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6 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jan., 1900. 
7 
Fresh lucerne produces a light-coloured fluid yolk, which shows the 
character of the wool very clearly, &e. y | 
Large quantities of yolk in a fleece may also be a matter of individuality: 
Some sheep will produce much yolk even if they are poorly fed. Some, as 
have had ample opportunities of noticing, may be, so to speak, skin and ‘bon@ 
and still produce more yolk than wool, The introduction into a flock of this 
tendency to produce large quantities of heavy, sticky yolk has to be debited, m 
most cases, to the use of Negretti or Vermont ite especially the latter; and 
great care should be exercised in avoiding this undesirable concomitant. It 1 
with the aid of this yolk that the single wool fibres are able to join others i 
forming regular bunches or staples of wool whilst growing up from the skid; 
provided they are sufficiently densely grown, so as to permit a perfect leaning-o0 
of the fibres to each other. j 
Some of the Victorian breeds produce small quantities of a light-coloured 
fluid yolk; so do all coarse-woolled sheep, likewise the Rambouillets and many, 
other French breeds. j] 
Some districts of Australia, especially the North-western parts of Queens: 
land, are characteristic in this respect, and it may be presumed that climate and 
pasture will gradually produce a tendency that way in the later generation 
provided they continue to live under the same influences. In such district’ 
Nature will gradually eliminate the worst kinds of yolk. In fact, the tendency 
is so strong that it has been found necessary in some localities to introduc? 
heavy-yolked rams in order to counteract it. At the same time, sheep that 
exhibit, during a succession of dry seasons, next to no yolk, often show a great 
deal of it during good seasons; and, for this reason, any attempt to increase thé 
yolk in the after generations by the use of heavy-yolked rams must, under most 
circumstances, be looked upon as a risky experiment. | 
In classing sheep for breeding purposes, I should certainly cull every 
heavy and sticky yolked sheep. ' 
The factor next in importance to the yolk towards producing staples ot 
the most desirable shape is the density of the growth of the wool fibres. 1 
Density means the numerical proportion of wool fibres of the same diameter! 
on a given surface of the skin. Theoretically speaking, density is the result of 
the diametrical areas of the fibres mulplied by the number of fibres, and | 
- total area so obtained compared with the surface of, say, a square inch—al 
experiment of no practical value, as not available in practice. 
Numerous investigations of that nature have been made, and instruments 
have been inyented to test the degree of density. Here, however, the quantity, 
of the yolk present generally interferes with a correct estimate of the real 
quantity of wool fibres that is present in the bulk of the wool tobe tested. For 
all practical purposes, the real density of a fleece can only be tested on the 
sheep’s back. Shorn fleeces do not always exbibit the characteristics of a dens? 
growth clearly enough. It does not matter very much to the manufacturet 
whether the shorn fleece he has before him was of a dense growth on the sheep* 
back, so long as it is good in other respects. At the same time, densely grow? 
fleeces recommend themselves to the buyer, because he knows that densely 
grown, shafty wools possess several other valuable qualities. A densely grow? 
fleece, all other qualities being equal, will be preferred by the manufacturer t?, 
the open one. The density of growth may be tested in different ways: 
1. By the external appearance of the fleece, whether the same is well closed, 0 
whether there is any parting on the back, the neck, &c. 2. By compressing ® 
few staples in order to find whether they are substantial or hollow, taking ® 
the meantime the quantity of grease into due consideration. 3. By parting thé 
wool right down to the skin, and looking at the space of the skin ‘between th? 
parted staples. If the wool is grown densely, the skin will have the appearanct” 
of a small line in zig-zag form ; otherwise, if the wool is grown loosely it will 
pibeae like a broad line or a bare patch. Real density cannot be increased 
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rough feeding, although a fleece may be rendered denser in appearanc? 
through the quantity of the yolk being increased. I have mentioned already 
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