Post Harvest Handling

POST HARVEST HANDLING

  • After shearing the fleece, poor quality material is separated and good quality material is grouped or classed.
  • There are several main types of wool.
    • Lox refers to wool contaminated with dung and urine along with wool from head, brisket and lower parts of the limb.
    • Skirting refer to poor quality wool from bellies and edges.
    • Backs refer to poor quality wool along with the back due to penetration of dust, whereas
    • Brands refer to wool from the areas stained with marking ink.
  • The remaining material is classed on the basis of fibre length and diameter.
    • The classified or grouped wool is pressed into bales.
    • It should be stored at dry places.
    • Carpet wool is often a blend of coarse and medium wool and their proportion depends on the buyers' preference or demand.
    • In fact, carpet wool should have good resilience and ability to withstand hard use.
    • Coarse outer fibres are necessary to give strength and a fine bulky undercoat is required to provide fullness and resilience.
    • It should have 85% true wool by count or 65% by weight and 15% non-kempy medullated fibres (mostly hairs) by count or 35% by weight.
  • Kemp is treated as a defect.
    • More than 85% of the fibres should have a diameter of more than 25 mµ.
Last modified: Friday, 17 September 2010, 6:40 AM