DURING THE PAST 125 YEARS 



29 



that color scarcely enters into the problem of wool improvement at 

 the present time, although in a few breeds some difficulty is ex- 

 perienced in preventing a light scattering of dark fibers in the fleece 

 (Fig. li). _ 



Combining Various Properties of the Fleece. — The problem 

 of associating length, strength, and weight with quality of fleece has 

 caused improvers of wool a great deal of effort. Length combined 



^c^^ ' "'^ ' 



Fig. 14. — The Mouflon — a wild sheep. Note the lack of uniformity in color. Exterior of 



coat is hair. 



with quality and strength became very important within the past 

 century when fine worsteds, fabrics requiring long, fine, strong 

 wool, came into fashion, and it was the desire to make wool growing 

 pay that led to increase in weight of fleece. 



During the past 125 years Saxony in Germany, Australia, and 

 the United States have contributed most to improvement in wool 

 growing. Experts in Saxony studied the wool of breeding rams in 

 minute detail, and made great improvement in fineness of fiber and 

 in uniformity of the quality of the fleece. Vermont and Ohio 



