AVOIDING STAINING OF WOOL

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31772, 31 August 1968, Page 9

AVOIDING STAINING OF WOOL

By selection In breeding, discolouration of fleece wool could be largely avoided, Professor A. E. Henderson, professor of wool science at Lincoln College, said this week. Professor Henderson told members of the South Island Wool Association that the college was trying to breed two types of Corriedales one which was superlatively good, and the other very bad as far as stain was concerned. Three years ago, he said, he obtained 57 ewes and three rams from stud Corriedale flocks throughout Can-

terbury. All had been rejected for faults.

Professor Henderson said he found that a fleece that was well ventilated was fairly resistant to staining. The sheep that did not stain had good crimp and soft, white wool.

He then showed the visitors two rams, one of which was badly discoloured, and another whose wool was unmarked by the weather. Professor Henderson said

that in the culling of hoggets the sheep which was likely to inherit staining could be identified.

He showed the visitors some woolly hoggets, and said their wool was better than the wool on the college’s stud ewe hoggets which were shorn as lambs.

The woolly hoggets had such a long staple that they had never been wet to the skin. However in the previous year the situation had been in the reverse. The college's shorn hoggets had much less stain. So it was a toss up as to whether to shear as lambs or not.