OURYORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 12

OURYORKSHIRE LETTER

MEANING OF MEDIUM TO GOOD WOOLS ■ (From Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, August 27. Probably the bulk of the merino wools grown throughout Australia come under the category of good and medium greasy. These two terms are somewhat elastic in their application, but all the same they mean a ■ great deal, and probably 75 per cent. of the raw material grown in the Commonwealth. A very large proportion of South Australian merinos come under that designation. We have ex--plained before that this State produces somo really excellent topmaiing wools, renowned tor tho depth and shaftiness of the staple, combines with length, and in good normal seasons, bulk and length will be more noticeable in these wools than in any produce grown in any other State. No doubt the class of e/heep , depastured and also climatic conditions conduce to the production of this, class of, staple. Of course,. every wool grower worth his salt makes an eiTort to produce a fleece which can be styled very good, but often there are forces against him which have au influence upon wool production, and the sheea when shorn turn oil fleeces which' can only he called good and medium wools. But even for these the trade is thankful. Of course, at a time like the present, when war conditions prevail; and when everybody is wanting :h® best in order to "-facilitate free and quick working up, the demand naturally' l-uns upon something very good, but for raulc and file purposes, good and medium wiools are a useful commodity. . They cannot be passed by, and a sensible ljser will never attempt to'do so. The production of each State in the Commonwealth varies somewhat,' and the characteristics found, say, in West Australian wools vary very much from what they do ill the wools produced in the south-eastern district of South Australia or West Victoria, while the wools grown in New South Wales, and Queensland differ very mudi indeed from those produced in South Australia. As already indicated this is entirely due'to the class of sheep depastured, principles of breeding, as well as to climatic conditions, but when all is. said and done the wools, while varying, suit equally well the different purposes of manufacture to which they are put. ' . . Looking more minutely at medium to good wools, we find as a rule that there is no' depreciation in Quality, Si's aliko being produced in all the different States Jjf/flhe Commonwealth, including Nov; Zealand. No doubt the breed of sheep is the prime cause in determining qualifo-, together with the season. Everybody knows that in a dry time, the merino turns off a mucli finer fleece than when ,on good pastures throughout the entire growing period, and a reasonable amount of dry iweather does not. affect tho fleece We have known 6ay three Or four, months, of dTv weather lead to a very good - clip in<3«ed being turned out, but-six to eight months of drought is what everyone dreads, it affecting: seriously the character of the fleece. However, drought largely defies human interference. The forthcoming new clip j from Australia is spoken of as certairi'.to be draudit-affected, and it will be lean in quality and staple. Then, too,' we have the question of vegetable matter,' this also .contributing materially to the production of medium to good wool. We'have seen-many a time what was otherwiso a first-class clip spoilt with, the presence rof huge amounts of bun- and seed, A clip, oifered at. the July series of . London 6ales showed a magnificent length, it was beautifully grown, very sound, • but so impregnated with burr, that it lost .2d. per lb., there .-Using very few buyers indeed for rthewool. Probably it suffered through a Jack of Continental competition, because Bradford combers are so, filled with wool that to-day they are refusing very burry parcels. Then again, if sheep are deSastured upon very red, sandy, soil, the eeoo becomes so impregnated "with dust and sand that it is a very strong contributing factor in reducing tho excellence of tho fleeces, and bringing them down to an averago class. - These are oil factors which, as previously sais, play an important part in determining what a clip will be, and woolgrowers will be serving their own best interests by eliminating as much as possible all the drawbacks and improving conditions of growing, for by so doing the fleece will Teap a dircct' 1 benefit. ' . Uses of Medium Wools, 1 This is a, very important part of the i subject, and on® that is deserving of • serious consideration. Tho great volume ;■ of business that is done in the textile ; world is not in the superior fabrics' , .which are made, but what may be' call- . Ed "bread-and-butter lines." This syn- ! ohroniEes with the production of mediumclass wools, arid y.'o find here a very big -. outlet. It is as well that this is so, and when all is said and done medium to 1 good wools produce goods which if not i lowered in intrinsic value by the admixl ture of inferior materials produce fab--1 Tic 3 whioh are really excellent. It is the , bulk trade of the world for whioh inei dium wools are the jnost suitable, and ; into this they go ad lib. We should say that the bFggest business in Bradford j and on., the Continent'is done in the production of medium quality tops, all pro- ' duced from the wools we have under consideration. The reader will see that if I specialities are wanted,- superior wools are : called upon, and when special prices are 1 paid it is for wool intended for the pro- > duction of these superior lines of fabrics. If we take serges as representing a big i volume of business, they are entirely I made from these medium wools, and it . 13 remarkable though not generally , known, that medium and fine orossbreds arr> used for the bulk of the sorgo and coating fabrics- that are produced. The method, of finishing theso goods to-day is , such'that it needs an expert man to tell [ from what quality the fabrics aro made, ' and if a higher standard is wanted, the ■ oloths are made from medium quality i merinos. Tho great hosiery trade also consumes, medium materials, the bulk, of i the wools used, at, least the yarns 6pun . from the wool consisting of mediunv qualities, hence the reader will see that the , very life and Soul of the industry is the. , outcomo of these medium to good wooiS, . and as long as the textile trade lasts they will form by far. the strongest feature of j. the industry. Australia's New Season. The announcement of a sale on Saturday in Adelaide, and the new season open- " ing on September 30, directs attention to ' the fnct that a new Australian clip is be- > ing shorn, and that big quantities will i' shortly be available. There seems to be a fc oonsensus of opinion that tho new clip r will be deficient in 'growth and more i wasty than usual, although, some ontertain tho view that the rain that has -fallen since May will have to some extant " improved it, and possibly partly made 1 up for the deficiency of tho earlier grown * wool. Still once a portion of the ileoce - is spoilt during growth, tho loss can - never be repaired. As a rule whon sheep faro moved from good to lean pasturss a break in the fibre occurs, which every practical woolmau Knows means an increased noik-ige. However, the trade is hoping to see a good season, and there is 3 certainly a prospect of good buying, cs--1 penally' if America comes to the tmcuo and continues her activo operations in Australia. ■