Competition between skin follicles in sheep.

Abstract

Samples of skin from three sheep (Ryeland, Lincoln, and Merino) were sectioned, and measurements made of the diameters and spatial relationships of the wool fibres. It has been shown that in all three samples a negative correlation occurred between the size of a fibre and the number, size, and distance of the fibres adjacent to it. The analysis demonstrates that the maximum distance over which this correlation occurs is 173 µ for the Ryeland, 283 µ for the Lincoln, and 147 µ for the Merino. I t is suggested that the basis of the correlation is the occurrence of competition between skin follicles for the material from which they synthesize their fibres.