ON THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2131, 4 March 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

ON THE LAND.

RURAL TOPICS. Dry weather in South Canterbury is causing fat stock to be hurried to the freezing works, both ■Sniitlifield and Pareora works are busy. Tho bulk of the stock sent in is in good condition.

Tho balance of opinion, says the C.C. and D. Company, leads io tho belief that lower values in frozen meat must be looked for. The absence of co-operation between tho various branches of the trade is an important factor in arriving at this decision.

The demand for lamb on the London market, says the C.C. and D. Company’s review of tho Home meat trade, grows steadily, and at the prices current during lust year there should bo a profit lor the grower as well as for the Home retailer. A similar range of prices may be hoped for during the coming season.

A largo runholder in South America, Mr Bean, who lias estates in tho Argentine, Patagonia, and tho Falkland Islands, is at present in tho Dominion , and has purchased a number of stud Romneys from the ilock of Mr E. Short, of Waituna. They include six ram hoggets, all by the noted ram Record, and ono four-tooth ram by Old Favourito, the father or Record.

A fine lino of lambs was delivered at the Fairfield freezing works last week' from tho Coldstream Estate. The line numbered 301, and they averaged 38Jlb. They were all passed without a reject- or even a -second quality ticket. Tho lambs wero fattened on rape, and one lamb weighed 651 b. It is the heaviest killed at the works this year.

Mr T. L. Joll, tho well-known dairy factory proprietor, declared the other day that while tho bigger breeds of cows had gone off rapidly. in their milk and were going to fat, owing to tlio drying up of pastures, the Jerseys had kept in good dairy condition, and were maintaining their supply remarkably well. They do not carry superfluous flesh, and conse-quently-do not suffer to the same extent as cows of larger build when pastures dry up.

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER. LINCOLN MERINO CROSSBRED WOOL. (From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, Jan. 17, 1908. If wo could bring back the manfacturers and wool users of 75 to 100 years ago, and show them the great variety of wools whioh are now placed upon the markets of the world, they would stand mesmerised at what they saw. I have an intimate relationship with one of the oldest buyers who has gone to London sales since March 1872, and he tells mo that tho number of qualities which now confront the trade are simply legion compared with what they saw in tho -early seventies or eighties. Why, iu those days it was all merino wool, and the finer the better. Seldom did they seo crossbreds; in fact, tho only crossbred wool that was then available consisted pre-eminently of English grown fleeces. Tho great Colonial cross-bred trade was then tin-, born, and not until tho eighties wero well passed did the famous Now Zealand crossbred wools begin to appear. It would be a very interesting and liistorieal fact if it wero possible to ascertain who first of all coupled an English mutton sire with a merino ewe, and who laid tho foundation of tho big crossbred trade in wool. I remember well tho cheap wool days when merinos wero but tho prico of an old song, when every bale of New Zealand crossbred was snapped up like penny cakes in a famine. That, of course, was duo to tho comparative scarceness of tlio article, coupled with tho great fact that tlio textile trado had almost gone mad over tho novelty of producing very saleable fabrics of a somewhat different texture to tho coarser wools of British growth. One can easily see that when for generations nothing but fine faced soft fabrics merino produces have boon in vogue, that such a drastic yet acceptable change was bound to inspire pastoralists to produce crossbred wool when such handsome prices wero forthcoming, which, coupled with tho increased value of tho carcase, has led to an almost universal adoption of the mutton cross. Schwartzes’ in their last annual circular cstimato the production of crossbred wool for the last year at 45 per cent-, compared with 31.7 per cent, in 1895. In the year of 1903 and 104 they estimated the production at 51.8 per cent., no doubt the larger growth of Australia during tho past three years diminishing the proportion of crossbred, and increasing the growth. LEADING FEATURES.

It is a huge mistake to think that all crossbred wools show or possess the same characteristics. Every cross lias a special distinction of its own, and it is reasonable to assume, and experience confirms it, that one cross does better in ono locality than another, I don’t think the fact will be disputed that the English Lincoln and Leicester have done tho most in bringing to the front crossbred wools, and I am persuaded that (speaking from a. wool standpoint) no other English breed of sheep can produce -a more useful crossbred fleece when mated with a merino ewe. This, of course, gives us a good half-bred fleece; line, nice length, sound, fairly lustrous, and much deeper than the merino staple. But, it is succeeding crosses which perhaps concern more the average grower of crossbred wool, and it is not so much the pure half-bred fleece that is tho bone of contention, as tho latter crosses. Half-bred wool always comes under the category of lino cross-breds, and will range from 50’s to o6’s quality. This is very largely used in tho production of worsted coatings, fine serges, knitting yarns, and anything where dead fineness is not required. Both English, Continental, and American buyers all revel in taking fine half-bred wool, tho United States wanting, of course, light condition. ru..,: x- - .i • •

Farm and Station.

MARKET,

vomiting either one or the other, but stating actual facts, leaving the shoepbreedors everywhere tho option to I cross with either according to tho (itiauical results nccuring. But I will say this, namely, that either tho Lincoln or Leicester cross produces a longer and moro lustrous staple than does the Romney Marsh or any of tlio Down breeds. During the i>ast two years complaints havo boon very numerous over tlio short stapled character of New Zealand cross-bred wool. Every Bradford buyer 'has complained bitterly of tho stumpy character of the staple, being mostly what are known in the trade -as of carding, and not combing length. Lot tlio reader bear iu mind that in good 40’s wool length and lustre are two essential characteristics, and in many—perhaps tlio bulk—of tlio last New Zealand clips these have been wanting features, I may bo wrong, but I am rather inclined to think that this is entirely duo to tho discarding of tho Lincoln and Leicester ram and its substitution with such a breed as tho Romney Marsli, whose ileetco comes under the description of demi-lustrc wool, which is much shorter either Lincoln or Leicester. Lot no reader supposes that this is a- fad of the writer, or that ho lias a grudge against such breeds as tho Romney Marsh, tho Downs and the like, for such is not the case. The Romney Marsh undoubtedly is a splendid cross for producing an excellent Freezer, and may influence the sale of fat sheep with tho freezing establishment, but from a fleece standpoint wo get an altogether longer staple, more deep grown, and moro combing property about it when a stronger woolled ram is used.

There is nothing more valuable in cross-bred wool than plenty of length of staple. I mean in course cross-breds of 36’s and 40’s quality. In medium cross-breds ranging round 46’s quality the Romney Marsh undoubtedly is a very valuable sire, but tlio complaints have been all along that flocks that have got a name for producing ail excellent stylo of 40’s combing wool have this last season or two been altogether finer and more stumpy in character, the comparatively dull appearance of tho staple indicating clearly the nonuse of the Lincoln and the Leicester.

When wo turn to look at the River Plate cross-breds, wo seo there a continuance of the free use of the Lincoln, this sheep dominating every other where cross-breds are kept. At the first sale in Liverpool of “new clip” River Plate cross-bred wools held last December, I heard several buyers say that some of the clips wero “as bright as silver,” and the length was splendid. Unfortunately very low prices prevailed compared with recent times, but then they were full market ones, the shorter stapled wools'not doing as well as the better grown wools. Now, let no one suppose that I am here advocating the free growth of wool excessively coarse and low in quality. What is wanted is 40’s, good length, -and bright.

Patagonia is now producing some first class lines ■of cross-bred wools, and the characteristics are somewhat different to either the wools of New Zealand <jr the River Plate. They do exceedingly well for hosiery purposes, tho staple being soft and somewhat short. As a rule they arc rather wasty in condition, but ■ serving a somewhat different purpose to long preparing wools like good,. 40’s New Zealand or River Plato, and nobody looks for either length or lustre such as we get elsewhere.

THE BRADFORD MARKET.

A STEADY BUT .QUIETER

During the past week tilings have tapered off considerably in Bradford, and it is now practically a foregono conclusion that little will bo doing between now and the opening of tho wool sales in Coleman Street next Tuesday. In t-lio aggregate a. considerable business has -been done, all qualities very largely participating. It looks as if for tho present things have gone as far as they are going in an upward direction, and unless tho temper of others is different to those in Bradford, I don’t think values are going to rise much further for the"present. A lower bank rate will no doubt encourage and strengthen the market, but there is not the business doing that was so evident a few mouths back, and there is a lack of stimulating confidence which was so pronounced a feature some months ago. Then the weight of wool in prospect is such that it will take tho trade all its time to get rid of arrivals, and even with -a lower bank rate it is certain that we shall see bankers more particular in regard to allowing overdrafts than this time a year ago. The immediate feature of wool prices is essentially one of finance more than anything else, and as far as one can see the coming sales will not show a- great deal of difference when compared with fast series. Gooil combing nierinoes may go par .to 5 per cent, up, while the majority are looking for cross-breds to come down to enable Bradford topmakers to work on a 131 d basis for good 40’s prepared. The missing link to-day in Biadford is that the Continent has in no sense reciprocated the recent move in Bradford, and reports are not of the best- character. Yarn orders are not- coming through at all well from Germany, and until there is a show of life abroad, it is hardly to be expected that- either spinners or manufacturers will goDn heavily. J; j. now plain to see that the bulk of the recent business was put through at all about the bottom rates, and somebody will require a fair weight of cheap wool to make the tops at the prices they have been sold at. The market is very steady and can be described as firm. .There is not yet that confidence felt about the permanence of to-day’s prices that one could desire, and nobody need be surprised to see yet- a repetition of forced sales. It is satisfactory to 'know that consumption particularly in merinos continues large, and spinners are committed for some months to come. The cross-bred end of the trade is nothing near-so healthy asyfine wools, and some wonbl -