OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 523, 2 June 1909, Page 10

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

THE LEICESTER-MERINO CROSS. CPROM'OOE SPECIAL CORttFSPONDKNT.) Bradford, April 23. This week I have been enjoying a wonderful treat by lookijg over some good'sized samples of crossbred wool grown at Bolinda Vale, in West Victoria, belonging to Sir Rupert Clarke. Let me hero say that this clip is always sold in London under the mark of Cross orcr SC, and for crossbred wool it is.the champion clip of the whole world.. That'is indeed saying a great deal, but I suppose the. saleroom price is the verdict by which the above statomont must either stand or fall. This very mark was offered last' January. 22, a'good-sized lot of grease quarterbred hogget selling at the hand-, some-price of Is.. 5Jd.. comeback hogget Is. sju., comeback'first is. 5d., halfbred combing hoggets' Is.''. 4Ji3.; and thrcequarter hogget. Is. 2d. Surely such prices as these cannot be despised, for they show at once the splendid character of the wool, and they must possess real superior merit, otherwise they would hot be selling at such handsome figures. There is no doubt that climate and pasturage have a good deal to do in determining the character of all wool, and hero: these' important. essentials no doubt enter very materially into'the question of determining the nice, soft, kind staple which is produced. The writer knows for. a positive fact that in the above! flock the Leicester'_ is. the sire which is mated with the merino in pro. duoing tho halfbred: wool; in fact, this is,the only mutton sire used in growing crossbred wool. That being so, a few thoughts on. Leicester merino, wool will be read with interest by readers of this issue, for in this article we have a very useful, 6ound, and admirable cross. I am not now so.much writing from a mutton'standpoint as that of wool, but all the same the Leicester-merino cross gives a butcher's 6heep/Which'cannot bo despised, for in tho old days, when New Zealand pastoralists first embarked on the profitable business of producing freezers, the Leicester for many years was the principal mutton sire employed. . ■-.': 'LEADING FEATURES.'., ' The principal feature in connection with th' Leicester-merino cross ■ it• that it produces-a staple somewhat finer' in quality than does the Lincoln cross. '■Originally Leicester-wool is smaller in the hair and finer in fibre than Lincoln, nnd when mated with the merino ewe the natural result - is that the cross is hardly so severe, and the staple produced is finer in quality. There has this last few years sprung up a very large industry in fine halfbred'wool, and in tho production of indigo blue serges, both for men and women's .ireaf, there are immense quantities made of 50's and 56's quality. When thoso serges are out fine on tho surface of. the .cloth in the finishing operation; only an expert can tell what they ■are made from,;nine'out of.'every ton thinking they are Botany cloths, whereas thoy are made from:' fino crossbreds.'. Tftoro are other, fabrics into which this fine halfbred wool enters, and they servo a very useful purpose indeed.! Even when'the-halfbred ewe is still further, crossed with-the pure Leicester the progeny produces a fleece- thmt is nice and-'finevin-fibro, and even from the second cross we.still 'havo-a nice : 46's,' to 48's quality.- Theso are called medium cross : .bred wools, and along with this quality we also ;get a nice average length of staple. This, too, is.an.important consideration, and it is one ..which means a great deal'to'the average, wool-, buyer. Shorter the. staphrof. crossbred wool and less'it is. worth, but .if a fleece is;, well, grown' and the Leicester cross is-used, it ill-; ways produces a very desirable typo of wool. Of course, all localities cannot carry the Lei-, cester successfully, but whore climate and pasturage is'suited for these sheep the result of ■ the cross is . always' satisfactory both ' from a 'wool and mutton standpoint. During the last few vcars it> has hardly, been as. popular: as tho Lincoln and Romney cross, but,all the same there arc.pla'"cs where-the, Leicester would do better than the two former. : -. .;; , '•'■■■ A GOOD HANDLE. ,;'.v>'.' .-.'■ A very important characteristic, with all wool is ' its "handle and' general appearance. Some wools handlo much softer than others, although tln«> may be.just \the' same quality. ..Now -Loicester-merino, oross wool handles very soft, hand, and silk-like, and it is hero where it scores splendidly, the wool being full of that delightful, feel which'is always appreciated when it comes to, appear in tho lpieco.' ; -One ■reason why West Viqt;orionj lambs.fetch a bij* price is because wo get there.a silk-like.feel which cannot" be .got. in any other lambs produced in any other part:of Australia. Now.; this question' of handle, is more: than' senti-m'ent,-and is/dno,. to'-, a, blendingi of. forces which is alwavs apparent in the raw-material. ■The staple will not'be .as bright; and -'lustrous as,is the, Lincoln merino cross, the use of.the, Leicester'-sire producing, what is.known as _a domi-lustre, wool,, and more of this .class,is used in the '■ manufacture of .woollen and worsted fabrics than any other description_.of' crossbred wool..; No doubt the. Lincoln-merino cross 'produces' a "heavier fleece, I .but it .'is stronger.in' quality, somewhat, longer in staple, -and is,a little harder• in feel than when the Leicester is used, it being the purpose to which the 'wool is .to be put, which will decide tho class,of wool bought by the-.user:..This Leicester, crossbred wool is a,very popular ono.wjth ■American buyers, due mostly to tho question of handle and quality, -and growers wherever' ■mutton sires are used should keep an.'.' open, 'eye upon what thoy are producing, and-the suitability of-the cross.for their pastures. .The writer. knows nothing, about the; physical.nature of the country best suited for-either-the Lincoln, Leicester, or Romney, or, for that matter a Down cross, but, all the same, Leices-ter-merino, wool is decidedly good - and will always, command the strong support of t tho entire trade. ■ '•'.-. -;. ; - .'■'"' ; ■ .;' : ', ACTIVITY'ON THE CONTINENT. -\\' ' Continental conditions.have,a good deal of interest to colonial woolgrowers, as -well as users in mother parts of the world. From Berlin a good; demand from; consumers is reported, colonial wools being quite active. There-13 a section of South African farmers: who .reside -in' tho Orange 'River Colony who are banded together in, a kind of co-operative movement, and ■ their little clips'aro shipped to 'Bremen,' for salo'thore. The second sale of,the season under the "Unie" brand-was to beheld yesterday, the total; offering amounting :-.to about 1300 bales.: There is.no doubt that Germany, 'can/afford to -pay some very good prices for Cape' produce, and this kind of business of selling wool at Bromenl.was' started, last year. The' spring.trade in' manufactured, goods has boon, very satisfactory. '. As' showing tho 'trend, of events, a meeting was.held about.a. week ago at'Apolda of the member's of the Association of, German Manufacturers, of Knit Goods and Woven.Hosiory-r-and which was'at; tended by the more.important makers,of such goods- at Mulhouse,.Erfurt, in Saxony, and'at Berlin—it was resolved, after' full; discussion, that, in .view of the steadily rising prices of wool ever sinco last prices of such manufactures shall be raised up to 10 per conk,l the' position of individual members, to guide them.as to the extent-of the increase. ';'. .'A TIRM MARKET. . Not a/groat deal of change con be noted compared: With even, a fortnight ago, Bradford manifesting all the sound-factors which-have hitherto characterised, the position" of things in this ■ market. . Business has assumed a normal aspect, and, generally speaking,, activity is'..tho order of the day. Users here seem to be paying. no. regard'to any factors except, consumption, <and there continues to be expressed ■; a firm conviction ' that wool price's have not seen tho top. ) It is true that a firmer feeling obtains in regard to' crossbreds, due. directly -to:tho; further large, operations by American buyers, some good weights of crossbreds from 46's. upwards having been sold to United. States, buyers. _, This lias. strengthened the holdersl of ■' lower" crossbreds, although a by no means good'bu'siness is proceeding., Topmakers aro hardly.so squeezeable as they .wore a fortnight ago. It is still possible' to; get in at a shilling for a decent 40' stop, .though the majority aro quoting a id! and }d. more. However, nobody-anticipates, wool being any lower next series in London, nnd there is every likelihood of the same eager demand that was seen in. -March.. In the aggregate, there is moro wool going into consumption of a crossbred nature than many think (hero is, and there is <»n prospect of any description coming cheaper.. Spinners complain bitterly that business with them is nothing like as sound as it is for crossbred wool' and, tops, and yet some good deliveries aro being made to them, which proves more than,words that business imust be.fairly sound. . . ■ '•.' .

Horinos-still continue,to hold the field, and tliero is hero. {is. much pressuio bcinc put upon topmakers and spinners as ever there, was. Commission combers are rnnninjj at their maximum, .'and yet,they have bard work, to satisfy the demands of their clients. Supplies of wool are ndequato for the time, being, and yet importers can readily sell anything they feel disposed to offer. Quotations are well maintained nt the 1 .highest price topmakers have yet made, and the future is.as sound in appearance ns wo have recently' seen. There is naturally some grumbling among those who havetoymnko deliveries at pence per lb. under to-day's rates, but all' contracts aro being honourably adhered to, and business generally is very Rood. - Nothing better can yet be reported about mohair, businesa bains very 'limited, and far from ooinß eatWactwy. ■■