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Full wool Merino sheep Merino sheep and red goats. Madrid, Spain. The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool.It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the breed were not allowed, and those who tried risked capital punishment.
Outcrossing with English long-wool breeds and selection produced a well-defined breed, [2] differing in several important points from the original Spanish Merino. The size was greater, with full-grown ewes weighing up to 200 lb and rams up to 300 lb. The wool clips were larger and the wool length had increased to greater than 3 in (80 mm).
Newly built New England textile mills gobbled up all the wool they could get. Prices skyrocketed for the fine merino wool with its unique water-shedding qualities and longer fiber. [7] Vermont became the toast of the nation's agricultural community. By 1830 merino sheep had become the state's principal livestock. A few statistics tell the story.
Medieval English wool trade. Sheep, shown here in the 1240s or the 1250s, became increasingly important to English agriculture. The medieval English wool trade was one of the most important factors in the medieval English economy. [ 1 ] The medievalist John Munro notes that " [n]o form of manufacturing had a greater impact upon the economy and ...
The finest and most valuable wool comes from Merino hoggets. Wool taken from sheep produced for meat is typically coarser, and has fibers 40–150 mm (1.5–6 in) in length. Damage or breaks in the wool can occur if the sheep is stressed while it is growing its fleece, resulting in a thin spot where the fleece is likely to break. [13]
Their white wool tends to be very long and by Merino standards, broad crimped, and in fineness about 32 to 38 microns, and is used for medium- to heavy-weight garments. This wool, though, is prized by spinners because of the crimp and lustre. The sheep are normally shorn twice a year when the wool has reached a length of around 100 mm (3.9 in).
The Dohne Merino (Dohne, El Dohne Merino) is a breed of domestic sheep from South Africa. The breed was started in the late 1930s by the South African Department of Agriculture. It was developed by interbreeding Peppin-style Merino ewes and German Mutton Merino rams. The Dohne Merino is a dual purpose breed providing meat and fine wool. [1]
Corriedale sheep on a ranch in Charlo, Mission Valley, Montana. The Corriedale was developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century by cross-breeding Merino and Lincoln Longwool sheep, [5] with the aim of producing sheep with grazing requirements intermediate between the lush lowlands which suited the British breeds and the sparse dry grazing preferred by the Merino.