ISSUES IN WOOL GROWING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 12

ISSUES IN WOOL GROWING.

Raw wool to-day invites more attention than ever, and, certainly, considerably more than it did in times preceding the advent of the frozen meat industry. In those early days, the Dominion pastoralist was more or less content' with the merino sheep, as he had practically no outlet for any surplus meat. Then came the various British mutton breeds of sheep to New Zealand, all doing well in -their new environment, and, as a result of selective crossing, the dual-purpose Corriedale. It is interesting To note that it is no longer a question at Home of meat only, or in ' the Dominion of wool only, but botliv countries are giving more attention to breeding sheep which will yield better wool and mutton from the same breed of sheep. The endeavour is to “make two pounds of wool grow where one grew before,” and yet not sacrifice the quality of the meat. Whether we are handling sheep-breeding more scientifically than formerly or not may be questioned, but there is no ignoring to-day’s great demand for quality in wool and meat. Wool-growing to-day has to be approached from a new aspect. The grower—particularly the breeder of purebreds —must appreciate the importance of seme knowledge of the internal structure of wool in order to avoid, as far is possible, perpetuating defects in it likely to tend to deterioration in its quality.. The use of'rams showing anj ..ice fibres in the shoulder wool should be banned. These sheepmen, of course, cannot go about their work with a microscope examining the wool fibres, but they can hearken and heed expert advice. 1! he sheepmen who can afford to ignore the latest scientific facts regarding wool are fatteners and dealers—men who buy to sell again as soon as the market shows a profit. The sheepfarmer who runs a ewe flock should endeavour to breed a level-looking lot of ewes, and use rams year after year of the same line of blood. In a paper in connection with merino wools by Professor J. E. Duerden, M.Sc., and Mr V. Bosman, B.Sc., of the Rhodes University College, South Africa, it is pointed out that observation by the unaided eye and hand, especially of the expert sheep-classers, may serve to give a general idea of the type of wool a sheep is producing, but it is clear that in the matter of the fineness of the fibres they cannot penetrate to the same detail as the microscope. Apart from the crimps, the expert has nothing to guide him as to the actual thickness of the bulk of the fibres. Only the outsize coarse fibres may possibly be distinguished by contrast. A biometrical analysis should be particularly valuable in the case of stud sheep, where it is specially important to know the nature of the fleece as a guide to what may be expected in the progeny. Wool varies much from different parts of the body of the sheep—shoulders, back, side, britch, and belly; that from the shoulder being usually the best and most uniform. Manifestly it would be impracticable to make analysis of all these kinds, and it is suggested that the wool over the shoulder should be taken as the type of ■ the particular sheep, and samples should always be produced from this area. It is reasonable to expect that as the covering over the shoulder improves by selective breeding the whole fleece will follow on similar lines; improvement will spread from the shoulder as a centre. The ordinary sheepowner may well confine his attention to the problem of uniformity, realising that what an animal produces is the resultant of two factors. These are, state our informants, hereditary nature and the environmental influences—climate, food, elevation, and freedom or otherwise from parasitic infection. Thus, a sheep producing strong or medium wool under one set of conditions may give fine wool under other conditions. A change due to any one •f these influences may be expected to

affect the fleece as a whole, and yet not disturb the uniformity.