The laser-scan histogram is very much a part of the evolving alpaca business in North America. Histogram results are used either to accept or reject inbound alpacas that are candidates for inclusion in the Alpaca Registry. And histograms are often affixed prominently to clipboards on the pens of animals being displayed at shows or sales at numerous venues across North America. At such events a histogram is transformed from an internal document that assists in the phenotypic assessment of an animal to an advertisement that attests to the animal’s fiber quality. Used as an advertisement, the histogram assures prospective buyers of the alpaca’s competitive fiber-producing powers. The unverifiable assumption of any such histogram is that it actually represents the animal it claims to represent. I would wager that most breeders listen to their consciences and submit samples for testing that are from the animal they say it came from. But because histograms have become an advertising statement, it is important to note that the testing laboratory merely tests samples and has no method of matching a sample to a particular animal, other than relying on the information provided by the sender. Relying solely on a histogram has its limitations. For this and other reasons, learning how to assess fiber quality through visual and tactile means makes good sense for anyone seriously considering entering the alpaca business.

While many North American breeders embrace the security and certainty that histogram results appear to offer in assessments of fiber quality, in South America (even among those with the means to use histograms) the traditional, highly refined tactile method continues to be relied upon. Peter Kothe, formerly Michell’s top raw fleece buyer in Arequipa, Peru, says, "The alpaca processing business relies on the fingers of the women who sort our fiber." The officials overseeing the recent International Camelid Festival in Arequipa felt strongly enough about this method of assessment to politely forbid North Americans attending the festival from taking fiber samples from champion alpacas for laser-scanning purposes. The point was well taken: What good would come of a scientific test by a bunch of gringos of animals whose owners could never afford such a test and who have relied on tactile testing for centuries? The sensory experience of high-quality alpaca fiber is unquestionably a distinguishing aspect of alpaca’s special appeal to natural-fiber aficionados, especially those who have developed the skill to tactilely assess it.

Still, the technology of laser scanning affords an objective insight into fiber production not available until relatively recently. There’s no question that a histogram analyzing a sample of hundreds of fibers is a valuable tool for the serious breeder and a convenient aid for the novice who is "tactilely challenged" and unable to distinguish between steel wool and a vicuña garment. It doesn’t take long for the newest novice to learn the histogram sales pitch: the lower the micron count, the lower the standard deviation; the fewer the microns over 30, the better the fleece. If an animal’s micron average is low, the seller usually makes a quantum leap to claim that the entire animal is superior.

North American alpaca breeders are often asked, "What is a good micron count?" When the author ran a histogram on a sample taken from a vicuña (the probable wild progenitor of the alpaca), its incredibly fine fleece registered an average of 12.5 microns, with a standard deviation of 4.2 and 1 percent of its fleece in excess of 30 microns. That’s right—even the guardhair was fine, less than 30 microns. The staple was about 1 inch (2.54 cm). An impressive alpaca histogram may have an average micron of 20 or below with a standard deviation of around 3 and a coefficient of variation of 16, with 1 to 3 percent of the sample exceeding 30 microns and indicating that the animal is capable of annually producing a 6- to 8-pound fleece.

But there is much more to a histogram than numbers alone, and some important measurements, such as staple length and fleece weight, rarely find their way onto a histogram. As for the much-talked-about micron count and standard deviation, it is important to remember that as long as fiber is still attached to an alpaca it is not a static medium. For example, a 10-year-old male whose micron count has crept up to an average of 30, but with a standard deviation of 4 and a coefficient of variation of 15, and producing 6 to 8 pounds of fleece annually is also very good for breeding purposes. When evaluating a histogram, one must always try to also understand the many environmental factors (diet, testosterone levels, age, pregnancy, stress, and so forth) that affect a fleece (and the histogram) as the animal matures. This latter example of the older male is just one instance of the many factors affecting histogram results.

Angus McColl, owner and director of the nationally and internationally recognized Yocom-McColl Testing Laboratories, is quick to explain that while the histograms his laboratory produces are valuable information for the alpaca breeder, each histogram needs to be considered in its own special context. "Histograms should be compared to other animals in the same herd of the same age," Angus says, "not against an animal living on a different diet and of an entirely different age group." Angus notes that occasionally people will send in fiber samples in the hope that the results will give them a marketing advantage over their competitors. To give histogram results greater authenticity and integrity, Angus requests the age of the animal and its ARI registration number, which are included on the histogram. Identifying an alpaca and recording its age allows a knowledgeable person scrutinizing a histogram to get a sense of how a particular animal stacks up against others in the same age bracket. In addition, a potential buyer can supply the registration number to the registry to verify the animal’s age. Complete histograms include a test date, which is also helpful. If age and registration number are not included on the histogram, the test result’s worth as an advertisement is greatly diminished.

Only a few researchers have recorded how alpaca fiber changes under various environmental conditions. George Davis of AgResearch in New Zealand reported at the Australian Alpaca Association’s International Alpaca Industry Seminar in 1994 that the fiber of a group of alpacas grazing on nutritious year-round pasture increased on average about 3 microns a year, and individual animals had increases exceeding 9 microns. Recent tests conducted by the Alpaca Registry have shown that diet and other factors can drastically change histogram results in a matter of a few months, even more dramatically than those recorded in New Zealand.

In 1997 this ARI screener was afforded th