4V%r^^L 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 313 



Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 A. D. MELVIN, Chief. 



Washington, D. C. 



November 13, 1915 



FEATURES OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRIES OF UNITED 

 STATES, NEW ZEALAND, AND AUSTRALIA COMPARED. 



By F. R. Marshall, 



Senior Animal Husbandman in Sheep and Goat Investigations, 

 Animal Husbandry Division. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



General conditions in New Zealand's sheep 



husbandry 2 



General conditions of sheep husbandry in 



Australia 4 



Tenure of pastoral lands 6 



Flock management 8 



Breeds and types of sheep in Australia 9 



Breeds and types in New Zealand 17 



Shearing and wool classing 21 



Page. 



Expense o fpreparing wool for market 28 



Selling graded or classed wools in the United 



States 29 



Cooperative shearing sheds in New Zealand . . 31 

 Education of wool growers and their em- 

 ployees 31 



Sheep raisers' organizations 33 



Probable extent of future importations of 



mutton and wool from Australasia 34 



INTRODUCTION. 



In July, 1914, funds became available to the Animal Husbandry 

 Division to be used " for the importation of Corriedale and other 

 promising breeds of sheep for breeding purposes." In August, 1914, 

 the writer reached New Zealand to study the breeds of sheep in that 

 country, and later spent six weeks in Australia visiting sheep sta- 

 tions, shearing sheds, wool markets, and officials of agricultural de- 

 partments conducting experimental and educational work relating 

 to sheep raising. As a result of these observations and study, it was 

 decided to use the funds available for the purchase of a foundation 

 flock of Corriedales, and 53 ewes and 10 rams of that breed reached 

 the Federal quarantine station at San Francisco on December 31, 

 L93 I. The adaptability of these sheep and their offspring to condi- 

 tions in the Rocky Mountain States will be tested and reported in the 

 future. The history and characteristics of Corriedale sheep are dis- 

 ed later on in this bulletin. 



6880°— Bull. 818 — 10 1 



