12 BULLETIN 313, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



what has proved eminently successful, is the use of well-bred rams with plenty 

 of character in the wool, which is denoted by the crimps or curls being well and 

 evenly defined. 



The argument that the extra price obtained for the finer wool justifies the 

 keeping of fine-wooled sheep in these arid parts does not hold good, because 

 in the first place the fine wool, being generally more wasty, will yield to the 

 manufacturer less than the average percentage of " top " and more " noil," 

 and as the noil is worth much less than top, it will be clear that the price ob- 

 tained per pound in the grease must on that account be lessened. 



Even granting that the fine wool be healthy, and with a good "tip," the 

 small difference in value between it and the stronger wool is far more than 

 made up by the extra weight from the stronger-wooled sheep. In fact, it can 

 be said truthfully that the robust wool referred to fills the hand, fills the bale, 

 and eventually fills the pocket of the careful grower. 



Believing that the introduction of the strong-wooled strain already spoken 

 of will become more common, it will be well to anticipate the alarm of some of 

 the extra-fine-wool growers who will maintain that by the introduction of a 

 somewhat stronger strain the repute of the far-famed Australian high-class 

 wool will be damaged, but it should be stated that by such introduction there 

 is no reason why the character of the wool should be in any way altered, 

 because the fresh strain introduced should be only of the very purest. Besides, 

 it is only reasonable to suppose that many of the fine-wooled-sheep farmers, 

 on account of the eminently suitable conditions under which their wool is grown, 

 will still adhere to their type of sheep, so that any fear as to* this class of 

 wool becoming extinct may be allayed. In fact, there is little doubt that the 

 demand for such qualities of wool will always be met, for it has to be admitted 

 that such demands are not nearly so common to-day as they were in times past, 

 the reason being, no doubt, largely on account of the much improved machinery 

 used in the manufacture of wool. 



The following, written by " Camden," appeared in the Pastoral 

 Keview of August, 1914, page 770 : 



So much water has run into the sea since the days when the Australian 

 sheepfold was divided into opposing forces on the subject of development that 

 one can now refer to folds and wrinkles without stirring up even the mildest 

 form of hornet's nest. And yet it is not so long ago, after all, that the subject 

 was referred to with bated breath. Well within the last decade, those of us 

 who moved about amongst stud flocks frequently heard ourselves remarking 

 upon the "wonderful development" of sheep under inspection, and curiously 

 enough that wonder was not diminished when we had to dig in among the 

 folds and corrugations in search of indications of the true character of the wool. 



In this article I have inserted two photographs which illustrate the change 

 that has come over the scene. The photo of the wrinkly ewe was taken within 

 the last 10 years. She was champion medium-wool housed ewe at the Sydney 

 show, and was immensely admired by a great many sheepmen at the time. Now, 

 I would like to ask, Does one sheepman exist at the present day who does not 

 think that the type of sheep represented by the illustration is not over the odds? 

 We can all admire the sheep as a triumph of breeding, but as a commercial prop- 

 osition at the present day what can be said in favor of a ewe like this? In the 

 first place, what chance would there be of growing a fleece uniform in quality 

 and length on a skin so corrugated? In the second place, it has been found that 

 sheep of this type burden themselves with excessive grease, which in its turn 

 accumulates dirt, so that the animal, already handicapped, is forced to bear the 

 additional weight of rubbish that has no commercial value. And, lastly, but by 



