wool is affected by whatever circumstances affect the
well-being of the sheep, and in a marked degree by climate. Hence there
is a decided difference in the wools of various districts and sections
of a country. It is a well-known fact that the wool produced in cold
countries is soft and fine, while that of the warmer climates is, on the
other hand, harder, firmer, and more lasting. Hard wool is easier for
the weaver to handle, and the tufts can be cropped with more facility.
It is partly owing to these facts that the rugs of the cold districts
are most in demand.

[Illustration: INDIAN RUG DESIGNERS]

The fact that some rugs are so much better than others is a natural
result of the superior skill of the makers. Weavers are like other
workers, some doing perfect work, some indifferent, and others very
poor. But the quality of the rugs offered for sale in this country
depends also upon the knowledge and the conscience of the wholesale
buyer at the place of manufacture. When the buyer for an importing
establishment brings over quantities of rugs not all of which are
artistic, the question may be asked: "Why do you not always select rugs
that are beautiful?" He may reply that it is his business to get those
that will sell, and that as there is a great variety of taste among his
customers he must try to please every one; or he may say that he buys a
thousand rugs at a time, and does not see them individually. It is in
the retail shop that the final purchaser may pick and choose.

The most famous rugs of the Orient have been selected with great care by
men who have special knowledge of the subject, and they are owned by
museums and connoisseurs. Some have been brought to this country by
distinguished soldiers and statesmen, to whom they have been presented
by potentates as tokens of respect. Others have been obtained through
the fortunes of war.

THE KNOTTING

Except in the Soumak and the Khilim, which have the flat stitch, there
are only two kinds of knotting used in Oriental rugs. These knots are
called the Persian or Sinna, and the Turkish or Ghiordes.

In the Persian manner of knotting there are more knots to the square
inch than in the Turkish, and the result is a finer surface. Often the
Persian knotting is so fine that the surface of the fabric is like
velvet. The Persian knot is tied in such a manner that one end of the
pile yarn extends from every spacing that separates the warp threads. It
is made in such