428 JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



indication of quality. Crimp is also associated with great 

 elasticity. Therefore, in judging the Merino, one should 

 give due recognition to the presence of crimp as an impor- 

 tant feature of quality. Oftentimes crimp is so pronounced 

 that it is manifest on the exterior of the fleece, although it 

 is always seen best by parting the locks. 



Kemp or gare are animal fibers found in wool that are 

 distinctly objectionable to the woolen cloth trade. Kemp 

 is a hard, coarse hair that is found much more in some 

 sheep than others, and more on one part of the body than 

 another. Being a hard hair, kemp will not take dyes as 

 will wool, so that when in the cloth, it lacks the color and 

 character necessary for uniform coloring of fabric. Kemp 

 is most often found about the head or thighs, and may be 

 either white or black in color. A kempy fleece is very ob- 

 jectionable. The term gare has been used more or less by 

 American sheep men, but no doubt many have had kemp 

 in mind as the same thing. Hawkesworth defines 3 kemp 

 as a hard, very brittle, opaque hair, resembling a piece of 

 common cotton thread, while gare possesses a glossy, 

 straight surface, and is devoid of softness, elasticity and 

 crimpiness. 



The density of fleece relates to the abundance of the 

 wool over the body. There is much difference in density 

 of fleece in sheep of the different breeds, and also among 

 individuals. From a breed point of view the Merino has 

 much the densest fleece, with the long wools the least dense. 

 On a square inch of Merino skin may be found 60,000 wool 

 fibers, which indicates a very dense fleece. The density is 

 manifested by the closeness with which the locks are packed 

 together, and the compact feeling to the touch when the 

 hand grasps the fleece. A dense fleece does not allow for- 

 eign matter to gather easily between the locks, a distinct 

 argument in favor of density. The most important argu- 

 ment in behalf of this characteristic, however, is its rela- 

 tionship to heavy yield of wool, for the greater the density, 



3 Australian Sheep and Wool, 1906, p. 237. 



