YORKSHIRE WOOL LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1373, 26 February 1912, Page 6

YORKSHIRE WOOL LETTER.

» QUALITY DIFFERENCES IX WOOL. (From Our SDecial Correspondent.) Bradford, January 12, 1912. J ha»e just laid down two samples of wool from two exh'p-me. quarters of the globe, which have been ,<-ent me for inspection, and to bo reported upon. Ono is grown by a noted New Zraland Romne,y slirsh breeder, and the other accompanied n- letter that cam? from Pnraguay in South America. The letter from tho latter qiia't,'r reals as follows:—"I thought, it might possibly interest you to seo these samples of wool, (frown"in the Paraguayan '. I'Vico. Tl\? .sample bound with a pieco of wool is from a two-thcir Romney Marsh capon, a <lescendant iron, 116 ewes and ■! rams importcd irom Argentina some five years ago. The other is from one of the original Romney Marsh rams-, now very old. I have also added a sample taken from a two-tooth caponcross between n Ronmey .Uarsh mm and 3 common Parajunvau criolln cwo. This sample is taken from a washed skin, as all tho others were shorn at time of writing." This letter is from a gentleman who ha,s picked up tlw writer"s name after reading many of his articles, and vhc samples he. sends open up a subject weli worth consideri «.r. I ha\-e placed this sample alongside the ono from New Zealand, and to convoy the niffc-rriioe i.n {■o per is -practically impossible. Still, it just shows what different ch.e??s of wool arc being grown in tho various CDimtries, and whit possibilities there nrs in the sheep and wool world. So far as the Romney Marsh wool is concerned, I never handled a. nicer bit of stuff, this f.nmplp really Ikmiie sent in reply to one I had sent from England last July fpini a noted hent bleeder of the Romnfy Marsh sheep, who has the distinction of heinc: a regular yearly winner at the English Roval iVuriniltural Show. ■ The Kew Zealand breeder, in commentins on this EnglisliRTown sample of tez (h<ig) wool I had wnt him, says that in his opinion it is vastly deficient in Quality, and I readily accept (he st.ifonieiit when tho wool is' nlaco;! olonsside his own. There is no doubt tint tho New Zeilaul Uomiwy Marsh Iwtiol lvhicli the'piowrr happened to pick from a (!«-oe dnriiiß slicarinc in Octobr-r, is a vastly finer stanlo than the Endish(frown Rcmncy Marsh sample, but it sfoms le me that the former is inst ns much on the fine side as the latter is on th? :ourfe. .No doubt Enslisli breeders bivi> encleav n.red .to evolve a Rannw-v sheon in which tho niutton side of the br:erl ha; been' <lei-elo|;ed :k much as . possible, whcrci.s ihe New Zealand broedfrr in this ens? bus worked more rigorously on the si le of the fleece. At the same time, I find no • fault with the English sample, simply because it is about a lG's Quality, and good standard Romney Marsh v.onl ranges from it's to &'*, wherens Uie >:ev .Z-y.land sanvple runs up to 50's. ■ Tim thoiiffhf Hint comes into one's mind is as to whether there is as much stamina, size, anil character connected with the Eoainjy breed in New Zealand as there is in the sheep reared in Kent, .''nd, without passing any opinion, claro say sheep "from both growers will bo sound and good in every [Mint and particular. There is in connection with the New Zealand sample the oharacter of the Romney Marsh in ko far as the "blobbincss" of the sample is concerned, although it is more si thnn 1 , in wools grown in Patagonia and Chili. When al! is said and done, there is no doubt that climate and pasturage play a very importa it part in determining the character-cf the fleece. If is a ' wellknown'fact that a pure Lincoln sheep bred and reared in I.incolhshire, if it is removed into the adjoining countv of Nottinglinm'-diire/ undergoes spine change' in fleece, although tho distance removed is not 50 miles. Tlie.ro is still the Lincoln, lustrous character, bit in two or Hires wars' time the animal produces a finer fierce, wl-ilo its progenitors show a distinct improvement on this h«d. There is. therefore, no wonder that when Ifnninev Marsh sheep are shifted from Kent to New Zealand, a finer fleece is produced, and I do not suppose that this peculiarity will over be remedied.

1 robably the pamnlo sent me from Paraguay will bo tho most interesting to readers of Ihw issue, as, indei>;l, they nre to me. We haro here an example of tho effect r>! unsiiibible climate nnd pastnrairo, and proliably the want of fresh blood, upon the grown ftaplo, for here tho quality is somevhat deficient, and the woil tends to whnl practical woolnion call "wildntss." Tlio quality here is not 44's in the pure Romney Maxsh st.vule, and I conclude, that with the sample bsing from an aged ram, it will be somewhat finer than the fleece grown Ihreo or four years ago. The oiniplo is "blobby." and somewhat fluffy in appea-Tancp. The serration has almost disappeared from the staple, and thare is strong evidence of a iicod for fresh blood. There is not tho slightest doubt that this is one of the peculiar effects which the climate and rnstiirage of Pntaponia, Tierra del Fueßo, ■ Chili", and tho Falkland Islands havo upon the. staple, and with Paraguay lvinjr on the north-west.side of thr Arp;pntine, and bordered by Bolivia nnd Brazil, it seems as if (ho climate tWe. has also some influence. i:doii it of a deleterious nature. lam not surprised at this JieciuiscPiiragHay is n hot comitry, bpinfe situated no great distance from the equator. However, I can only judgo from the sample I fee, nnd it certainly is very intwstin.e. At the same time I am persuaded that tlie.ro is need here for fresh Wood to be infused into tUc flock, otherwise in a year or two the wool will degenerate almost info hair. The best sample in the bunch is undoubtedly that produced from the cross Romney Marsh capon, whatever that sheep may be. I have been accustomed to sheep and wool terms over thirty years, but this is the first time in my life* that T have ever heard the word "capon" used in connection with sheep and wool. However, I take the farm (0 mean n eastratod ram. The staple shows 0 little more iirecdin?, and the quality is about a ■14's but not more. In my opinion it lacks life and vitality, and is deficient in that nice soft handle which is so valued by wool buyers. It is a wellknown fact that South America furnishes tt\e hosiery trade with, some particularly pond'lines of useful materia], but spinners and manufacturers do not wnnfc 'Vildness' of staple, and a fibre that lacks that breed nnd elasticity which makes the fibre almost beyond control as it is passing through the different processes of manufacture is never appreciated. The more vitality and breed there is in a wool fibre, and the better it can bo manipulated. Tho sample fnken from the skein is the worst in the lot, there is kenip in the staple, and no doubt the washing has revealed the true nature pf the fibre. I never like to see a straightcrown cfapln of wool, for it is conclusive proof that it is not far removed from hair, and that is exactly the failing in this case. The Jesson arising from the above facts is obvious, namely, that 50 far tis wool production is concerned. Aiistraliin and New Zealand pastoralists have little to fear at the hands of their South American competitors. In saying that I want to, do full, justice to my. friflnds in the River Plato and elsewhere, but there is no doubt- about tho crossbred* of tho Dominion being altogether softer and better grown than similar wools nroduced in tho-different countries of South America. I see no reason whatever why there should not be a big cxnort trade in menus and the various English breeds of rams that are beinp produced both in Australia and New Zealand with South America, for a large number of the latter clips would be vastly improved by (ho infusion of colonial blood.

CONDITIONS UNCHANGED. Wool continue* to entire tho unreserved iittention of the trade, liolwillLstnndinq that there are many factors nl work which are making more or less ngainst the aTtielo pursuing the even tenor of it'i cmir?o. Tt is indeed most unfortunate th-jt inst.en<V of ppjee and prosperity, man's intervention in the naturnl order of things is prodneinu » considerable amount of and on the industrial hori/on there aro many ominous signs which can easily upset the applectirt nf holders of the raw material. I am certain that the (.rode would be join? steadily on and eiijoynii? n fair dc?Tcc of prosperity but for the labour troubles which everywhere abound, and it looks as if business is.going to V<j hnmpered and the wheels of. progress arrested" by tho lack of _confidence involved. What is In I'Tiiifj about permanent peace is not altogether dear, but employers both , in the wo;il and cotton trade' are striving for a principle whirh, if they do not prove to be masters, will menu (he h'judins n*'cr nf the reinv of sovevntnent to union ofilcklij md it trill not theu be

lonp before a state of chaos is reached which will ba deplorable. The Lancashire cotion trade lias been reduced to a stale of impotence ever .since tho new year driwne.l, and 350,000 workpeople have h«*n locked out simply because « firm elected to employ tiro hands who nre not members of the union. Tho same thing is practically being fought for in thn lintdforii wool-combing tradn, and so intolerable, have things become on account of the insulting; attitude, taken up by members of the. union that earlv this week the hands of Messrs. Jsnne. lloldrn and .Sons, Limited .comprising 8(100, camo out on strike, two big mills being closed. At the. time of writing, however, the difiieully has for tho present, been overcome, and the whole of the employees have reJl! Tne, lJ° work - u '■' to lj '° nopf ,l that Win settlement: which has been arrived at will prove permanent, for there is seiircoJy anything which is so injurious to tratio ns a lack- of good feeling between masters and men. It is very important that tho two parties should work amicably together, and by that means do their «hare ownrds bringing about that expansion of trade which all are anxious to see