20--PURPOSE-GROWN WOOLS. PART I: MODIFICATION OF THE FELTING PROPERTIES OF WOOL THROUGH THE SHEEP'S FEED.

A method is described whereby the shrinking property of wool can be modified during growth by the administration of chemical additives to the sheep's diet so as to enter the character of the fibre half-way through the growth of the staple. Thus, hard-root-soft-tip fibres can be grown to enhance shrinkage and soft-root- hard-tip fibres to impart shrink-resistance. Methods of modifying the shrinkage of wool have so far been confined to chemical treatments of the shorn fibre, but this original approach to shrinkage control also presents an opportunity for the mass production of a large variety of other types of special-purpose wools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]