“Douskoi” wool?

[Peachfuz]

From “Gazette of Fashion, Cutting Room Companion” by Edward Minster & Son. No. 238, Vol. 20, Feb. 1, 1866. Page #67 “There has been a good demand for Douskoi wool; large parcels have been shipped to America and stocks are low.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=lSIGAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=ministers+fashion&hl=en&ei=2HJZTZiLBcjAgQf0pNSpDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Douskoi&f=false

Does anyone know what "Douskoi" wool is?

[GreencoatCross]

Re: “Douskoi” wool?

Perhaps a Japanese woolen or most likely a fleece or yarn?

[Ian McWherter]

Re: “Douskoi” wool?

I believe the correct spelling is "Donskoi." Here is a selection from: Wool and Manufactures of Wool-Message of the President of the United States Transmitting a Report of the Tariff Board on Schedule K of the Tariff Law (1912) Pg. 423-425:

The principal production in Russia of Class III wools are those commonly known as Donskoi wools. This general designation is used in America to include other Russian fleece wools, such as Savolga, Kasan, Tscherskoi, and Kuban wools. The principal place of exportation of the genuine Donskoi wool is Rostov on the Don, where every season wools are washed and packed and prepared for shipment on a large scale. This kind is collected in the south and southeastern part of Russia in Europe—that part of which Rostov is the center—from Cherson on the west to the southeast side of the River Don, and including the northern part of Caucasia.

The condition in which these wools reach America depends on the washing. Formerly, when wools were "low priced," it was possible to ship to the United States (at under the low-duty limit) wool of moderate shrinkage—say 15 to 16 per cent. But for years this has been impossible, not only on account of the much higher prevailing price of wools, but also because the Russians use these wools largely and make prices for them which America has to follow. To-day values of Donskois are at least 50 per cent higher than formerly.

Donskoi wool, although it is strictly a wool for carpets, is a good useful wool for this purpose, being of long combing staple; it is straight haired and "loose' —i. e., not clinging together well in spinning and with not much "breed "; the fibers are of uniform thickness and stand up well in an Axminster or velvet fabric. It is usually of a very wnite color and is not "kempy."

This wool was formerly considered a necessity in the manufacture of carpets, especially for ingrain and tapestry yarns; now it is gradually losing ground on account of high prices; also on account of the favor shown to other wools of a finer fiber.

Savolga fleece wool (from beyond the Volga) comes, as the name indicates, from the eastern side of the Volga River. Principally collected and washed in the district round Zaritzyn it is not so carefully prepared as the wools from Rostoff, where the business is more centralized and confined to a few large exporting houses.

The Savolga wools are similar to Donskoi wools, and are also strictly carpet wools. They are of good, and sometimes even of long staple; more lustrous than the Rostoff wools, but not quite so white.

In all the Russian fleece wools are to be found a small percentage of colored wool which is sorted out and not often exported, being in good demand in Russia. Most Russian sheep are shorn twice a year— that is, in the spring and the autumn. Some years ago the autumn wool used to come to the United States in large quantities, but it has scarcely been seen here the last 8 or 10 years. It is all used now in Russia or Germany.

Kasan fleece wool which originates from the Kasan government or district, although resembling the Savolga or Donskoi fleece, has some peculiarities of its own. It is very lustrous and slippery and has a fine downy undergrowth which makes it appear to Do of the shorttail "heath" wool variety of sheep referred to by Mr. Bond in his report as—

The Northern which is found in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Gothland, and Faroe Islands, etc.

It is not so desirable a carpet wool as the Rostoff or Savolga wools on account of its slipperiness and only moderate staple. The washing also is never as good as the other varieties of fleece wools.

Tscherskoi and Kuban wools are similar to, and often included in, the Rostoff wools.

In the center of Russia are some scattered lots of fleece wools of Class III similar to the Savolgas or Rostoff Donskois. These are sometimes classed as "Moscow Donskoi wools." Occasionally these find their way to Rostoff or Odessa.

Formerly the district surrounding Odessa raised wools on the Donskoi order, but the production has decreased to such an extent that little, if any, of these come on the market.

The Crimean Peninsula used to raise large quantities of wool of which the spring clip was medium stapled combing wool. The white wool wras snipped to America and used for ingrain and tapestry carpets. The autumn clip was also a good white wool, very desirable as an ingrain filling wool.

Woolgrowing in this section of Russia has fallen off very much, and very little, if any, wool now comes to this country from there, or is, in fact, ever offered to American buyers.

All the long-stapled Russian fleece wools, Donskois, Savolgas, etc., are highly desirable to the makers of good carpets on account of their color, resiliency, and strength.

All Russian fleece wools which are shipped to America come in the washed condition. For the preparation of the Donskoi and Savolga fleeces there are specially-built washeries where the business is carried on in a more or less elaborate scale. There is no machinery used for the washing of wool, but large tanks are placed along the river and the greasy fleeces, after being first assorted by color, are soaked in the tanks in which a certain amount of soap is used. The wool is then taken and put in other tanks and rinsed by hand, after which it is taken and spread out in the sun to dry.

During the process of drying, the employees, who are mostly women, go over the wool and pick out yellow and stained and darkcolored pieces of wool. The white wool, after drying, is then taken to the presses and packed for shipment to America. In some of the best equipped washeries hot water is also used along with the soap, which results in cleaner wool.

In the Bessarabian districts around Kishineff is to be found a moderate quantity of Zackel wools, similar to what has already been described as grown in Hungary. Probably the sheep here know no international, boundary, but wander at will over the borders of Hungary and Roumania. The Russian wool of this type is not so good as the Hungarian; it is long staple, sound wool, but apt to be very coarse and hairy and with an enormous shrinkage.

[Ian McWherter]

Re: “Douskoi” wool?

Also, with respect to the various cutting books and fashion magazines, such as the "Gazette of Fashion, Cutting Room Companion," with dates 1866-1870. I'd be very careful with using these drafts for garments (beware of context), there are certainly some that could be used, but there are noticeable differences in men's fashions from 1866 compared to 1863. If you were to compare drafts from those years, as well as fashion plates, there are differences. Men's fashion was continuing it's steady evolution in the post war years. A sack coat draft appropriate for 1860 is not the same as one from 1866. There are some cutting books and issues of fashion magazines on Google books with more appropriate context for 1860-1865 (or even before).