EXPERIMENTAL WORK PAYS MANY DIVIDENDS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 21

EXPERIMENTAL WORK PAYS MANY DIVIDENDS

(By

F. R. CALLAGHAN.

scientific adviser to the Wool

Board)

To New Zealand the sheep as a producer of wool and meat stands pre-eminent. It is the greatest single source of our national prosperity. This dual capacity to produce both wool and meat presents interesting and complex problems for the scientist studying one or the other, and indeed neither can be investigated alone. A Meat Research Institute has been established at Ruakura and a Wool Research Laboratory is planned for Lincoln., Both are located near research on soil, pasture, nutrition and health problems associated with sheep. Co-ordination will ensure that meat and wool problems are not dealt with piecemeal.

We can rely to some I extent on research findings i made abroad in wool re- i search institutions in Bri- ' tain, Europe, the United i States and Australia, but we 1 must translate and adapt i these to the particular characteristics of cross-bred wool to ensure that the very best use is made of , it in New Zealand and , overseas. Thanks to scientific re- ' search on soils, pastures : and sheep management, and the application of the : knowledge gained, the num- ' ber of sheep shorn in New’ Zealand has increased from

31 million to more than 44 1 million in 10 years. At the i same time the average fleece I weight has increased by 1 nearly lib. These are dis- i tinct achievements but 1 much remains to be done. ; i Low Lambing i The causes of low lamb- I ing percentages because of i their considerable economic importance are being investigated at Ruakura, Massey and Canterbury Agricultural Colleges and they present a whole series of challenging problems which are inter-related and complex. In this sphere, research <

has shown that woollyfaced ewes in any flock tend to be shyer breeders than clear-faced ewes; that ewes which have been wellfed during the summer and autumn tend to produce more lambs; and that prenatal diseases play a large part in reducing lambing percentages. Considerable studies have been made of the growth of wool on the sheep. Effort has been directed to the problem of tenderness (the occurrence of weak spots in the fibre) which surveys have revealed is the most common and serious defect

in our clip. These studies have revealed seasonal variations in the diameter of the fibre. It is thinnest during the winter and early spring months when ewes are subjected to the stresses of cold weather, shorter feed supplies and approaching pregnancy. The influences of these circumstances on the strength of the staple is very marked. Samples taken from ewes a month before lambing were about two to two and a half times stronger than those taken at normal shearing time in November or December.

This is because by December, the small diameter portion of the fibre has moved up to about midposition in its length. Shearing before lambing avoids this because in June or July the small diameter fibre is just emerging from the skin. Pre-lamb shearing has now become a distinctive feature of sheep farming practice. Research meanwhile continues to ascertain the effect of weak and strong-fibred wool on processing. Scouring Scouring is the first stage of the whole wool processing operation. In a series of bowls, greasy fleeces are immersed in water containing either soap and soda or a chemical detergent. Scouring imparts properties to the wool which can make or mar its quality for all the subsequent stages to the finished product. Research into scouring by the Wool Industries Research Institute in Dunedin is done in close association with a committee of woolscourers. Already, significant results have been secured in increasing efficiency, securing a better white colour for the wool and in handling the effluents. Si-ro-set From Australian laboratories in recent years has emerged a whole series of research results which will do much to promote the fuller use of wool. Among these is the Si-ro-set process for imparting permanent pleats to skirts and trousers; sironising, which provides flat-setting, nonshrinking qualities to wool garments such as shirts, blouses and skirts; mothproofing treatment using dieldrin, which is effective

on apparel and carpets; and a shrink-proofing process based on treatment with common salt and potassium permanganate solution.

Research on what happens to the chemical and physical properties of wool fabrics when subjected to laundering has been intensified in all countries recently. I have mentioned the salt permanganate process recently developed in Australia. From English laboratories has come a whole series of ’ dry and wet chlorination processes now used throughout the world, but scientists are still striving for more perfect anti-shrink treatments and almost every year a new one is reported. Small Resources This is only a very sketchy picture of sheep and wool research in New Zealand and overseas. No mention has been made, for example, of work on bacterial stains in wool and important research which has resulted in new mill machinery considerably simplifying the conversion of scoured wool to yarn. By comparison with the scientific efforts and funds available to man-made fibres, the resources for wool are small. However, a change is in evidence and the challenge will be met.

In New Zealand the Wool Research' Organisation Laboratory has been planned for Lincoln, a director has been appointed, and staff are being recruited. The laboratory will provide a very necessary focal point for wool research. Pending erection of the laboratories, arrangements have been made for sections of research elsewhere so a team of experienced workers will be on hand when the buildings at Lincoln are completed. While it might be inferred that outstanding achievements are being made in wool research, the really important matter is the extension of the findings of laboratories into the industrial field. The research result is often less than half-way along the road towards commercial usage.