Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



285 



Classification of fine-wool sheep. — Breeders of fine-wool sheep and 

 the larger sheep shows group or classify American Merinos into three 

 classes or sub-types, known respectively as A, B, and C. As already 

 pointed out, breeders of Merinos have differed in their ideals for a 

 number of years, and this has resulted in three fairly well-defined 

 classes. The classification is based chiefly on the character of the fleece, 

 the number and position of the folds or wi'inkles, the size and weight 

 of the animal, and the development of mutton qualities. 



Class A. — These are the smallest and most wrinkly of the three 

 classes, and have the finest, densest, and heaviest fleeces, the shortest 



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Fig. 104. — Class B Merino ewe. 



wool, the most yolk, the poorest mutton qualities, and the poorest 

 form. Rams weigh about 140 pounds, fleece off; and ewes about 100 

 pounds. There are heavy folds all over the sheep, except over the 

 back. A good ram should shear close to 30 pounds, and a ewe about 

 20 pounds. These weights for fleeces represent high standards. The 

 length of fiber is from 1}^ to 23/^ inches. The wool shrinks about 70 

 per cent on the average when scoured. The form of the A Merino is 

 most narrow, rangy, leggy, and irregular in lines of the three classes, 

 and mutton qualities are practically wanting. It is entirely a wool 

 proposition, with weight of fleece esteemed above everything else. The 



