Wool follicle development in the New Zealand Romney and N type sheep. I. The relationships of development to age in the New Zealand Romney and N type sheep foetuses and a comparison with results obtained from the Merino

Abstract

The development of the follicle population in New Zealand Romney and N-type sheep foetuses has been studied by comparing stages of development at different ages, using the method developed by Carter and Hardy (1947) and Hardy and Lyne (1956). Their scale has been altered so as to give a linear relationship with age, and a regression line has been fitted to the data by the method of least squares. Analysis of the N-type and New Zealand Romney mating groups and a comparison with the Merino data given by Carter and Hardy (1947) show that no marked or consistent differences occur in the age at which different stages of follicle development are completed or in the rate of development of the follicle population. Studies of different positions on the body agree with the findings of other workers that development begins first on the head and limbs and later over the trunk. Between positions the correlation between the age at which follicle development begins and the rate of development after initiation is not significant.