HAIRINESS IN WOOL

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21975, 26 December 1936, Page 7

HAIRINESS IN WOOL

FLEECE TESTING SUPPORT IN THE SOUTH Stud sheep breeders in Southland are according free support to tfie movement recently instituted having for its object a reduction of the amount of hairiness in wool. As the Romney cross ewe predominates in the southern province, the movement is of firstclass importance to flock owners. Since July of this year, when the first South Island tour was made by Massey College representatives, more than 6500 stud sheep have been booked for testing, and these are located m Southland. Some 1400 of these, sampled on the first tour, have already been tested and reported on. As the result of the second tour, which is just concluded, samples from a further 1600 sheep have been sent to Palmerston North, where the testing is done. The owners of these two lots totalling some 3000 sheep—will receive the results of the tests in time to enable them to exclude the hairiest sheep and mate up the remainder to best advantage at the next mating season, in March. It has been shown that the result of such improved matings is an immediate increase in the proportion of highclass ram hoggets for sale and of ewe hoggets for building up the flocks of the owners. Another 3500 stud sheep have been definitely booked by breeders to be sampled for testing next July and August, at which time not only the breeding ewes but also uie hoggets and the sires will have sufficient wool since shearing for a satisfactory test. Tested Rams in Demand More than 20.000 stud sheep have now been booked for testing in the two islands since the beginning of the movement about two years_ ago. The owners who have both their sires and breeding ewes reported on will, by virtue of the improved quality of their flocks, shortly begin to make a permanent and increasing contribution toward the value of and demand for New Zealand wool, irrespective of whether for other reasons the price should rise or fall. In fact, some flock owners are already enquiring for the tested twotooth rams that certain stud breeders are now in a position to supply, the intention being to improve their wool.