1 Srrr., 1899.) QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAN. 273: 
the other side into a ball. 
part ofthe tube the “duct,’ 
surface of the skin. 
These glands are called the sudoriparous or sudoriferous glands (from the 
Latin swlor sweat, and paro I prepare; or from fero I carry). Out of the 
blood which is supplied to the gland by minute yessels;and through the action 
of the nerves, these glands separate ‘or excrete water and certain substances, 
which are dissolved in it, and form the sweat. Generally we do not notice the sweat 
as it leaves the gland in the shape of vapour (insensible perspiration). Some- 
times the sweat collects in the shape of little globules on the skin (sensible: 
perspiration or sweat). 
The skin also contains a multitude of glands that differ 
greatly from the sweat glands in structure, They are situated 
near the hairs. Their ducts enter the sheath of the hairs, 
_ before the latter has reached the surface of the skin. They 
roduce a fatty material, which forms a greasy coat over the 
airs. These fat glands are composed of a large number of 
closely packed lobes, each of which is supplied with its own 
duct, all of which join to form one tube, by means of which 
the fatty excreta is emptied into the sheath of the hair. Ag 
these two kinds of glands are of special interest to the 
woolgrower, they will be more thoroughly explained later on. 
{fair, wool, horns, nails, &e , are horny growths of that 
part of the epiderm or cuticle which is called the horny layer. 
The different parts of the skin are not of equal thickness. 
The skin is thickest on the back and sides, and thinner on 
the belly and genitals. The diameter of the skin—/.e., its 
thickness—varies in the different races, and all experienced 
breeders agree that the appearance and the colour of the skin 
furnish us reliable symptoms of the general health and 
the fattening properties of animals. A fine skin should 
be thin and elastic; it should clothe the body loosely, it a. Fat glands, 
should have a healthy colour, and a certain aromatic ? Gab spe arp 
smell peculiar to the race. The last two qualities refer {7 Shattor Teoria 
especially to the merino. The healthy skin of those 
animals should be quite pink, and emit that peculiar odour characteristic to fine- 
wool sheep—a scent which cannot be described in words. The first author on 
sheep who has devoted some trouble to the study of the skin is, I believe, the 
Viscount Perault de Jotemps. He makes some very interesting comments upor 
the importance of the skin. He not only draws our attention to the fact that 
the finest descriptions of hair or down are produced by the uppermost layer of 
the corivm, but also that the thinnest parts of any kind of skin generally produce: 
the finest hair or wool, and he argues that we must try to breed very thin ski» 
in order to obtain fine wool. Perault de Jotemps’ theory found many followers: 
at first, but the sheep-breeders of the present day cannot quite agree with hin: 
on all points. It may be perfectly true, owing to the nature of very thin skin, 
that it cannot produce anything but wool of a fine diameter; but it does not 
follow that fine hair or wool cannot be produced on anything but thin skin. 
Mr. A. P. Thaer, late manager of the Royal Agricultural “A cademy of Moeglin, 
pointed out that we must not expect large quantities of wool to be produced by 
a thin membranaceous skin, because such is not able to hold blood enough to: 
supply the roots of the woolfibres with nourishment ; in this [ think he is quite 
right. He also proved that faulty wools are mostly found on the thinnest part 
of the skin, and therefore advocated the selection of thick-skinned animals fox 
the purpose of obtaining the greatest possible density without faults in the wool. 
Owing to the great difficulty of obtaining a good supply of instructive material, 
it will be some time before the question of thick versus thin skin will be put to 
a scientific test. We must not forget, however, that thinness of skin is one of 
the chief characteristics of all the ‘best English breeds of cattle, sheep, and 
This ball would resemble the gland, and the straight 
which carries the fluid manufactured in the ball to the: 
