>The author says that white sheep were preferred because dying wool was
>cheap and profitable.
Yeah, that's right.
>I thought black sheep were preferred because their
>wool did not have to be died.
This is true for hobbyists and modern cottage industry spinning etc but industrial scale production of wool requires clean white wool to produce uniform product.
But every flock of white sheep produces the odd black throwback. Hence, "the black sheep of the family."
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas