Agricultural and Pastoral.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 94, 19 October 1868, Page 254

Agricultural and Pastoral.

.t-i-'i ' v - J,• - With ' ;so ;close^ aii d> t bia" fciao less ’ squatters ’.pay' considerably ‘ihore of their wocrfor iharket, they .will be grea fhemiCs 'to " themselVes, we pardoned-^if a small spaed to; again urging upon slieepowhets the necessity of dtfing - something, while there is .yet ; hardy time, towards ■hakrng arraiigehseiits fdr turning out in good style the next . season’s clip. Of.course, it is too late how to -think of introducing this y ear' any extensive apparatus* biit, at all events, much can be done in adding to the machinery at present in use, and in changing the r mode of .Washing. There has ilways been a gtesit objection to radical changes of any description. People never care to forsake a track they have lung travelleiil on ; and, in nine crises out of ten, dven though they be convinced of the superiority* of the, >ew, they cling to the old ideas with almost foolish pertinacity. With Woolgrowers, as with politicians and >tbers, the failing is the same. However, there is a “ breeches-pocket s ‘. argument in favor of changes in the mode of preparing the staple which cannot be withstood. The Loridon brokers—the men who are the best judges of the matter —-say that unless fhe : squatters of Australia send to Englaud woor free from dirt, they Will outpaced in the race by the Cape settlers, and the South Ameri cans. It is also worthy of reihark hat the decline in price .which took place last, year was confined princi pally to greasy and semi-washed wools. We content^—and every intelligent squatter will agree with us—that the pastoralists camnot afford to treat with indifference those echoes which almost every mail brings to us from the world’s great mart. The sheep-owner’s position is nofc/ndw the. most brilliant; liis fat st’bek 'da not, as in tlie ” good old time'9,”'fetch 20/ per head; his rent and assessment are higher; wages and rations are as dear; and, therefore, no chance can be. thrown away. In order to be successful, the growers uf our principal staple must try to Urn everything to the very best'ac count: That the majority do not do this, but rather allow the profits that should accrue to them to find their way into the pockets of manufacture! s, we are thoroughly convinced. The wool is sold at a very.inferioi price; and the purchaser sets at once to work and thoroughly, prepares it, adding by the process fully 25 percent, to its value.. *1 hat we are not.making random assertions, we may mention an instance which recently occurred in Victoria. The squatters of two adjoining stations, sent their respective <-lips home last season. ‘‘The two stations are of thv same natural character and quality?,, being portions ol ihe same geological formation. The ordinary station sheep are very similar in quality, ages, and sexes. The wool on one station was washed 'with hot water, soap, and soda, and the wool on the other was well, washed in c.dd water in the old way*. After deducting all expenses on both, clips, the net, results in London were as fullows : —‘ The sheep washed with hot water and spouts yielded threequarters.of an ounce less of wool per head than those' washed with cold water and without, spout. But the former netted more of money per head thantheflatter.’ ” This is surely sufficient to prove to the most sceptical that squatters who. do not adopt the new. plans of washing;, are keeping money, out of their pockets.-

. In this .district we know ■> qf, instances where itupe/fectiwashj.ng.has seriously militaLed iagaihst the. clip. A squatter,* who has- spared no -expense iii improving his breed of sheep—and intends, we are happy to say* .to .“ go iu”, largely; for ;the besti of machinery —sent to England: last year- a* ; heavy consigiinaentj. yet, regards quality,/it; very: eye/ had : shorny. * it fetched a far ldwerqirice thanjQauchfQferiorelips. \Yhat*was; the cause ?i Th%.decline in- the price .will i&yijibuf which mauufficturer-—thoughof'adepifledlfe

.whx>^congye/ iiioth&gf import 1 and purchase oßamboUillet' ISregretti,: attd'the *purest- of Merino 3heep; but if- we dpmpt also pay at| tentiotf to washing- and/scouring, we cannot hbpe to qbtain'gopd prices from flie" noipst canny,of mortals—the buyers tor* tlie, mill, owners in midland cotim ties and the foreign markets. . The remedy is easy of.access;. Duririg the last two yearsThis,subject has aroused so much attention that all sorts and sizes of machines, at, prices suited to the means of the owner, of from 1,000 to 100.000 sheep, can' be obtained in either Sydney: or Melbourne. Al: ready Messrs Bay ly .and Bouse, of Mudgee, have started, in the path of progress:; and we Hope to he. able this time next year to/state, that nearly .all the wool-growers in our immediate district have followed their rexample. We venture to assert tliat in one: year, on a large. establishment, more than the cost of the necessary apparatus would be saved. A squatter in the Southern portion of Riverina calculates that by the use of an improved system of cleansing, at least sixpence per fleece would be saved. Thus the owner of 50,000 sheep wouid be a gainer in one shearing of £1,250, and this, we are assured, would more; than pay for the erection of the best machinery.