Abstract
Some relations between fibre diameter, quality number, and staple-crimp frequency among classers' lines are reported. There is a strong over-all relation between quality number and crimp frequency. The within-clip relations do vary, apparently as a result of a tendency among appraisers of superfine wools to allot classed lines from the same clip into different quality-number categories on the basis of small differences in staple-crimp frequency. This effect disappears when data from different clips are pooled.
The relation between fibre diameter and quality number is also strong, but the slope of the regression line of fibre diameter on quality number varies markedly between districts, even when individual clip data are pooled.
These two relations, taken together, reveal that the classification of fleeces on the basis of the quality-number system is not particularly effective in producing lots that differ significantly in fibre diameter.