THE FALL IN WOOL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9089, 14 May 1908, Page 5

THE FALL IN WOOL.

A PROBABLE CAUSE.

(Speciallv Contributed)

As the bulk ot the wool grown in the dominion is of the crossbred cescription it is most unfortunate the prices for it are ruling so low in the London market, the fall being estimated at from £4 to £5 per bale. This spells a very grtat diminution in the spending power of the sheepfarmer, which must have a far-reaching effect on our prosperity. Many farmers ask the question, what has caused such a gi-eat drop in prices? In this article I do not propose to discuss the problem in all its bearings, but will take one phase only which may have contributed towards low values, and this is the deterioration of New Zealand crossbred wool. It is well to remember that the term crossbred as applied to our wools, signifies qualities ranging from as low as 32's ta as high as 58's, the product of Lincoln, Leicester, Romney, and the various crosses that have came from mating the several breeds together. It was not till about the early eighties that pastoralists turned their attention to breeding crossbred sheep —the first step to use long wool rams on merino ewes. Later on various other intermixtures took place, The result of this was the production of a, long-stapled wool of spier. did' lustre, which soon became famous, realising high prices in the English market. It was much sought after by manufacturers of textile fabrics, and supplanted the coarser wools of the British Isles. For many years these wools ■ held their ground, and varied very little in character, but during the last two or three seasons there has been a change, and com* plaints have been only too numerous over the short-stapled crossbreds from New Zealand. Manufacturers find it is more fit for carding than combing, and term it stumpy. In addition to this defect it is deficient in lustre.

In good crossbred wool of 40's grade, length and brightness are of special value, and yet these* very qualities are sadly lacking in a very large proportion of the higher grades. Those persons who have followed the trend of cross-breeding during recent years cannot but have noticed the very large number of Romney Marsh rams that have been used in crossing, to the discarding of the Lincoln and Leicester, sires; ani to this change, in a very great degree may be set down the falling off in quality so far as length and lustre is concerned in New Zealand crossbred wools. It is a characteristic? of Romney Marßh sheep that the wool i 3 much shorter than either the Lin-, coin or Leicester, and lacks the silvery lustre. It is designated demilustre in the trade. The RomnevMarsh is a sheep that has many valuable points, and it has crime largely into fashion, as it is asserted that the cross gives robustness of constitution to other less hardy breeds, and in producing medium crossbred grades ranging qualities from, say, 46's to 48's, this sheep is a very valuable animal. But in 36's to 40's qualities the sheepbreeder should think more than twice if he desires long-stapled bright wool, before using Romney sires. There is nothing more to be desired or more valuable than length of staple and lustre from a manufacturer's standpoint in qualities from 36's to 40's, and it is regarding these particular clusses that complaints have been made from Bradford and other manufacturing centres that they have become short and dull in appeiaancei if we direct our attention to the Argentine it will be noted that the flockmasters there are on our track, and are growing crossbred wools which may supplant ours in the markets of the world. An indication of this was seen at a sale of River Plate wool (new clip) at Liverpool last December, when it was remarked how very bright and long-stapled it was, and in consequence brought full market rates. I cannot but think that the time has come in New Zealand when sheep men will have *to turn their attention to a more scientific mode of breeding and treating their # flocks if crossbred wools are to keep ' on top. It is by no means advocated that coarse (or low) crossbred 28's to 32's should be grown; there is perhaps too much of it already; but the wool that the Bradford manufacturer yearns for is a good long-stapled 40's quality, bright and bf good lustre, and New Zealand is, said by experts to be a country highly suitable for the growth of the higjher grades of crossbred wools. A sheep, that will produce such a desirable class of wool is nofc incompatible with a good-carcased animal for freezing, *nl would fill the bill as an all-pur-pose sheep, and be profitable to the breeder on that account.