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www.GOALias.blogspot.comFrom fibres to woolFor obtaining wool, sheep are reared.Their hair is cut and processed intowool. Let us learn about this process.Rearing and breeding of sheep: If youtravel to the hills in Jammu & Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal,Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, or theplains of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthanand Gujarat, you can see shepherdstaking their herds of sheep for grazing.Sheep are herbivores and prefer grassand leaves. Apart from grazing sheep,rearers also feed them on a mixture ofpulses, corn, jowar, oil cakes (materialleft after taking out oil from seeds) andminerals. In winter, sheep are keptindoors and fed on leaves, grain and dryfodder.Sheep are reared in many parts ofour country for wool. Table 3.1 gives thenames of some breeds of sheep rearedin our country for producing wool. Thequality and texture of the fibres obtainedfrom them is also indicated in the table.Certain breeds of sheep have thickcoat of hair on their body which yieldsgood quality wool in large quantities. Asmentioned earlier, these sheep are“selectively bred” with one parent beinga sheep of good breed.Once the reared sheep havedeveloped a thick growth of hair, hair isshaved off for getting wool.Processing fibres into woolThe wool which is used for knittingsweaters or for weaving shawls is thefinished product of a long process,which involves the following steps:Step I: The fleece of the sheep along with athin layer of skin is removed from itsbody [Fig. 3.8 (a)]. This process is calledshearing. Machines similar to those usedby barbers are used to shave off hair.Usually, hair are removed during the hotweather. This enables sheep to survivewithout their protective coat of hair. Thehair provide woollen fibres. Woollenfibres are then processed to obtainwoollen yarn. Shearing does not hurtthe sheep just as it does not hurt whenyou get a hair cut or your father shaves hisbeard. Do you know why? The uppermostlayer of the skin is dead. Also, the hair ofsheep grow again just as your hair does.Table 3.1 Some Indian breeds of sheepS.No. Name of breed Quality of wool State where found1. Lohi Good quality wool Rajasthan, Punjab2. Rampur bushair Brown fleece Uttar Pradesh,Himachal Pradesh3. Nali Carpet wool Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab4. Bakharwal For woollen shawls Jammu and Kashmir5. Marwari Coarse wool Gujarat6. Patanwadi For hosiery Gujarat26SCIENCE