Tuesday, November 3, 2009

SHEEP

SHEEP

After goats, sheep were the earliest ruminants to be controlled by man. Sheep ilre reared either for wool or for meat, ('Jamb' for the meat of animals less than 8 months old ilnd 'mutton' for the meat of older animals). Apart from wool and meat, sheep may also yield milk. A fatty substance called lanolin, obtained during wool processing, is important in cosmetics manufacture. Sheep's intestines, when washed and cleaned, are processed as strings for musical instruments and sports equipments, e.g., in tennis and badminton rackets.

Most of the sheep breeds kept for meat originated in the British Isles. The Blackface originated in the Highlands of Scotland and yields superior meat but poor wool. The Cheviot, bred in the Cheviot Hills on the border between Scotland and England, is used either for meat or wool production. Other breeds include Leicester, Lincoln, Rom­ney Marsh, Blilck Welsh, Rough Fell, and Swaledale. Merinos are a valuable Spanish breed. Australia and New Zealand
have the largest number of sheep and are the largest producers and exporters of lamb and mutton. Kirghizia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia hilve a large number of sheep.

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