THE WORLD'S WOOL

sheep are reared in all great temperate grasslands of the world but it is only in the southern hemisphere that wool is produced in large quantities for export the principal wool exporting countries are the Argentine South Africa Australia and New Zealand climate plays an important part in wool production sheep are reared under where the climate is not too hot and weather is just sufficient rainfall for grass in Australia sheep are found in areas which have a rainfall of more than 10 inches a year the light area shows this rainfall they are also found in areas which have an annual average temperature of less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit like this the best sheep for wool are found where favourable rainfall and temperature are combined here and here sheep farming is carried on on a large scale within these areas particularly in New South Wales let's look at a diagram of a typical wolf station in New South Wales the country around is flat plain land with a small stream running through the station the homestead where the owner/manager lives is surrounded by its own garden and paddock somewhere apart the overseer has his own cottage the other station hands have their living quarters here these men live and work on the station all the year round on the other side of the road there is the stockyard where the horses and cattle are kept the hay shed and the station machinery further away are the sharing sheds open pens into which the sheep are driven lie around the sheds cure thousands of sheep are held ready for sharing special living quarters are built for the shearers who visit the station once a year now let's have a look at the life on a real wolf station September is the end of the shearing season and the beginning of the year on the wool station the shared sheep are let out of the Pens and driven into an enclosure where they are sprayed with a strong disinfectant to keep off pests [Applause] meanwhile were sharing shared is teared up and the shares prepared to leave they say goodbye and set off to the next farm where there are more sheep waiting to be shared out in the pastures the sheep graze peacefully for some months the breeding season begins in November fine start Rams are let out to join the use in the paddock during the hot summer months there's always a danger of draught the streams and riverbeds may dry up and the Sheep growth in them thirsty at these times the wool girl must feed the sheep with extra hay and grain [Music] [Music] water for the sheath is brought up by a wind pump or by an artesian well it runs into irrigation channels to water the land or is pumped into drinking traps for the Sheep sometimes in the rainy season the Sheep get badly bitten by blowfly any sheep attacked in this way is singled out for treatment the modern method of treating the Sheep is by jetting this equipment soaks the hindquarters of the sheep with a strong disinfectant and so kill the pests in May the landing season begins the wool girl must keep a watchful eye on the use and their land September again and the shelves begin to arrive on the station from all corners of the estate the station hands round off the sheet they stream into the station with their fish heavy pieces ready for sharing [Music] [Music] once they have reached the ABS they are driven into pens and down a narrow passage well one of the station hands separates the Li according to sex and age a father check can donate by examining the number of nicks in the year of each sheep shearing begins next morning whilst the sheep wait in the Pens the shadows get their electric Clippers ready when the bell rings each juror such as the sheep consents to work sharing a ship takes about two minutes and the shara is paid according to the number of sheep he shares [Applause] as the police force to the ground it's picked up by a boy who throws it out on a slotted table two men remove the Tufts of dirty wool on the side of the police and pass it on to of the world class the loose pieces are sorted into another pile the wool classer examined at the wolves and tested for quality he puts the pieces into piles according to their grade the police's are then pressed into jute bales and marked with the name of the stations and quality of the wool these bales are sent to the wool store at Sydney yeah prospective buyers inspect the world eventually the wool is auctioned and souls of the man who makes the highest bid when the man who has bought the wolf arranges for it to be shipped to England there it will be made into woollen goods of all kind [Music] Australian wool is exported to many parts of the world but by far the greatest amount is sent to England on arrival in England the bales of wool are unloaded and dispatched to the woolen mills once inside the mill the bales are undone and the wool is graded again all the finest wool in the fleece is put into one basket the second-best into another and so on each basket is emptied into a scouring or washing machine this washing removes the dirt and oil from the world the next important process is carding this machine separates the short matted hairs of the piece and binds them together to form a thick strand of wool called a slipper if livers go into the combing machine which combs the wool out more funding the world is washed again and goes into another curling machine for further treatment now the fixed levels of soft white wool must be stretched and gradually drawn out into the various fine strands suitable for making into cloth these singles until bobbin from there thousands of different strands are combined to form the wall of the material on a weaving class is woven according to a special pattern on electrically driven machine in this slow motion picture it's just possible to see the shuttle flying backwards and forwards after weaving the cloth is inspected for any flaws or weakness it's then packed up in barrels ready for export or for delivery to the shops and stores all over Great Britain in the same way the Argentine South Africa and New Zealand export their wool to other countries where it's manufactured into clothes and other materials for the peoples of the world