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Fine Art Merinos: The first Rambouillets were imported into the United States in 1840, and fairly large numbers were brought in late in the 19th century. The breed became very popular in the Western states, not only producing a majority of the fine art Merinos wool of the United States, but also furnishing foundation stock for Western range ewes and many crossbred types. Australian breeders have been particularly successful in developing Merinos which are highly efficient in wool production. The Australian Merinos have dense, distinctly crimped, long-staple fleeces with heavy yields of clean wool, and cover a wide range of fine art Merinosnesses.
Types and Breeds.—Breeds of sheep have been developed for specific purposes and have become adapted to different environments. The Spanish Merino was noted not only for its dense, fine art Merinos wool, but also for its hardiness, flocking instinct, and longevity. The Vermont or early American Merino was bred with heavy skin folds to obtain maximum fleece weights. Such heavily folded Merinos became known as the A type, while others nearly free from folds were known as the Delaine or C type. Merinos were taken from Spain to France in 1786, and placed on the king's estate at Rambouillet. Later other flocks were established in both France and Germany, and marked improvements were made in developing the Rambouillet breed.
Spanish Merinos were taken to Australia from Europe and fine art Merinos Australian Merino wool is still considered to be the best in the world. Pure-bred Merino flocks are still important in Australia but breeders have introduced other stock to improve meat content at the expense of wool quality.
In New Zealand, where there were nearly 56 million sheep in 1974, wool takes second place to meat production. Crosses between the English Romney and Border Leicester breeds have helped lay the foundation for a thriving fat lamb export trade [7]. |
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