[Jacob-list] Fleece Types

[Jim Spahr]

I had a conversation with another Jacob breeder who has had her flock for a number of years. She said that she preferred a medium handle Jacob fleece over a soft one, because the softer fleeces were always shorter fleeces.  She said that her fleece customers liked her medium textured fleeces better.  Since I have been selecting for softer fleeces for 12 years, the concept that softer = shorter fleeces has been disturbing.  I have been keeping fleece records for a few years, and some of the softer fleeced Jacobs do not have a long staple length, but some do.  Has anyone found that in trying to breed for softer fleeces, that they are losing staple length?  What type of fleeces do customers in other areas prefer?  We are in Ohio, and it seems as though a good staple length is desirable, as is a soft fleece.  Of course weavers seem to prefer an even longer, coarser fleece.  Quite a few coarser fleeced breeds with a long staple come to mind:  Lincoln, Cotswold, Wensleydale, etc.  The Bluefaced Leicester has a long staple with crimp that is soft.  So is there really a correlation between length and softness?

                                                                           Mary Spahr
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