Abstract
The methods of measuring results of research into the problems of wool production have been largely restricted to measurements of the physical and chemical attributes of the single fibre. It has been customary to measure the fineness of wool by taking a mean of the diameters of single fibres, and to observe the length, breaking strength, and stretch by repeated operations on single fibres. Measurements of the fleece as a unit have been almost confined to recording greasy and clean weights.
The experiment described in this paper was conducted in the hope of finding a new expression of results relating to the entire fleece which might be used in biological investigations of wool. It is published more as a record of results than an attempt to prove that the objective was reached. Combing tests on individual fleeces have not been reported previously.
The results of the test indicate that it is not an easy problem to take a sufficient number of single fibre measurements to yield data in harmony with those obtained from the fleece as a whole. Several biologists have considered that the measurement of 100 fibres is sufficient to determine the mean diameter with satisfactory accuracy. The textile processes, however, involve the manipulation and study of fibres en masse, largely by rule-of-thumb methods. The results of the two methods of approach are not easily comparable.
It is conceivable that the behavior of wool in some textile processes is not predictable from customary measurements of single fibres. Krais1 has shown that two wools of similar fineness, breaking load and extension at break may vary considerably in their adaptability for manufacturing purposes. Whether such differences should be studied from the standpoint of the individual fibre, the fleece as a whole, or a combination of the two, as was done in this experiment, remains for the future to disclose.
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