YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1330, 6 January 1912, Page 14

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

SHEEP DIPS AND WOOL-GROWING. (from Our Sdcclq! CorrcjMndMtJ Bradford, November 23, 1911. The questions of sheep dipping and wool-growing are inseparable, and however much pastoralists may think otherwise, experience has shown that sheep which are iu a perfect state ol : health, find are not made uneasy by knowing and biting parasite.?, are always able to graze contentedly and grow a good fleece. It sounds reasonable that when an animal is comfortable, and is not having to fight factors which tend to upset its physical constitution, that it can grow a better fleece than ono that is constantly suffering. It is my candid opinion that money spent in a good sheep dip is a valuable investment to any sheep farmer, and the troublo and expense entailed in dipping is more than refunded in better fleeces, and a healthier flock. This subject of sheep dipping has engaged my practical attention during the past fifteen years, and I have been an eye witness of many experiments, besides spending a good deal of money in testing wool which has been dipped in many different concoctions. There are sheep dips and sheep dips, just as there is butter and butter. Some are not worth being taken as a gift, while I am certain there are others which arc not only useful, but highly conducive," to the health of tho sheep anil the growing of tho Ueeee. I don't think I should have touched upon this subject but for the fact that in South Africa various obsolete methods are still practised which if . made known to Australian pastoralists would make them smile. Bo it said to the credit of the eheepfarmers at the Cape, that during tho past few years considerable progress has been made," and in ten years'. time' tho Cape clip will bo considerably..'better in character than to ; day. Still, owing to tho presence of scab, this question of sheep.-dipping has always .'been a" burning one; with.. Sbutli African •sheepfarmers.' Wherever: scab is found it is'a wretched incubus on the sheep and" wool industry. I have always maintained that in South Africa, scab is costing, the country at least ,£150,000 annually, aiid involves'a heavy direct loss to pastoralists. A scabby sheep can easily lose oiie pound of its best- wool, while the growth of the entire fleece "is also retarded. "No" man can estimate the actual loss which pastoralists suffer through this terrible disease, and if it. could'bo exterminated from South Africa, it would be a "boon and a blessing" to tho entiro country. . v A WORD ON DIPS.

I am afraid ithat tho majority -of pastoralists have little conception of tho forces at. work in' connection with sheep dips. _As already said, there are dips and dips, and it behoves everyone to see that what he uses bears the'namo of a firm with a reputation to lose. I havo gone into this question most thoroughly, both from a scientific and practical standpoint, and 1 am persuaded . that some concoctions which aro being used to-day are doing more harm than good. About a month ago I spent a week-end with one of the .best farmers on the high fells of Westmoreland. As I walked round the farm and inspected his sheep stocks, 1 saw at once that he had recently dipped for winter. It needed no expert to see that the dip he had used had had a too bleaching effect upon ' the wool. His fleeces wero too loose and open, for an English winter. I called his attention to this, and as the serving season was coming round, tho next day he yarded 150 owes in order, to separate, the gimmers from tho older sheep. The opportunity was then furnished to.examine tho ileeces carefully. Wo had not been.long on tho job before, my friend candidly confessed that my opinion was right, and that the recent dipping had had too searching an effect upon tho wool. Of course,, it was free from parasites, but otherwise there was much to be desired. My friend had been using a concoction made locally by ah individual whoso knowledge ol tlio principles of dipping was very elementary; in fact, ho had simply got together a combination of carbolic acid, tar, soda, and other chemicals,'and so lonp as it black-looking 6tuff, and sufheiently strong to kill lice, keds, etc., it was satisfactory. I pointed out to my friend that tho sheep had been punished,- that the wool had been robbed of much of its natural'preservative, i.e., yolk, and that the fleeces stood a far better chance of "cotting" than they would havo done if a "proper dip had been used. Also, owing to the open character- of the fleeces, the sheep were very poorly equipped for standing; heavy rains and tho rigours of an English winter. These are only simplo points, but I maintain that they aro quite as applicable to the colonial pastoralist as they are to an English sheepfarmer, and because of this fact tho subject is well worth considering.

' CAUSTIC SODA. ' I hardly think I should have , handled this subject to-day but for a communication I have received from a correspondent in South .Africa calling my attention to tho frequent use of caustic soda as a sheep-dipping ingredient. I fail to see any wisdom in using such a deleterious mixture. Ever since inen knew anything about wool they have said with one unanimous voice, "keep caustic soda and lime as far away from wool as possible." I repeat the statement to-day with as much emphasis as possible, for it is simply suicidal from a wool-grower's standpoint to use either caustic soda or lime in connection with sheep dips. . A few years ago a keen battfewas waged.throughout South Africa against lime and 6ulphur. The Bradford wool trade was asked to givo its verdict upon lime and sulphur as well as caustic soda and sulphur, and the verdict against these two preparations was as plain and emphatic.- as possible. 1 am certain that if a caiivas was made to-day of the entire wool world, there would not be a' single practical man who would speak in favour of the use of these mixtures.

Let me briefly explain the action of theso sheep-dipping materials upon the fleece. I roadlly agree that tney will soou destroy all parasitic life, and while they are doing that, they are also injuring tho growing fleece . When caustic soda and limo come in contact with the growing; fleece, they always produce a "perishing" effect upon it. It only needs a certain strength of caustic soda to entirely dissolve the wool fibre, and [ candidly say that it is too dangerous .and harmful a commodity" to' be used by any wool-grower. If a man were walking near a dangerous precipice, a wise counsellor would direct him as far from the edge as possible, and I say tho same about dangerous sheep dips. Whatever inflicts injury on tho growing fleece should be left alone. Caustic soda and lime robs tho fibres of their preservative, namely, tho yolk which nature has supplied in order to benefit the growing fleece. I am certain that South African pastoralists, and those who hitherto have been satisfied to use home-made preparations in. a crude , form, are losing more tha nthey gain, and above all I would say leavo alone those chemicals whose action is too fiery when they, come in contact with such a delicate fibre as wool.

I hold no brief for any sheep-dippiDg S reparation. The motive that prompts hese remarks is to benefit tho woolgrower, and I say candidly that an arsenical powder: dip is the safest that can be used . Carbolic dips arc too volatile in their action, and" in twentv-four hours the sheep are liable" to be "struck" with fly or even scab. The same canmit bo said nf T ," arsenical powder dip when properly and scientifically made. I have always maintained that sheep should, be armed against fly attacks. By using tho dip recommended a certain amount is deposited on the skin in powder form, and prevents the eggs of the fly hatching out into maggots. In conclusion I would say arm the sheep against fly attacks, but use that class of dip which promotes the health of the sheop. Iu that way tho foundation will be laid for the production of a good fleece of wool, and that is what the trade wants.

WAITING FOR LONDON TO OPEN,

•There is really not much change to report in the wool market. The tindo is ■ quietly awaiting the oponing of the sixth scries of London salos, which begin next Tuesday, and I expect a fairly good timo will bo experienced. Overseas advices are to tho effect that prices are still firm, and this has had its natural elTect upon topmakerK. Tlie fact is, no one can afford to take less monev than they have been doing, and unle.-it they can command tho prices which (hoy are a.-king, tr?pu>aker? are still assuming an attitude of reserve. Most, busine<H has lieeti done during the past week for immediate delivery. There does not. seem to be. about the market toy wtisht

of fme tops which are available for immedinte consumption, and as far ;s I can see this is going to he the principal factor at the' forthcoming series of sales. Jt is possiblo to-day to obtain 251(1. for ftt's tops for immediate delivery, but I would point, out that when the last series of Loudon sales closed, lopniakers were able to sell at a penny more. On tlio face, of it, it. therefore looks as if prices will decline a little. Some seem to think that merinos will fall a good TV per cent., but my view is that mere buying power will be manifest than tho majority expect, and I shall bo gieatly surprised if the deeliue is more than 5 per cent. There continues to U< an excellent consumption of merinos, which undoubtedly is the asset of the trade to-day. I cannot say that there is great conli'ileneo in tho perm,iiuu>co of to-day's values. Political complicating arc making many uneasy. If there were no labour troubles, and the outlook was clearer, trade would again bound forward, but we havo to taiio things as tlity are, and mako the best of them.