Estimation of Clean Fleece Weight from Small Side Samples and from Wool Density, Body Weight, Staple Length and Grease Fleece Weight

Three methods of estimating clean fleece weight were compared to clean fleece weight by scouring whole fleeces. A method described by Neale and McFadden (1954) appears to be as accurate and much less expensive than scouring small samples in estimating clean fleece weight. The correction of small scoured samples for residuals appears to be unnecessary if a reasonably careful job of scouring the samples is done. Multiple regression equations of clean fleece weight on wool density, body weight, staple length and grease fleece weight were calculated. As shown by the multiple correlation coefficients, very little information is lost if density or body weight or both are omitted. However, this may be true of only the sheep involved in this study. When staple length is omitted the R value drops from .91 to .82, and when grease fleece weight is omitted the R value drops to .73. When both density and body weight are omitted the R value only drops to .89. The multiple regression coefficients of clean fleece weight in pounds on staple length in inches and grease fleece weight in pounds were .61 ± .04 and .36 ± .01, respectively. Journal Series No. 93, New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station, State College, New Mexico.