wools which refers to wool grown under ranch conditions. A means of desi natin wool accordin to fineness of fiber. Other . g. . g. g . quality characteristics include such factors as length of fiber, and amount and type of foreign matter. Wool in the form as just shorn, not scoured. Pieces of wool loosened from the main fleece. Fleeces or parts of fleeces that are removed from regular lots of graded wools because they differ in some major characteristic such as color, length, fineness, foreign matter, etc. Term used in wool trade describing methods used in preparing wool for sale or marketing. Fleeces or parts of fleeces that are not suitable for regular lots of graded wools because of being badly stained, having undesirable color, etc. The percentage loss in gross weight as grease and foreign matter are removed in the scouring process. Removing the inferior and heavy shrinking parts of a fleece before it is marketed. Dividing the fleece into its various qualities. Wool that has been stained by urine or manure to the extent that it cannot be scoured to a white color. Heavy manure-covered wool locks. 27 i mm sr/rrxou Q nu summons fl "rus new usoluronlrs A ooorznnnc snmoss Location oi iield research units oi the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and cooperating agencies ORGANIZATION OPERATION Research results are carried to Texas farmers, ranchmen and homemakers by county agents and specialists of the Texas Agricultural Ex- tension Service WQJQGFCA ~96 jOIWLOIWOI/UQ P09; State-wide Researc ‘k “s The Texas Agricultural Experiment St is the public agricultural research ag oi the State oi Texas. and is one oi‘; parts oi the A&M College oi Texas. IN THE MAIN STATION, with headquarters at College Station, are, matter departments, 2 service departments, 3 regulatory servi i“ administrative staif. Located out in the major agricultural areas o 21 substations and 9 field laboratories. In addition, there are l4 ~- stations owned by other agencies. Cooperating agencies includef Forest Service, Game and Fish Commission of Texas, Texas P 'C, U. S. Department of Agriculture, University oi Texas, Texas College, Texas College oi Arts and Industries and the King ' - g experiments are conducted on farms and ranches and in rural h'_ THE TEXAS STATION is conducting about 4-00 active research proj in 25 programs, which include all phases of agriculture in Te these are: _ Conservation and improvement of SOIl Beef cattle Conservation and use oi water Dairy cattle Grasses and legumes Sheep and goats Grain crops Swine Cotton and other fiber crops Chickens and turkeys Vegetable crops Animal diseases and Citrus and other subtropical fruits Fish and game ’ j Fruits and nuts Farm and ranch en’ f Oil seed crops Farm and ranch =~f'_ Ornamental plants Marketing agriculturf Brush and weeds Rural home econo“ Insects Rural agricultural Plant diseases i Two additional programs are maintenance and upkeep, and AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH seeks the ,, WHYS. the WHENS, the WHERES and the ‘M: hundreds oi problems which confront oper {arms and ranches. and the many industries,‘ ing on or serving agriculture. Workers oi 1-‘ Station and the iield units oi the Texas A ,_ Experiment Station seek diligently to iind sol these problems. l.“