BRITISH WOOLS. 191 



the above supposition may be true. It is to be regretted, however, 

 that there are no authentic records of the effects of such change 

 in environment. Obviously, the matter has a two -fold aspect 

 firstly, what will be the effect on the subsequent fleeces produced 

 by an individual sheep under the changed conditions ; secondly, 

 what will be the effect on the fleeces produced by the progeny 

 of such sheep. In other words, is the influence of environment 

 direct or indirect ? There is here obviously room for some very 

 interesting experiments. 



The nature of the soil upon which the sheep is reared has another 

 very important influence on the value of the wool it may seriously 

 affect the "yield." In the "Wool Year Book," for example, 

 the yields of Lincolnshire wools are given as 80 to 82 per cent., 

 but the writer has come across Lincoln wools turnip fed losing 

 much more than this, even in its marketable-state. Of course, 

 washing conditions may vary, but the farmer should see to it that 

 his sheep are so washed that the full lustre of the wool is revealed 

 in the long run it will pay him to do this if his sheep are well 

 bred on the lines here laid down. 



Typical Short-wools and Short-wool Breeds of Sheep. The 

 Southdown is the typical short -wool British sheep. Closely allied 

 to it are the Suffolk, Hampshire, and Oxford Downs, producing 

 wool of a comparatively short staple say 3 to 6 inches fine of 

 fibre in comparison with the long-wools and remarkably " frizzy." 

 Perhaps the most valuable characteristic of Southdown wool is 

 its fineness ; indeed, could it be bred slightly finer, its value would 

 again be markedly increased. Reference has already been made 

 to the possibility of rearing Merino sheep in the British Isles. It 

 seems probable that the insufficiency of the return in mutton 

 and wool has been the dominating influence rather than the impos- 

 sibility of growing the wool in this country. Merino flocks have 

 been kept for a considerable period, but again there are no records 

 of the effect of our climate on (a) the individual sheep, and (6) 

 on its progeny. The casual opinion of those who have had Merino 

 sheep in hand in this country is that the wool does not deteriorate, 

 but rather becomes finer. There is the question of food, however, 

 and when it is realised that even in Australia there is a difference 

 of opinion as to the effect of food on the fleece, it is obvious that 

 no completely satisfactory assurance is likely to be obtained in 

 this country, as the Merino sheep is never likely to be seriously 

 taken in hand by the British farmer. The finest Down wool is 

 not quite as fine as the coarsest Merino wool, while the coarser 

 Down wools Oxford Down, for example are considerably coarser 

 in fibre than the coarsest Merino. In view of the fact that fineness 

 in fibre is one of the most valuable characteristics in these wools, 

 the question arises as to whether shearing the lambs, say, at six 



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