LINCOLN WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1611, 30 November 1912, Page 8

LINCOLN WOOL.

DEMAND FOE TWELVE-INCH FLEECES. Attention lias been directed by Mr. Henshaw 1 Jackson, wool instructor of the South Australian School of Mines, to tho demand that exists for Lincoln wool over 12 inches in length. It appears that a Mr. L.' Levussove, in America, has been for" some time investigating, and experimenting in regard to the possibilities of employing long staple sheep, wool in. the manufacture of articles, for which hitherto only mohair lias been used. Writing to tho "Pastoralists' Review," Mr.' Jackson says:—"lt will bo, of inter<)lt to readers to know that fleeces of Lincoln wool, when 12in. or over in length, and thoroughly sound, are worth tho extraordinary price of 2s. per lb. This information was in my possession some two years ago, but, until I had made some experiments in growing Lincoln wool I was not prepared to say cnythin" on the subject to Lincoln breeders. X have now satisfied myyelf that it is possible to produce Lincoln wool considerably longer than 12in., and am now about to complete tho experiment by shipping a few fleeces to the manufacturers, who nsked me to see what could be done in tho way of securing supplies of such long staple wool in Australia. I expect- to receive rs, net per lb., for this wool if it turns out satisfactorily, which I have no floubt will be the case. "From the information on the subject which I ocessss I am of the opinion that thcr»- is hero' an opening through iHiicli breeders of Lincoln sheep can profit exceedingly on the - sale of their wool. . As far. as I can tell, it is well worth while making this trial shipment, for if it is found that the wool required can . be produced in decent quantities, it looks os if Lincoln breeders can make a good deal moro out of their flocks in the future than they havo don® in the past " Mr. Lovussove had an article in the SeptemlHT issue of the '-American Sheepbreeder" on this subject, and among ither questions ho answers the following:— "May fleeces shorter than 12in. be used in vour line of manufacture?" ; "No! Nothing shorter than 12in.' is wanted in our line." • "Is there ho danger of over-production, and would. it bo safe to go into the long wool growing, business on' a somewhat extensive scale ?" "This question needs a detailed answer. This is practicnlly a new business-, and nobody with, intelligence will jump into it all at once on a very largo scale. It is evident that if hundreds of breeders wero going in for it with thousands of sheep each, and if they could produce hundreds of tons of long wool in a few months, the market could-not absorb all :they produce from the-start. "However, there is not the slightest danger of such a thing. Extra long wool does_ not grow in a, few days, nor is it obtainable in good quality without effort, knowledge, and experience. As it was the. case with mohair, there will be a shortage of staple as well as of breeding animals for some years. The pioneers of the industry will have to surmount the greatest difficulties, but also they will have the most interesting work and reap the greatest profit. They will' be on the ground floor, not only as wool producers, but as breeders of high-priced stock." "Is the demand for long wool likely to l.v» a permanent one?" • ! ; "Yes; there is not a single-industry, in this country having so long and so steadily suffered from such, a shortage c-f raw material as ours. As a matter of fact, 1,. as a manufacturer, could double and triple the output of my establishment if I could only get the raw materials in sufficient quantity. It seems hardly beliey-, able, but for several years I have not spent a cent advertising for the purpose of finding new markets for the goods I manufacture, but I have 6pent considerable money making known to producers that I am the buyer of long mohair and Ion? wool fleeoes. "There are very' many lines of goods where long wool' may become an essential raw material, so that the universal cry of manufacturers of our line is not the difficulty of finding new- markets, but that there should be an incieased supply of rnw material?. "This is why the growing of long sheep wool will become a highly-profitable /industry." \ In. view of tho above, the opinions of New Zealand Lincoln breeders in regard to the production of staple over 12in. long, and tho prospects of maintaining a supply, would be of great interest.