Pastures Past: ‘A Woollen A.B.C.’ - 1934 guide to common terms

Follow the wool ABCs and you'll know more about it than this lot. Photo / Michael Craig

Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day.

Sheep are very much part of the New Zealand landscape, so it is easy to drive past them without much thought.

It’s also easy to think of their wool in terms of fine or strong, but there’s a wide variety of words to describe this amazing fibre.

Luckily, in 1934, the Hawke’s Bay Tribune published a handy guide to the more common terms used in the wool industry.

Don’t feel too bad if you’re unsure of the words; the article reported that those dealing with sheep still forget the odd phrase.

“Farmers are generally conversant with most of the terms used, but there are times when a certain description slips the memory.”

So read on and learn the common terms from wool and wool classing.

It’s the Woollen ABC!

A Woollen A.B.C.

Trade Terms in Classing

The Commoner words

Hawke’s Bay Tribune, November 9, 1934

The wool growing industry, like most other branches of farming, has a terminology all its own.

Farmers are generally conversant with most of the terms used, but there are times when a certain description slips the memory.

Appended are some of the more common terms used in connection with wool and wool classing.

Bale: A package of wool over 160lb. Average weight in New Zealand, 350lbs.

Bellies: Wool shorn from the belly of the sheep.

Break: A weak place in the wool fibres.

Burry wool: Wool containing burrs, seeds, etc.

Britch wool: Wool off the britch of a sheep.

Cast lot: A line of oddments in a clip. It is usually binned.

Character: Special Qualities in wool, according to breed, crimp, length, size of staple, etc.

Combing wool: Capable of being combed. Merino, 1½ins.; crossbred, 2½ins.

Clothing wool: Wool too short for combing.

Comeback: Fine wool of unusual length.

Condition: Amount of grease and yolk contained in wool.

Cotted wool: Fleeces in which the wool has become felted or entangled, owing to stoppage of the yolk flow.

Crutchings: Wool shorn off crutch and around the thighs. Usually dirty.

Crimp: Natural curl or waviness in wool.

Dead wool: Wool removed from dead sheep.

Dingy wool: Dull and discoloured wool, due to light or heavy condition.

Density: The number of fibres grown on a certain area—per square inch.

Fribs: Short locky pieces, second cuts badly stained or coloured.

Frizzy wool: Wool lacking character.

Greasy wool: Wool in its raw condition.

Gummy wool: Scoured wool containing a large quantity of yolk.

Interlotting: Selling wool together of the same class on account of different owners.

Hogget fleece: First fleece of full year’s growth, off sheep unshorn as lambs.

Kemp: Short, straight, white and brittle hairy fibres.

Line fleece: Fleece between two grades of wool.

Lofty wool: Wool with much life and character.

Mushy wool: Badly weathered and lacking character.

Open wool: Wool on the sheep’s back with no density.

Pieces: Wool removed from fleece during skirting.

Pulled wool: Taken from a skin by fellmongers, without lime or acid.

Quality: Diameter of fibre or count.

Re-classed: Mixed wools sent to store and reclassed by brokers.

Roped wool: Wool tangled during scouring.

Scoured wool: Wool after washing and removal of grease, etc.

Slipe wool: Unscoured wool removed from skins with chemicals.

Skin wool: Scoured slipe wool.

Star lot: Less than four bales.

Tender wool: Deficient in strength throughout the staple.

- Source: Papers Past