FAULTS IN DOMINION WOOL

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1928, Page 9

FAULTS IN DOMINION WOOL

INVESTIGATION BY DEPARTMENT. By Telegraph/—Press Association. Palmerston N., Last Night. The president of the Wool Research Board, Mr. Quentin Donald, presented a report on New Zealand wool deterioration, drawn up by himself in conjunction with Mr. A. H. Cockayne, director of the fields division of the Department of Agriculture, to the meeting of Romney breeders here to-day. ■ Mr. Donald stated numerous complaints nad been received from spinners that certain bad features in New Zealand wool were becoming more pronounced, it being suggested that the use of Romney rams was an underlying cause. Initial work by Mr. Perry, supplemented by tha of the department, showed that t’ e hair-like structure of rough wool was a regular feature in Romney and Romney cross wool, but was also common in all longwool breeds. This fact pointed that the remedy lay along the lines of selection and management rather than alteration of breed. As far as the department wais mccrned the advice was to avoid the use of rams showing hair in those portions of the fleece exclusive of the lower portion of the breech. It had been ascertained th t wool buyers viewed with disfavour excessive quantities of hair, thickened tips and the presence of short fibres. A question by no means fixed, however, was whether animals possessing soft handling fleece "ays produced soft handling wool under all conditions of feed and management. Many breeders were confident that structural defects in fleeces were largely influenced by climatic conditions, while others were equally confident that it was a matter of breeding. Mr. Cockayne was of the opinion that pure-wool animals always produced pure wool, but condition, amount and spinning quality would vary. With regard to animals carrying hair throughout the fleece he was of opinion that climate, feed and soil might make such sheep produce large quantities of hair and excessively thickened tips under one set of conditions and virtually pure wool under other conditions. For this reason he was dubious whether any single examination of animal was of real value.

The lubrication of the fibre had a very important bearing on the final structure, Mr. Cockayne thought. He had carried out preliminary work that pointed to the conclusion that the thickness of the skin was an important factor in fleece production. Last year Romney breeders, recognising the valuable results that might accrue from the proper scientific study of wool structure, had voted £lOO for three years to the Department of Scientific Research.