WOOL TYPE 407 



ably. In some specimens the color of the fleece is white, 

 while in others there is a reddish cast, and in still others, 

 reddish fibers intermixed with the white. 



The breed is rather small in size, the weight ranging from 

 140 to 160 pounds in rams and from 125 to 130 pounds 

 in the ewes. The form is inclined to be rangy, the type 

 not being expecially well fixed in the breed. The head is 

 rather long and inclined to be narrow, the ears large and 

 the neck long and not compactly developed. The breed is 

 fairly low set, although there is some tendency to extreme 

 length of leg. The body possesses very good depth, however; 

 it is inclined to be narrow and lacking in the spring of rib. 

 One of the characteristic features of this breed is the broad 

 tail, which often measures four to five inches in width. It 

 is thick and moderately long, the fleshy part extending 

 down six to eight inches at maturity. The principal objec- 

 tions to the breed are its lack of size and uniformity in type. 

 There is considerable opportunity for improvement in the 

 breed, especially in these two respects. 



WOOL TYPE. 



Wool sheep are produced primarily for the fleece. In 

 former years the variation in the mutton and wool type was 

 greater than it is at present. Economic conditions have 

 so changed that the breeders of strictly wool sheep are now 

 giving more attention to the form or mutton-producing 

 qualities. The fine-wool breeds were bred so carefully in 

 wool-producing qualities that the weight of the fleece not 

 only formed an unusually large proportion of the total 

 weight, but the constitutional development was thereby 

 injured. The increase in the price of beef and other meat- 

 producing animals has had a beneficial effect on the produc- 

 tion of more and better sheep. It is also significant that the 

 fluctuation in the price of fine wool, due to several conditions, 

 has caused the fine-wool breeders to place more stress on 

 mutton-producing qualities. 



Conformation. — Compared with the mutton sheep, the 

 wool type is smaller, longer in the leg, less symmetrical. 



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