Polwarth is a breed of sheep that was developed in

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

in 1880. They were of one-quarter Lincoln and three-quarters

Merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, 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 monop ...

bloodlines. They are large, predominantly polled sheep with long, soft, fine

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and produce good

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

carcasses. They were developed in an attempt to extend the

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

territory of the sheep because the Merino was found lacking in hardiness in this respect. They are a dual-purpose (meat and wool) breed with a major emphasis on wool production. Richard Dennis of Tarndwarncoort in southwest Victoria bred the Polwarth, first known as Dennis Comebacks. Descendants of Dennis' sheep continue to grow Polwarth wool at Tarndwarncoort, maintaining the original bloodlines in a flock referred to as the "Blue Dots".

Wool

Polwarth wool is well regarded for its application in woolcraft. The longer staple length, up to 130mm, makes it easy for handspinning and felting. The wool is soft enough to wear against skin, and is known for its drape. Millspun yarns made solely of Polwarth wool are commercially available. Polwarth sheep were developed with white wool; however, natural black, brown, and grey wool flocks have expanded the popularity of Polwarth wool for craft.

Characteristics

Mature ewes weigh and mature rams weigh . Ewes are excellent prime lamb mothers, producing lambs that have good lean carcasses. The high-yielding fleeces weigh an average six to seven kilograms, with a fibre diameter of 23 to 25

microns The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

Preparation of Australian Wool Clips, Code of Practice 2010-2012, Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010 (58–60 s). Stephens, M (''et al.''), ''Handbook of Australian Livestock'', Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed.),

Economy

The Polwarth Sheepbreeders' Association of Australia was formed in 1918 and the

studbook A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...

closed in 1948. Polwarths are now raised mostly in the higher rainfall regions of south-eastern Australia that have improved pastures. Polwarths have been exported into many countries, including

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, where they are known as ''Ideals''. Polwarth and

Corriedale The Corriedale is a New Zealand list of sheep breeds, breed of Domestic sheep, sheep. It was bred from about 1882 in the South Island by James Little, who cross-bred Australian Merino, Merino and Lincoln (sheep), Lincoln Longwool sheep. The bre ...

form the main sheep breeds on the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

References

External links

Polwarth Sheepbreeds Association of Australia
1880s introductions 1880s in Victoria (state) Agriculture in Victoria (state) Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in Australia {{sheep-stub