The wool was produced in 1890 by Cyrus and Charles Goulter in Hawkesbury, Marlborough, New Zealand.

In 1890 Alfred Hawkesworth, honorary wool-classer to the Museum, noted the following about this specimen:

Merino stud ram, station-bred; one-part Scone (Tasmania) and three parts Mount Crawford (South Australia); pure-bred sheep. As a cross between the two extreme types of fine and strong merino sheep, this sample fully illustrates the success which has been achieved in producing one of the best paying wools that can be grown. Many growers of merino wools do not like their wool to be called medium or strong, and have an opinion that all such wools (merino) are of fine quality, especially their own. But such an opinion should not be, and if they had a better knowledge of wool, they would learn that many of the medium and deep-grown merino flocks of these colonies give the best results. These types give far greater weight per sheep, fill the packs sooner, and the wool generally realises above an average price, often equal to the fine grades, and there are many instances of the deep-grown clips obtaining the highest average value per sheep of any in the colonies. This wool is a splendid specimen of medium grown wool; is a trifle over 4 inches in length, with excellent, well-formed, broad staple, and as a wool-stapler would say "full of wool" and the spinner "plenty to work at". It is very sound, clear, with a most perfect silvery lustre of great elasticity; is in splendid condition, and of a good, soft handling nature. Would make a bright, showy, lengthy top, suited for spinning into yarns for average worsted goods. Spinning quality 60s, value 14 ½ d per lb (Alfred Hawkesworth's valuation).

The excellent judgement and great care shown in the choice of such a comprehensive selection (F812-F841), and the neat packaging, are deserving of a special mention. As an educational and instructive collection, this is one of the most perfect in the whole of this wool section, and one that fully illustrates the three distinct grades of merino combing-wools, viz, fine, medium, and string. The wide assortment gives an especially good opportunity of comparison, and therefore of seeing the great necessity of keeping the different lengths and qualities separate when presenting them to the buyers. It is a difficult matter to give an opinion as to which of the three distinct types have done best, as all are in a bright, healthy, and sound condition, and all are apparently equally suitable to the locality. The district is one of the best in New Zealand for agricultural purposes, being temperate and bracing, these circumstances having a very beneficial effect upon the condition and lustre, these two being most excellent properties of these wools.

Alfred Hawkesworth, Technological Museum, Sydney, Descriptive Catalogue No 3. Raw wools and specimens to illustrate the woollen manufacture. Sydney Government Printer. 1890.

Originally donated by Messrs Cyrus and Charles Goulter, Hawkesbury, Marlborough, New Zealand, 1891.

This wool specimen is part of the Bill Montgomery Wool Collection which consists of approximately 7000 samples. In the older part of the collection there are 5000 samples from Australian sheep fleeces grown between 1856 and 1906. The samples were collected by the Museum at a time when scientific research was prominent in the Museum's activities. In 1979, when the Museum's focus changed, most of its wool collection was transferred to the teaching collection of Mr Bill Montgomery, a wool classing teacher at Newcastle Technical College. When Bill retired from the College, the collection was again in danger of being thrown away. He took the entire collection home and stored it in his garage for 15 years. His Collection also contains approximately 1500 wool samples grown between 1950 and 2000 and collected by Bill himself. It includes 147 examples of faults and stains occurring in Australian flocks, 20 pigmented wools and 33 rare and extinct breeds from around the world. The Museum purchased the entire collection in 2003. Bill Montgomery died on 7th July, 2007.

Wool specimen, stud ram, bred by Cyrus and Charles Goulter, Hawkesbury, Marlborough, New Zealand, 1890-1891

Wool specimen from a station bred stud ram. There is a black ribbon tied around the middle of the specimen and a small green tag attached to the ribbon.

This sample of wool was tested in June 2007 by the Interactive Wool Group. They used the OFDA2000 instrument for fleece testing. The following are the results for this specimen:

Microns: 22.8 microns (4 Standard Deviation)
(average fibre diameter)

Staple length: 100 mm

Mean fibre curvature: 84.9 Dg/mm
(A measurement in degrees
per mm related to
crimp frequency)

Comfort Factor: 96 %
(The % of fibres equal
to or less than 30 microns)

Made: C and C Goulter; Marlborough, New Zealand; 1890 - 1891

Green tag reads 'F818 / Stud Ram / Tasmanian & / S Australian blood' and on reverse 'No 7 / C & G Goulter / New Zealand'.

F818

1890 - 1891

115 mm

45 mm