ANIMAL PRODUCTS

ANIMAL PRODUCTS

WOOL Wool is a long-known animal fibre. It is the long, curly hair of the sheep. Wool may be of three major types. The Merino sheep, which comes from Spain and North Africa, yields the finest wool of long staple length. It is used in making high-quality worsteds and knotting yarns. These sheep are reared mainly in the drier, warmer regions of temperate latitudes. Carpet wools are coarser, thicker and more variable in quality than either merino or crossbred wools. They are derived from more marginal sheep-rearing areas, such as India, Iran, and Ethiopia. Cross-bred wool is the medium grade, a little coarser than merino wool, but quite suitable for clothing. It is produced from sheep cross-bred with merino, or other breeds, and in areas of higher rainfall and rich pastures.

There are certain other animal fibres which are called wool though strictly speaking they are not true wool. The long silky hair of angora goats are used to make high quality woollen goods. These goats originated in Asia Minor, where they are still kept. They have also been introduced into South Africa, which is now the major producer of mohair, the wool derived from the angora. The soft downy hair of Kashmir goats (pashmilla) is produced in the western Himalayas and is used for making cashmere shawls and other high-quality knitted garments. The fine, soft hair of the alpaca and vicuna, animals related to the llama and native to the Andean plateaux of South America, is also highly valued, especially for coats. Camel­hair has long been used among the desert peoples to make heavy, durable textiles. The major commercial producer of camel-hair is China.

Wool production is best in a warm, rather dry climate. Temperate regions are better than tropical ones for sheep rearing, because in hot climates the sheep produce short, coarse wool. Sheep do well in well-drained land. Damp ground and wet conditions encourage diseases such as foot­rot, or allow the spread of parasites such as liver fluke.

New Zealand and Australia are leading wool produc­ers. Kirghizia is the world's third largest wool producer. Kazakhstan, South Africa, Argentina are large producers. Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Iran, Af­ghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Syria and Morocco are ancient sheep-rearing areas and have had woollen textile industries for long. Indian wool is mostly coarse and used in the manufacture of carpets and coarse blankets.
SERICULTURE Silk is considered an animal fibre, since it is derived from the cocoon of a moth. It is a continuous filament, and thus it has more in common with synthetic textiles. It was in China that the art of making textiles from silk was discovered around 2,500 BC. The process gradually spread to Japan and India in the third and fourth centuries AD. Knowledge of the process only reached Europe in the sixth century AD. Silk is derived from the caterpillar of certain moths. The most important of these moths is the Bombyx mori, called the Mulberry Spinner because it feeds on the leaves of the mulberry tree. Sericulture is the breeding of silkworms. Each cQcoon. may contain up to 3 km (2 miles) of silk filament, and this must be very carefully unwound. The cocoons are put into hot water to remove the gummy coating and the filaments are then reeled.

As the threads of raw silk are too fine for textile manufacture, they are usually doubled or thrown to produce a stronger and thicker fibre. Sericulture is largely confined to sub­tropical regions as the silkworm cannot survive in tempera­tures lower than 16°C. The leading producers are China, India, Japan and South Korea. The only non-Asian producer of any significance is Brazil.

In India, sericulture is included under cottage industry. The two sectors of sericulture are mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. Mulberry for the production of cocoons is raised as bushes in regular fields in the multivotine (breed) areas of Kamataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Bihar. A pound of worms may consume a tonne of 'mulberry leaves in a year. The muga, tasar and eri are reared on leaves like castor, oak, asan and ~~ .
India is the world's second largest producer and exporter of silk. Chief producers are Kamataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

Tasar silk is mainly produced by the tribal people of Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), Bihar (including Jharkhand) and Orissa. Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh) alone produces about 55 per cent of tasar silk of the country, while Bihar (including Jharkhand) accounts for about 34 per cent of the total production of tasar silk.

Muga silk is grown exclusively in Assam. Sibsagar, Dibrugarh and south-west Kamrup districts of Assam are famous for muga silk. Assam is also a leading producer
of eri silk accounting for about 90 per cent of the tot, production of eri silk in the country. Assam is the bigge! non-mulberry state in India producing about 65 per cer of the total non-mulberry silk production.

HIDES, SKINS AND FURS The skins of most of th domesticated animals including cattle, sheep, goats, horse and pigs are important sources of leather. Certain wile animals are also hunted or trapped for their skins or fun The hides and skins used in leather-making come mostl: from the countries where animal farming is on a large scalE including the USA, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa. But in some countries, such as Brazil or India, where the cattle and other animal population is large but where poor pasturage and disease a~versely affect the quality and quantity of milk or meat, a major source of income comes through the production of hides.

The fur-bearing animals with long, fine fur are found mainly in the cold regions, especially in the coniferous forest belt of North America, Scandinavia and Russia. Some, such as the chinchilla, come from other regions, e.g., South America, Australia. Fur farms are found in the USA, Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia. The most important fur­bearing animals are the beaver, mink, otter, fox, muskrat and squirrel. Furs are also obtained from racoon, skunk, marten, sable, and rabbit. The main animals raised for furs on fur farms include mink, chinchilla, and silver fox. The USA, Canada, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Aus­tralia are the major fur producing countries.