Biological and statistical study of the development of the fleece of the Scottish mountain blackfaced breed of sheep from birth to maturity

The fleece of the Scottish Mountain Blackfaced sheep consists of an admixture of fibres which differ amongst themselves in respect of physical characterisation. The concensus of opinion amongst producers ani users of Blackfaced wool is that the fleece should consist of hair -like fibres, grouped into long, tapering staples which fall to either side of the body with a "part" along the dorsal line, forming a long, smooth, outer coat, whilst beneath this there should be an abundant growth of fine, shorter fibres called, in contradistinction to the fibres of the outer coat, wool. Ideally, each staple should taper to a tip not less than the size of an ordinary lead pencil. "Tithin the breed there is a great variation in fleece quality and quantity. Usually it is long and coarse and contains considerable numbers of white, opaque, pointed, hair -like fibres which will not take up dyes at all readily, which differ in their structure from the other constituents of the fleece, and which are known as kemp. In many animals a proportion of pigmented fibres can be found. Lying entangled amidst the growing fibres are to be found kemp fibres that have been shed.A detailed account of each of the types of fibre constituting the Blackface fleece follows. (see pages 45 -60) .It is reasonable to assume that the outer coat of this fleece mainly serves to protect the inner coat and skin from wet and injury, whilst the inner coat, in virtue of its physical properties, conserves bodily heat. Thus, the ideal type of fleece from the point of view of the breeder is one which provides adequate protection for the sheep in that it protects the body from cold, wind, rain and injury