Among our domestic animals the sheep has an outstanding virtue;
if required to, it can live and produce, at least wool, on the most ’
sparse and inhospitable grazings, and because of this ability it has
always tended to be relegated to the less favourable environments
for plant and animal growth. On the other hand, as we well know,
it can, when given the opportunity, produce at high levels on the
highly productive pastures that are a feature of our modern
farming.
This versatility of the sheep in general is highly exploited in
New Zealand and the position is unique in that we use very few
breeds, with the emphasis quite clearly on one, the Romney. It
is typical, too, of our sheep farming that an overwhelming proportion
of our sheep stocks are dual-purpose animals, and in a
system of sheep farming such as this, some sort of balance must
be achieved between the demands and outcome of the business
of producing meat and wool. It is important, therefore, that we
clearly recognise the amount of emphasis that may profitably be
devoted to wool-growing as such and that we have some understanding
of the principles and processes of wool gr,owth so that
we may make full use of feed.
For dual-purpose sheep over the last 10 years, income has had
a ratio of about 40 per cent for wool and 60 per cent for meat on
specialised fat-lamb farms, and something like 60 per cent for
wool and 40 per cent for meat and surplus stock on breeding and
store-sheep farms. To add further to this background, wool has
some claim to fame in that a good use can be found for it whatever
its nature. In general this tends to make quantity of greater importance
than excellence, except when premiums may be paid for
small quantities of wool with special characteristics.
It is within this framework that we have to examine the wool growing
enterprise.[Show full abstract]
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