284 



Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



in other words, the fleece is ordinarily very compact and dense. Den- 

 sity and fineness are outstanding features in a good fine-wool fleece, 

 the crimp being very fine and regular from skin to tip of fiber. The 

 very finest woolen fabrics are made from this wool. A third striking 

 feature of the Merino fleece as compared with mutton sheep is the 

 large amount of oil or yolk it contains. This gives a generous coating 

 to each fiber so as to preserve its soundness and pliancy. Merino wool 

 commonly undergoes a shrinkage of 65 per cent in scouring, and this 

 figure is not infrequently exceeded. When the secretion of yolk is 

 very excessive, the fleece is made subject to criticism and the wool 

 buyer makes allowance for the extra weight in the price he offers. 



Fig. 



103. — Class C Merino ram. 



The wool should cover the head in the fashion already described, 

 only the nose and ears being bare. The fleece should cover all of the 

 body and extend down the legs to the feet. The belly and under parts 

 vary a great deal in the covering of wool. It is important that the 

 belly be well wooled, and that the natural bareness occurring at the 

 armpits be as limited in area as possible. The scrotum of the ram 

 should be covered with wool. The wool on the under parts of the 

 animal should be as nearly like the rest of the fleece in density and 

 length as possible. The length of fiber in a year's growth of fleece 

 should he 2)4 inches or over. A good Merino flock should average 11 

 to 15 pounds of wool. 



