Merino sheep and wool-classing

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There was once a saying that ‘Australia rode on the sheep’s back’ meaning that The wool industry played a major role in the development of Australia in the early years. The original sheep breeds were vastly improved by the importation of merinos from Spain and merinos remain the major wool-producing breed. Different strains or bloodlines of merinos produce wool of differing classifications such as fine, medium or strong wool and each grade is suited to different purposes. Wool is classified according to the number of ‘bends’ or crimps along its length. The diameter of the fibres and the tensile strength also comes into the reckoning. ‘Fine’ wool is used for the production of high-quality cloth for men’s suits, and women’s formal wear while ‘medium’ and ‘strong’ wool may be used for yarns, insulation, carpets, and filling. During shearing, wool-classers would inspect the fleeces and assign each one to the correct bin. My father bred Peppin merinos which produced mostly fine wool. The photo shows one of his top rams although it looks a bit different to modern-day merinos.