SHEEP AND WOOL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 9093, 2 May 1890, Page 2

SHEEP AND WOOL.

At the late Science Congress, Mr William Brown, of the Longerenong Agricultural College, in a paper entitled “ Some Remarkable Agreements Between Science and Agriculture," dealing with science in the production of wool, said that for thirteen consecutive years he has grown more varieties of wool than probably had ever been grown altogether in Australia, and his investigations of wool is described. From these he concluded that the merino stands pre-eminently first, both as regards fineness of the wool and the felting qualities, as indicated by the number of imbrications. Following it, and far ahead of the third id order ofmerit, stands the Southdown; and succeeding it comes Southdown cross and merino cross, both about equal; for though the former surpasses the latter in fineness, yet the merino cross excels in the number of imbrications. The fineness of the wool is, however, of greater importance than the number of imbrications. Leicesters, Shropshire Down cross, and Shropshire Down are about on a par for the same reason, the latter two being imbricated much more finely than the first, and the Shrops much more finely than either of the other two, in addition to which the imbrications are more distinct, indications which would denote better felting qualities. The Oxford Down cross, the Leicester cross, and the Oxford Down are about on a par; while Cotswold, both in diameter and in the number of imbrications, falls far below both. Wool, is therefore, no simple hair with little variety among breeds, but a beautifully scalytoothed plant, different in size and form, according to soil, climate and management.