VALUES FOR SLIPED WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1645, 11 January 1913, Page 8

VALUES FOR SLIPED WOOL.

• PREPARATION FOR MARKET. Slipes from are par excellence, there being several freezing establishments which are doing some really excellent work. Wo (tho "Wool Record") desiro to mako no invidious comparisons, but it was frequently remarked at the last London sales, and also in July, that one or two brands are not being classed and prepared for market as carefully as they used to be, and it is a pity when the name of any brand of wool deteriorates. Wo mention this because of the importance which is attached, to the marks placed on the productions of tho various freezing establishments, and would . here impress upon managers tho-importance of-preparing sliped wools for market in a thorough business-like way-. Tho greatest fault we have to find is in tho lack of uniformity in the bales. We know that with tho breaking-up of largo properties and the increase which has taken place in the.number of farmers keeping' little flocks, tho fat sheep and lambs sent to market aro not so uniform as they used to be, this bringing about a corresponding variety in the skins which have.to be handled by the freezing establishments! AHHhe same, we say unconditionally that-when the wool comes to bo stripped fiom the.pelt it will pay to do the work thoroughly, and are satisfied that it is a mistako to mix,the various qualities together. We pass on theso remarks in the hope that those responsible for preparing wools for'market will attend to the details which are always appreciated, and wo trust that hard lumps, paiut, and all other objectionable matter will bo entirely eliminated. In- order to facilitate the classing of tho various descriptions of sliped or-skin wools, we give below a table which will give readers an intelligent idea of what tho quality of the.-wools should be for the descriptions named.' . Description. Quality. Slipe, half bred. super combing lambs : 50's—5G's Slipe, crossbred, Ist combing lambs 46's—4S's Slipe, crossbred, 2nd combing lambs ....'.." 44's Slipe, J-bred combing lambs ..: 40's—4-l's Slipe,.crossbred combing lambs 40's 'Slipe, crossbred lstyl K.. 46's Slipe, ■ crossbred 2nd\ A 44's Slipe, 2-brcd A : ......: -. 40's Slipe, crossbred lambs '. 40's Slipe, pelt , 40's Slipe, crossbred 40's MANAGEMENT OF LAMBS. -•' .'. —: .- '. 1 The effect of castration on lambs is a point that has remained long in dispute, and the opportunity has been taken on some of the New South Wales State farms .to-make it a-subject for a practical test. It is often argued, especially among the breeders of early lambs, that owing to the severity of the operation, and tho consequent check which the young lamb receives, those intended for early sale should not be castrated. All the lambs castrated weretrcatcd with the knife. The following particulars are noted from the managers'report:—"At Wagga- tho wether lambs' showed at the first weighing on an averago an advantage of 41b. as compared with the ewe lambs. This advantage was not only maintained, but increasedias is shown at the final weighing, in which case the average had been increased to 01b. At Cowra' tho averages taken at the first ■weighing disclose no .material difference between, the .weights of the sexes. The final weighings, however, show (he wether lambs to average 41b. more thanj tho. ewelambs. Results from Bathurst favour neither sex throughout the whole period of observatim; while at: Glen, Innes tho wethers hardly retained the slight lead which they had at'first. From these results it might safely be deduced that tho extra pain and loss of blood involved in castration has little or no effect on-the subsequent development of the wether as' compared with the ewe lambs; provided, of course, that the ram lambs are operated on'at about the,age of one month, as-in'this, case." ...