ii2 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



these fleeces for super- wool. The wool-rollers are generally em- 

 ployed picking the lambs' wool, and as there are no pieces to sort, 

 the piece-pickers can also be employed. These men can be put on 

 as overlookers that is, going over the first lambs', that the wool- 

 rollers have picked out, and taking out any burry staples or seconds 

 that have been overlooked. Some of them can also be kept over- 

 looking the seconds, and taking out any stained wool or dags that 

 the others may have left in. By doing this the lambs' wool ought 

 to arrive at the sale-rooms faultless as regards the get-up. The 

 classer, when not overlooking the super lambs' wool, should walk 

 around and see that every one is doing the work to his satisfaction, 

 also that the boys brooming sweep the belly and crutch wool away 

 as soon as the shearer takes it off. 



CLASSING CROSS-BRED WOOL. 



Cross-bred wool differs very much from Merino. The latter 

 type does not vary a great deal in quality ; that is, the diameter 

 fibres are very even throughout the whole clip. In Cross-bred 

 wool the diameter of the fibres varies greatly. Some of the sheep 

 have wool almost as fine as Merino, while others grow wool which 

 resembles hair as much as wool. Cross-bred wool also contains 

 more qualities in each individual fleece than the Merino. 

 Breeders of Cross-bred wool know how difficult it is to breed an 

 even type of wool, and most of them admit they cannot breed a 

 line of sheep that will grow them wool of, say, 56's or 58*5 quality 

 throughout, though some pastoralists claim to have bred flocks 

 that will produce an even line of fine Cross-bred wool. In the 

 majority of cases their flocks are kept even by extensive culling of 

 any sheep that are not the desired quality, not through breeding. 

 They may in time be able to breed a majority of the type of 

 Cross-bred sheep they desire. Cross-bred wool is produced in 

 the first place by crossing two distinct breeds of sheep, such as a 

 Lincoln ram and a Merino ewe. The progeny will be a sheep 

 growing wool not as coarse as the Lincoln or as fine as the 

 Merino. Sometimes the progeny resemble the sire more than the 

 ewe, and vice versa. 



