NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10213, 8 December 1898, Page 2

NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Br Straggler. "I have been shown," says "Bruni," in the Australasian, "the shearing returns and samples of the wool of some of the leading sheep (merinos) in the Ooonbng .stnd, and truly the weights cut by the great sires are extraordinary. Eclipse, th- champion, ram at" Sydney this year, was: estimated by Mr S. SfcCaughey to yield a fleece very close up to 501b; the actual weight was ,45£lb. It is heavy in. yolk, but not as heavy as some of the rams that did not cut nearly as great "a-weight of wool - The ram Fortune cut a fleece weighing 43£lb, considerably heavier in yolk than the' wool from Eclipse. Dewdrop, the champion ewe this year in Sidney, yielded a fleece weighing 221b. It is white in colour and clean, but wju. plenty of yolk. Princess Alice, the Sydney champion last year, and second to Dewdrop this year, cut 23£lb, yellow in colour, and with plenty of yolk.

"What surprises one, in view of the weight of fieece cot by these sheep, is the shortness of staple. Very few are over 2in long/ and the two ewes mentioned are ' below that length. In the the sheep having a dash of AustraUan merino. blood, there was a most decided change in character and condition. A:_ grass-fed ram 15-16 Vermont blood cut a fleece weighing 271b. It is very much lighter in" yolk $an the wool from the pore Vermont sheep, is nearly an inch' longer in staple, and has much the appearance of a. robust type of Riverine wool. The first prize grass-fed nun in the .medium

wool section aged class,, Sydney, cut a fleece weighing 32£lb. It was remarkably, heavy, with yolk; in the';outer'half, of the] staple, atfd white and free in the half next the skin. A ram 15-16 Vermont blood cut 271bf of wool, fairly light in grease, ' with a staple 3in * long. It is a most attractive wool, with fine, well-de-fined serratibria to the tip, and. seems to have thrown bsck to the beautiful type of the Havilah sheep, which was so often seen in the old Coonong flock. The weights of fleece, cut by Eclipse and Fortune are tomarkably heavy, and, as far as I know, have never before been equalled in Australia. Of course, a-large percentage of this weight would be. lost in scouring, but this extra yolk is thought to preserve.the wool from being perished by the fierce heat of the sun in Central Australia. If this be so, then the excess of yolk has its advantages, but it must be a great strain on the sheep's constitution both to produce it in the wool and to carry it." •

The Bradford correspondent of the Ade-1 laid© Observer; writing on September 30th, ( says that: "The maximum range of priceshas now been reached for all fine grade wdbTsj j and men generally do not look for any further advance until there is an expansion" of trade in all consuming centres. Crossbred I wools, both home grown and colonial, are still as inactive as possible, and mohair is firm at th,e undermentioned It| 'is impossible to pass by your colonial auc-, tions and their bearing upon this market at this writing. A good deal of quiet interest is manifest as to how your sales will I open, but it is freely expressed that values fully current ,with those/ruling on v this side will obtain/ -Here and. ;there -one :ineets. with sombcdy who thinks the present prices high! that 'range of values will not last;' but I fail to see why they should not, and especially so when the present sound statistical position, of* fine wool is considered. There appears to "me,-to be sufficient trade doing, and the consumption of wool is such as to warrant a continuance of it on the basi3 ,of present values, and any extension of consumption either in England, on the Continent or America * would still mean another move forward for merinos. But as far as I. can make out Yorkshire buyers, of wool in' Australia intend to operate on a basis of delivering tops of 60 s quality at 21d on this market, and while I do not look for- extensive purchases at first, still soma fair buying is looked for for this market.

v "Regarding the future little need be said. There is a fair consumption, but as already said, before things move forward again same further , development must take place in general trade. Our turnover with our .best customer—United States—shows as yet no great expansion, , but more orders for wool textiles are in the city than at any . time since tho present tariff took effect. , Our home trade -continues, on, about the same level as recently, but tradqe other than textiles, such as our macnineryand building trades are very busy> Therefore, I think that present values for both fine and crossbred wools will bo about maintained, and r» further..rise is.not probable unless an addition of fresh orders come to hand to stt\rt) more machinery anlongst our manufacturers." '■ "

The. important series of sales of Angus cattlo which waa field during. ber in the north of Sccttland has been attend' cd with gratifying success.. Prices were not £* a rule Kigfr, there having beea,/-indeed, only two/tbree-figure prices realised throughout the'series, bat at most of the'sales a sub* stantial remunerative, level was maintained. Animals '« "& Really uaefnl Sort Vith.approved pedigrees, readily fetched from 30gs W 60gs.Tholilghest individual price was Ilsgs, paid by Colonel SmftK : f6r one of the AuchorcK chxn cows."- The'~t)rincipal-averages- *wer£ as follows:, —Cola Smith. Grant, ■ Auchorachan (33 headj,' '£35 12s" Bd'; Mr George BiwT.ofehin#dLW. J834.7s lid: Mr A. Geddes, Blainncre'(47)., £29 11s 7d;; the ' Dnwasrer Countess of Seifield, Mullen House (18), £26 2s 8d; Mr ,R. Forbes, .Kinloea (21),* .£26 2s 6d: Mr Cran, Morlibh'(l9) • £25 2s and Mr Pbae,-Crailßtone (35), £24 18s 3d. J ■ - . ■- The prominent position crossbred cattle havo occupied at the leading fat stock shows I of recent years in Groat Britain hae abua-| danlly demonstrated the-utility of the system, of crossing or blending different breeds, in so far, at least, as .the production of beef is concerned. The shoWyard evidence: how-' ever, does not by any means prove that good results necessarily follow the process of intermixing distinct breeds. On the contrary, it-indicates unmistakably that tfie practice, to be successful, requires to be pursued with discrimination and method, - Not only do the best results ensue from the mating of certain ..breeds, but it is the emphatic testimony of all breeders of experience that the selection of' typical, well-bred specimens of the respective utilised is also an essential prclimißary.~Th» classes of crossbreds which have stood most" conspicuously to, the front at Smithfield and Birmingham have clearly been the Shorthorn-Aberdeen-Angus cross (an easy first)- and the t>i±orthorn-Galloway .cross. The latter has greatly improved its position in. recent years, and bids fair to .rival in numbers and general merit, if, indeed'it is,not already its great "opponent's equal in the latter respect. Many hold that the Shorthorn-Galloway cross is the best beef animal that can be produced.

Witlithe object of testing the relative utility of these popular processes of blending, Mr R. Brydon, the Marquis of Londonderry's agent, has conducted an inter'.esting experiment; the results o£-which, -were ,to be proved, at the "sale at Seaham in October last. The West Highland participated iix the, trial,. Pot the experi';ment t four heifers of each of the AberdeenAngus, Galloway, and West Highland breeds were carefully selected, and all were ■ mated iath.e spring,of 1895 with aXJollynie bred Shdrthorn, bull. The calves dropped "by the heifers.have all been treated exactly 'alike from birth. They suckled their dams till six months old ;and have been, well fed ever since, co as'to prevent them losing their calf fleshy but they have not been forced in any way with concentrated feeding stuffs. .The: first, crop of calves were

now about two and a half years old, and their average weights, as ascertained on September- 22nd, appeared extremely satisfactory. The Galloway crosses, which unfortunately were all heifers, averaged 87sfc 41b each j the Aberdeen-Angus crosses, which, on the other, hand; were all steers, averaged 99st 121b; and the three West Highland cross steers averaged 95st, and the heifer 82st. The Highland crosses, by the way, were a month younger than tne others* Taking sex into ' consideration, there was not any very striking difference in ; the weights of the different lots. Indeed, the manner in which the two reputed slow-maturing breeds emerged from the ordeal was eminently gratifying, and showed that the moderation of either the Galloway or the West Highland in developing frame and flesh almost ' completely disappeared when brought under the influences of the more rapidly growing Short-horn. As re» gards the merits of the different lots that was left to be determined by the results of the sale.

The long-standing grievance which, buyers of,'fat stock at auction marts have suffered .under 'modem meat inspection laws promisee to be amicably and satisfactorily removed, so far as Scotland is concerned. In some towns and cities north of the Tweed the. laws as regards moat inspection and seizure are exceedingly stringent, and butchers not infrequently have their purchases confiscated .when presented in carcase form in the dead ■ meat market. Losses of this description, .- arising from purchases effected in good faith,, constitute an undoubted hardship, and one. which in common fairness ehoutd not fall wholly; upon the butcher. It may be men>tioned>. however, that/,exposers seldom. failed to recognise' tfie iniustice'of the result, ' and have readily offered to share , the consequences of a rigid system of inspection' if only a practicable scheme for the proper division of the loss could be devised. At a largely attended meeting of farmers, butcher* and auctioneers, held at Edinburgh recently, a plan of insurance was promulgated, which '" bias fair to finally dispose of the matter.. Roughly, the scheme ia that a premium of Iβ per head, of bullocks or heifers' sold Be paid into a fund —one-half being payable by either . < tp the contract>—out of which the. butchers' will be compensated for any meo£ - .bought , , under t this arrangement which may. 'j be , confiscated! In the case of cows, where the risk, of course, is very much greater, tfae ' premium-is to be 2s per head. " .[\\,~ .■. •