YORKSHIRE WOOL LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1503, 27 July 1912, Page 14

YORKSHIRE WOOL LETTER.

LEICESTER SHEEP AND WOOL. ■ ■ (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, June U, 1912. The fact is remarkable that the entire World loolt3 to Groat Britain for supplying itud sheep of tho mutton breeds. When one carefully thinks over this truth, it gives rise to the question', "Why should this be?" and the answer is not far to seek.- If one carefully studies tho geographical position of these , islands, together with tho temperate climate which is experienced, he vfill seo clcaTly that nnturo has specially fitted them to te tho bieeding-grouud for tho various mutton sheep which are found there.' It is quite trno that about the year 1800 and 1820 a very commemlablo attempt was made to climatiso tho Spanish merino, but it failed, altlmtch to-day thero is still in Suffolk a small flock of that ancient breed. No doubt the merino did not answer beoauso -this is a- country with a climate to a large extent unsuited for it, although it must never bo forgotten that the merino played an important part in giving style aud character to some of the Down breeds of Great Britain I am absolutely certain that tho merino was , largely used in the formation of the Southdown, the Shropshire, and the other Down, breeds. At tho Inst Smithfield cattle show the writer examined a pen of fat Southdowns whose wool was 58 s to GO's quality, and I have known Southdown wool to he blended with Australian GO's, in the production of tops. To-day I am more concerned to say something about the Leicester, for it is undoubtedly the foundation, of all tho rest of the long-woolled sheep. It is one of the oldest sheep in Great Britain, and its influence oii the flocks of tho world cannot possibly be over-rated. Perhaps during tho last few years it has to some e-xtout been relegated to the background, but some day it will come into favour again.

THE HISTORY AND POINTS OF THE BREED. The name of Robert Jlakwvell, of .Dishloy, near Loiighborough, 'ia Leicestershire, must ever bo associated with the Leicester sheep. It was about 1755 when that farmer took tho only native sheep in hand and evolved what became known as tho new Leicester. His efforts wero contemporaneous with the dawn of agricultural improvement, in England, and with tho .expansion of .its industrial resources. The higher kind of farming them inaugurated demanded that live stock shonld bo bred in larger numbers and. cultivated in a more scientific manner; and the increase of the manufacturing population at once afforded a ready market for the 'increased supplies of Wf :and mutton. BakoweU, therefore," endeavoured' to lessen tho size of his sheep, to reduce their bone and offal, to impart symmetry' to their shapes, and especially, to stimulate- the origination of. a mutton-producing breed, expressing his indifference to ■ the weight or quality of the fleece. ; Wool was thus a point upon which lie placed" but a secondary value; indeed, ho regarded a heavy fleece a3 • detracting from his great aim—a ready disposition to make all tho food assimilated tend to the accumulation of fat. Even on. mutton production Bakewell had distinct and peculiar ideas, which wero amply warranted by the circumstances prevailinc; at tho. time. The largest and fattest sheep commanded the best price. It was found for many years that to take a small and-:hot overfed joint of mutton into one- of tho largo towns of-Yorkshire or Lancashire was to ruir the risk of. having the-commodity neglected, for the usual practice was to put a largo joint of fat mutton over a dish of potatoes at tho workman's table. Tho meat went to the heads of the family; the potatoes, saturated with the fat aiid gravy, making a savoury meal for tho junior members. Thousands in manufacturing ' and mining districts were brought up in this way for years, bo that in breeding fat sheep Bakewell had a hotter warrant than would apply\dt. the present day,, when fat is obtained in moro palatable and digestablo form in butter, and its cheaper imitations, and when tho working clashes, as well as others, prefer to have lean and juicy' mutton. Among the few recorded statements of Bakowell (who was not a communicative man) thero is one mentioned by Mr. Pitt in his "General Survey of tho Agriculture of Leicester" (1809), which throws light on his objects. A gentleman said to the great breeder:. "Your mutton is so fat that I cannot eat it." BakewelPs rejoinder was: "I do not breed mutton for gentlomen, but for the public;.and even my mutton may be kept leaner to suit every palate by stocking harder in proportion and by killing the sheep in time." Bakewell's shee-p soon attained great popularity. His first lot of a ram was in 1700, the fee being 17s. 0(1. In 17S0 he let three rams for 1200 guineas, lor the season. The Dishley Society was established, nnfl by means of it tho sheep acquired very high value.Until quite recently Mr. Valentino's Barford possessed a flock of Leicester that had been, preserved, pure from the days of Bakewelf. They were distinguished by great symmetry, and ''although Mr. Barford did not go beyond.liis own flock for his rams, nc.ither the health of the sheep generally nor the fecundity of the ewes was impaired; his sheep, however, were small. ' . / . Tho Lcicesters soon extended all over England, and large numbers were taken to> Scotland and Ireland. The ameliorative influoneo exercised by the breed on all long-woolled varieties, and on some of the short : woolled kinds, was very great, the chief features imparted being a tendency to early maturity, and tho production of a preat proportion of fat.

T.ho breed, as has been said, has extended all over tho United, Kingdom. 'Die constitution and general disposition of tho Leicester would point to a'naturally fertile and highly cultivated soil as its habitat. Scattered overisuch a wide range of country, tho typo has varied, not**only owing to climatic conditions and the naturo of the soil, but also in.accordance with the varied objects that have governed breeders in the continual process of selection. Taking the typo of sheep generally found, it is correct to sav that tho fovequarter of the Leicester is remarkably well developed; the shoulders nre wide and sloping, consequently there is no rigidness along tho back; the bosom is deep and wide, and the fore-flank very full. The animal close to the ground, and the neck is short, so that tho head is raised but little above the line of the back. Tho neck is full and broad at tho base, but gradually tapers towards the head, boinpr particularly fine at the junction of the head and neck. The neck soems to project straight from the chest, so that there is, with the slightest pospiblo' deviation, one continual horizontal lino from rump to poll. Tho ribs aro Fell sprung, and the carcass is very true; tho hips are well covered, but not wide, and taper towards the rump, which is small. The back is well covered with fat. The eye is full and prominent; tho head tolerably long and fine, aud hornless; tho ears thin and rather long, and tho muscular development is moderate. Tho legs of mutton are. not largo, and therq is a deficiency of lean meat. With a wonderful capacity for rapid development thero is liltlo inside fat; hence Leicestors are not now favourites with the butchers. Their great merit is their early development, and their ability to accumulate weight rapidly. The wethers, when fattened in their second year, weigh 25 to 3Clb. per quarter, the fleece 71b. to 81b. At the Smithfield Club shows of recent years, lambs from nine to ten months have weighed 1511b., and wethers, twelve to twenty-four mouths old, 273 lb.; those, of course, being the live weights of fliiimals that have )>e*n forced to their utmost capacity, LEICESTER WOOL. ■ The description of this breed of sh&ap will bo incomplete without some reference to tbo tleece. This belongs to what is known in the manufacturing world as long wool, that is, u llceco growing a good length of staple, sound, shafly, and lustrous. It is perhaps hardly so bright as Lincoln, but is iv triflo fiiiei , in quality, and is very acceptable where a nice Ws to •H's top i« wanted. 1 wish to direct attention specially to the iullueuco of the Leicester upon tho frozen meat industry of Now Zealand. The Leicester really foumlo.l the export trade in frozen million both in New Zealand and Australia, this breed of sheep bring the most largely used at the commencement for crossing purposes. It is a popular cross to-day, though perlinps it -line been superseded in tho Rivor Plato by the Homney Marsh and the Li'dcoln. 1 have maintained, all alonfl tha,t thf Loico.'tcr is not apprceintod by thoso catena* , , for ts4 frozen. jnuttpA tjiduato

as it ought to be. There is no moro acceptable fleece to buyers than tho Leices-ter-Merino cross, whilo it is well known tnat the highest-priced crossbred wool grown in tho world is from tho Leicester-' Merino flocks in West Victoria. There is certainly a delightful 6tyle, quality, and lustre about the wool, and for many reasons it is to be hoped that this will not be overlooked. Tho cross produced a firstclass "freezer," whilo the wool is, nnd always will be, very acceptable. BRADFORD TRADE. Ml things considered, tho market yesterday was fairly good. A very strong tono was in evidence, nnd even if the amount of new business passing was not as much as some would liko to eeo, there was sufficient doing to prevent any description of wool in tops slipping back. As a matter of fact, merinos aro particularly well held, nnd holders are more determined to enforce their quotations than they have been since the holidays. The little irregularity'seen ten days ago nas entirely passed, and to-day • an average GJ's top is well worth 26(1.', some even quoting as high as 2CJd. Crossbred* continue- largely to mark time, but if anything, medium classes aro not so depressed as they were, and taking things on the whole, a. better feeling obtains in regard to 10's to 50's tops.