Merino
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The merino is the most numerous breed of sheep in the world. It is a breed prized for its wool, although more recently the low price of wool has led to more of an emphasis on carcass (meat) characteristics. Super fine merinos are regarded as having the finest and softest wool of any sheep. Poll merinos have no horns (or very small stubs), and horned merinos have long, spiral horns which grow close to the head.
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[edit] Wool
The merino is an excellent grazer and very adaptable. It is bred predominantly for its wool, and its carcass size is generally smaller than that of sheep bred for meat. The South African Mutton Merino and Merinofleischschaf have been bred to balance wool production and carcass quality.
Merino wool is tightly crimped and springy. Staples are commonly between 2.5–4 inches (65–100 mm). A Saxon Merino produces between 3 and 6 kg of unwashed wool a year while a good quality Peppin Merino ram will produce up to 18 kg of unwashed wool a year. Merino wool is generally less than 24.5 micrometres (microns, µm) in diameter. Medium merino wool is between 20.6-22.5 µm, fine medium is between 19.6-20.5 µm, fine is between 18.6-19.5 µm, superfine is between 17.6-18.5 and ultra fine wool is between 12.5 to 16.9. Ultra fine wool is suitable for blending with other exclusive fibres such as Silk and Cashmere.
The term "merino" is widely employed in the textile industries with very varied meanings. Originally it was restricted to denote the wool of the merino sheep reared in Spain, but owing to the superiority of Australian and New Zealand wools the term now has broader use. In the dress-goods and knitting trades the term "merino" still implies an article made from the very best soft wool. "Merino" is sometimes employed to mean knitwear produced with a special worsted yarn made of 100% wool.
The utility of the fiber itself is evident in intense, cold-weather or high-performance applications, where merino distinguishes itself from cotton and polyester fabrics by offering superior breathability, temperature regulation, moisture control, and inherent anti-microbial properties. Unlike "traditional" wool, merino is much finer, softer, and, best of all, itch-free for all but those with severe sensitivities or lanolin allergies.
[edit] Regions of merino husbandry
In Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the western United States where sheep are bred for their wool rather than their mutton, merino sheep dominate. In Australasia, the merinos are crossed with Border Leicesters and other English long wool breeds to produce first cross prime lamb mothers and prime lamb wethers. The prime lamb mothers are crossed again with Poll Dorsets and other short wool breeds and the resultant second cross lambs slaughtered as prime lambs.
[edit] Animal welfare developments
Mulesing of Merino sheep is a common practice in Australia, and has been attacked by animal rights and animal welfare activists with PETA recently running a campaign against the practice. The PETA campaign targeted U.S. consumers rather than domestic legislators using graphic billboards in New York City. PETA threatened U.S. manufacturers with television advertisements ‘shaming’ their companies. Fashion retailers Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Gap Inc and Nordstrom and George (UK) stopped stocking woollen products. The campaign has already led to a response from merino breeders with 'bare bum' [1] sheep that don't need mulseing being promoted in South Australia. 'Thin-skinned' sheep from western Victoria are also being promoted as a solution.
[edit] Etymology
There are two proposed origins[2] for the Spanish word:
- Merino may be an adaptation to the sheep of the name of a Castilian official inspector (merino) over a merindad, who may have also inspected sheep pastures. This word is from the medieval Latin majorinus, a steward or head official of a village, from major, meaning great.
- Merino may from the name of a Berber tribe, the Marini (or in Castilian, Benimerines), which intervened in the Iberian peninsula during the 12th and 13th centuries.
[edit] See also
- Booroola Merino, prolific Merino strain
- Churro (sheep), another sheep race from Spain.
- Domestic sheep
- Guard Llama, llamas used as livestock guardians.
- Peppin Merino, dominant Australian merino strain
- Poll Merino
- Sheep shearing
- Wool
[edit] References
- ^ Scientists search for bare-bum sheep gene. Australian Broadcaster commission. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
- ^ Merino in Diccionario Crítico Etimológico Castellano e Hispánico, vol. IV, eds. Joan Corominas & José A. Pascual, Gredos, Madrid, 1989. ISBN 84-249-0066-9
- Cottle, D.J. (1991). Australian Sheep and Wool Handbook. Melbourne, Australia: Inkata Press, 20-23. ISBN 0-909605-60-2.
