WOOL CLASSING AND SORTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 8

WOOL CLASSING AND SORTING.

CROS&ISG AND RECROSSING IN. BREEDING /:;Sir,r-There i.are .men": undoubtedly: born', with'a natural;gift;of-art. .To -_be. a lyool- ' classer is .to be. doubtful, about forced rtucatioh.'. .In' the , commercial ,wool; '»• port of;. : the present qualities; are'.quoted-by/numbering/the classes; which",,is '.Greek-,to,'the farmers, who f aro;; in l most •. cases, at. a loss to understand- , the meaning, -and, as a: rule,, arc better, pleased-to' receive a;; good 'round . cheque.' According ;,to ;cbinm'ercial quotations, .CO's' ; would .be i;tho commencement /of 'the. merino wool-classing.' .-Naturally,; the' 50's' ,arq\v,ery much coarser;' ,40's are considered th9?stahdafd- of crossbred, wool, and'fiO's the-standard of -merino: wool:'; .Good ha!f r ; bred- wool shbuld/so^e ;: from 50V-to sG's' : quality j - quarter-bred, •: three-quarter-bred ;on"" 46's ;to iS's;: cross- ■ .bred.^O's';' ahd;psi!6/-I^col%C«)% r , All- these' different grades' are somewhat :trohblesbme ; ,to/de'al with—more .so than the"' menno. classes; .'inasmuch <as the .fibre ■ is not so well defined by the serrations in' . the. staple..;/;.' •://// './.'; . .i-V , My/ advice, is/to keep -all'.the:, different classes of- sheep as; far apart as .possible, and ; 'nbt ''ihtermixuthemi'' y nnd ; Jireed t only ifrom'.ithe 'very - best and. iffpnv.tiiß'-strongest 'stbck.Vi'A guarantee/for a ;goo'd ;elip'would then.' be.: ;• assured; ~;-,Inter-breeding /' and inter-mixing:is-very "injurious' the' flock, in several ways. ; ; - - First _the T jfleeces..';becpme ; ...weakened,'' matted; jelotted, ;Wd.'^l^nr ; , ' and:-tangled: in,-, such.; a .-fashibji -' thit'; tlie fibre -is orily, fit for felting 'purposes, and .conMqubritly/'canriot^ '/realise - : satisfactory prices.'ln 'the . second' place, "the ;,flocks become ."mongrel," .weak,; .-.impaired . in. : hralth; ahd.rconsti.tutibn,-,:,and;iihferiof inevery commercially, .and fotherwise..; ; In - the - -third : ; place,' • depreciation is cau's^ old stock,from either/sex.y-It'would be far. •betfer , l 'tp,V'ci^afe''S'themr" : ''Niturß's'v'6ffir' • provision does" not: allow : breeding.; after ?a ! Ibertain age'^'if/leftalone,' 'and*'it is n'othuig'ihoro or. less than cruelty-to animals' to; force 1 the - breeding through close paddock confinement.' : Bather -to:' have . 500,'gbod healthy owes; of .even" type' than to graze 1000..Jwookly and/broken-down; stock, only, giving.; pne-halfvalue, occupy- , ing/thecountry/treatingdisease;;: • and. 'taldhg ■ the-room .-away- from better, and ;more-profitable flocks. 1 Farmers .= would/do. :, ;well ;this autumn to cull out'ten per/cent/'of .old, Worn-out e\ves , and' destroy, them, in", order to make room for: tho coming lambing/ ,The 'increase has how outgrown the consumption. ■ "We have '. m' New Zealand all told 22;000,000 ■' of' sheep; arid- the; frozen' meat system-'and 'local .butchering cannot keep '■ the under. : Therefor/ it is nnica better; to - keep,-profitable'- flocks,. growing. . a/suitable. class. staple, of wool -for. the :Iohdon : market,: .which;,;will.'give a 'good :retiirn : ;:fbr.,some/Ume-yet to^come;.;'':a clip jteS^;Vgreat.- v vln' the: place,' the/shearers; 'should : Vremove the; belly wool "after it Ms 'shorn/, so ; as not to tangle'it;with tho fleeces/instruct tho pick--uD to collect them, and/ also to spread; the' shorn fleeces. "white • side" upwards on- to the, ,wool-: table. This method enables the ; classer to" take' from : the : . fleeces -all 'the-'-weak'and"fahl(y'; parts. Then :it' is';,riccessatX'-tq"bo'leaieful ■ how thb fleeces; are rolled-up. « : ifter tho. fleeces are*, turned' over 'pn J tho/wool' table, firs! the -neck./-towards., the:-.briech, then- tuck'-'the sides .in; 'again turn the floece.with:the back inwards. . This;makes tho' fleece - firm, and. ready for packing, -and it ; can' be' taken - from-' the class-bin without unrolling...Fleeces.'should, bo. ; paclced upright, and nino :to a 'tier./, The .fleeces wfen-pressed -will -all cbmci*-but when. the pack 1 : is:/op.ened i/singly," t.neither, ..broken or tangled,"and if'-this method isTesofted .to -better ..prices'.''will r-be;obtained, for the clip; f ' /• ?!'' ; .-■ ; -In''reference to -'woolpackinj present .use, the.'evil of collecting;.vegetable, and foreign matter -in - the -fibre- of : tho wool is ' apparent.-.. Some time back, 1 my.'-letter;.was published-on : the subject, suggesting .that manufacturers -of ■' Tvoolpacks'.:. should• re-' I verse'tho order of making'thein,-by turn-W,-the- pack--,inside.- ./ having. ;- the smooth; snrfa'co-'inside, and coated ,-with a solution- of-.some, gln'tinbussubstance,-' So far,' nothing -seems to/ have been: done/in. the -matter. • -; ■jNow, --1.. hope. mj; . young-., friends. »mll profit from -this, infofmatio'n and /the 'publication'of-it.—l.aih/.'etc.,: •, , - - ■/ JAJIES T. MACKAY. , r Elierigrove.'-Eichmbnd,*.. -■ . .. ■ -February .1-1,1010. .