OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 944, 11 October 1910, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

DEALING WITH SHEEP PESTSI'IUCES STILL INTACT.

. (From Our Special Oorrosponclent.) Bradford, -August 25, IMO.' I ■ hear that Australian sheep-breeders arc having to face, practically speaking, a new sheep pest in the mngot fly, and tho killing of millions of rabbits and leaving tho dead, carcasses to rot' upon tho ground is producing ' tho inevitable harvest of flies. I.'have seen fly-blown sheep hero in England, but that pest has not been-troublesome, to British farmers only in rare cases during the past few years, because our summers havo bedri too wet- In Australia it is otherwise, and sheep ."struck" with fly are. pitiable objects. It seems to mo that this will be a troublesome thing for wool-growers aa long as sheep last, and I have gone thor-' ouglly into ' the question both from a practical and theoretical .standpoint. Thero is only , one method of attacking the fly, and that is by dipping in some; well-known o arsenical powder dip. I know thero are many sheep-dips on. th'o market, and some are .worthless, while othors are certainly' of; real practical use to everyone fighting parasitical life, and especially the magot fly.' Why do -I. recommend tho use of a. good arsenical powder dip? Simply'because it ismqre lasting in its offect:upon -tlm fleece, and:., is tho best .preventative known,for arming the. sheep against fly;attacks'. Some ■ use carbolic .'dips,'but;'they are practically ' worthless' for i'h'is purpose! .A car•bolic < dip ..makes-' very .short work of all. parasites,: but is too -volatilo in its # nature, and a sheep is.'liablo' to-bj)v;'fly-, blown" • twenty-four hours .after .having: been immersed, but 9uch.;,a thing seldom' happmis where a good I 'powder lias been used. I: have -sriid .' all along, that a sheep not oniy. wants, ridding:as soon aspossible of. the.kiiawi.n.g-,parasites )I 'but,it'ivarits arming as mnch as possible, against, further attacks, and this is what a; good powder dip does.: .1 remember .visitrng- a .very good'friend-of mine, a Scotch Hlgnlnnd slieop-farmer, in a; fairly, big-,way.; 'This\is ; how some, ton.years ago, ■; that summer being, one of tho dryest We have ever had. Whori I: arrived..lo.:was battlirig with magot-fly, arid already dipped his sheep that 'summei:....three times.- i-Having to range, some-BOoO..ncres; of mountainous country, the. task was no flight one, dozens of slteep had died, and 'although.- tho proprietor, and' his snepherds were' ,'mos't - diligent in -'hand-clean-■ing the sheep,'still they, could, riot:keep the fly. pest down.. Thriiirst-thing I asked was what: dip".was -herrising, and: ■mb instantly,:-that lio-.was ,usinß,'.a-.well-known maker's dip ;6f ■• a'.carbolic' nature.; On ; my' r«comniondatioii' he _ orderedstraight; away .a good powder dip,. used it: tho .very day' if-' arrived,^ and ;once dipping cleared:the -slteep entirely, -for that siimwer,- and needless to say he has ■ used it bver-:since.' 1. say candidly lhat. a good'powder dip is' more lasting than, any 'other sheep-dip .ori tlio-'markot/nnda-strongly '-.Tecouimend "this' to ~sheop-br«od,;. ors cv'erywhero.-: Use a:dip tho: ; makors -'of Which'have• a' reputation to: loose, -fol-i low • out the inst'ructioiis; v lenve . tho sheep' in tho bath a fullr minute, havo; '.the bath kept' well' stirred,: and the owner will-then firid : that ■it .-istlie'besfinvestmont hbvevef ; .'-;; :; -::-- :^--\,.

: . SOUND CONDITIONS'.CONTIKTJE..; -:■'• Wool .. conditions in this .country stilt continue to .manifest 'all; tho' sound■'.fen-', tures which it has:been my;privilege to. note during the past month, and. without doubt we have arrived>at the. time.of tho year" when ■ tho weekly-happenings are .in a largo 'measure'-, but a. duplicate- of .tho previous ones. .. Hero . ; in -^London,. -' there still obtains in mniiy ,omces:a,'.holiday.as : . poot,- but; it' is-rather. significant" .that duvf. ihg the pn'st fortniglit tliero. havo.-been. many .inquiries .from Yorkshire, for.greasy., wool. ;j It has m ade many- a selling, broker and importer .put two.;and two .together,, those frcquout inquiries; being thd' outcome - of ' tho largo ,'■• transactions \ wliioh; have been put, through : by Bradford top. makers and spinners during'■the-"past few weeks. The calling for woolduring the interval is rather, significant, : and all tho. more so when 'it. was' genornlly 'supposed - thati.there.-could bo.-no-..shortage, of.raw-, material after"last year's record slip from .Australasia. It makes one- wonder -whore the 14G,000 bales 'increase.; has njl gone to, and whether thoro'-ia lurking somewhore--50,000 to 100,000 bales that iiobody. knows about.- I honestly think ; ',that-- if there 'were any stocks- thoro-would, be; signß,' or them, but - Wherever we' turn ,w'e icahhot find existing any surplus whatever. -Such is the actual standing''of tho raw'.mntoiv ial;-and.what fwool is. going, forward.diieot' of Queensland,.new J ' clip ."and -scoiired'sßin; woofs from.Melboiiriie and; Sydney- is' : '. all being.'tekon by Bradford;topmakprs. Col.'; ■ o\\v -.is; lent to; tliis circumstance'.by tho. large weights; vf Mazamet skin- wools, whioh havo.beon.taken..hy'Bradford usorß, during the. past "fortnight. It is,a very, oommoh ..tiling with tppmakers .to .. buy; pulled wools: froni -Mazaniet, and'-after' treatment bleutf the same in the -produ'e-i tion of -tops; -It .is ,a.-v/ell-luiown iaair that. this .■' class 'of' material ■ does in.. no sense beiieftt tho cbmhed; article, but its '■ use :is principally, for Vcheapening. pui;-. poses,-and here we • have, one important l reason why.. Bradford' top'makers, are able;; week in,week .out to accept prices which to those'dutsido- the .tradefseem too.little when the actual; first cost of .good greasy -. combing wool is concerned.,; However, I have no desire "to, go into, tho intricacies of -tepmaking at this moment, but all- : tho. same Mazamet skin .'wools- furnisli'-fodd-for. thought on. the-part of those engaged 1 : in the colonial' trade...;. As everyone., : knows, Ma'ssamnt is a valuable, nutlot; fortremondons weights "of pulled -'sheepskins •both from Australia ahd-the River Plate, "and business^generally' is. -healthy .. and sound. .-. .' ~'

; ;; ;' ; ;a.steady trade doing.- ;■■•'.M : The past week lias'again .been what -we. may call a normal "timo in conneotioii with 1 the premier Yorkshire centre, and tho business passing is ebaractorised ,with. stcudirioss nntl strongth.v. There; seems, to bo'sufficient doiug to test price, and, without doubt.everythitfg is resting.upon. a firm foundation." '■ The spurt of buying seen, during the earlier ; days of. August, lias td'a large extent subsided, and' now when users : have .epvercditheir immediate wants, '■ tliev ara, in "many;'cases quietly, taking their holidays, / -arid ( allowing tilings to ;work ; out their .own salvation. There is about such conditions as' these something to coin mend them to tho whole trade,: no .matter whether:the reader, is associated with the producing or tho consuming end of the. industry. There is a eomploto nbsonco ; of nil uneasiness respecting tho future, and,-'as far as one can see, the outlook. for '-trade is so healthy as to lhako everybody feel satisfied that wool values are nblo to' take oaro of themselves. Tho trouble_ among the wareifousemen connected witli-tho woolcombing industry, mentioned last week has taken a 1 more; practical shape, a general agreement being-arrived at Inst week-end for 'the' whole matter to" be re-ferred-to the Wages Board, thanks.largely to :. the, interposition -of'the Mayor of Bradford.- 'The men returned to- work last Monday morning, the difficulty being left in. the hands of the parties representing the. men and the masters'.; This has made .everybody feel more .satisfied, and, as far as one'can see, there is'now' cverv , appearance'" of the , trouble being amicably settled. "Prices are vory firm, and the majority: of fopmnlcers aro quoting 2s.- sd: for 61's. Some aro asking a •f motion-more, but it is otitiroly : in. selfdefence, and, to' bo very, candid, they do ■not-expect to make it.' Their position is that they liavo sold . sufficient forward to absorb all tho wool they have by them, and with the' mnrket being -.where ■it is, and a prospective squeezo. for the raw material during tho, next tlireo months, they aro not disposed to further sell forward what they have not gbt. In that caso.thoro is a steady gov ing'on at topmnking.establishments, and woolcombers aro still running, in tho majority .'of cases, day' and night, consequently work is plentiful, and- all.-alike seem satisfied.

CHOSSBBEDS . CONTINUE FIRM. ' There is. not much change to note in connection with crossbreds. On. tho whole, somo nico weights aro being put through, but here,.too, topmalcers have sold ns.much forward as they enro to, and lately there lias been a good deal of seeking up of tho raw material. .-It is a well-known fact that .there are going to be available bins year, some, fair big weights of Now Zealand crossbred slipes, hut greasy fleece wool will be conspicuous by. its absence. Also there is to bo no "new clip" available till the middle ol uext January, conseexueutly' this is' mak-

ing all users, stick out for tho utmost traction.. Really speaking, prices havo advanced a good halfpenny since tho beginning .of: July, and thoso who sold 10's tops lit -ISJd. cannot but fool uncomfortablo. snreowhoro: '. lleally speaking, crossbred topmakers have had this year, a rather difficult time, for all along they have not been ablo to get a compensating' prico for tho combed article, wool being proportionately dearer than tops. A steady, progressive trade is still doing, ill carded -descriptions, and tho continued popularity of tho' "sweatter" for. ladies' ;wcar is -absorbing some big weights of ■lli's. Lately there has been a lair good move .in- 40's- carded, but prepared sorts do not move so freely .as carded tops. It is .very singular that fine crossbreds, 'sucli'as 50's and sG's,' do not advance,but thbso seem to bo somewhat, overshadowed by CO's, and lire simply marking tinio at'steady prices. AYhen wo eomo. to lower qualities, thero is a fair amount of activity, largely because of a big now demand having sprung up by thase producing bunting materials. Next Juno it is:expected-that we'shall seo tho King's Coronation', arid already bunting manufacturers, have received somo very, big orders for 'the fabrics which produce flags, banners, streamers, etc., and it is w<>)t known: that" these cannot bo-made out of shoddy any more than can a fine ladies'.dress"material bo produced-out of a sow's car. The result, is ■ that a' big demand has arisen ' for -32's and britcli tops, arid .these can only bo m ado out of; strong, deep Unglish descriptions, such as Lincoln wethers, and wools of.-a'simi-lar- ' Which - are , grown in, the Northern. Counties, Nottingham and Devonshire. . ill this should ..benefit materially strong South. American and Now Zealand-.crossbreds when they;, become available. ' " ' .