OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 135, 2 March 1908, Page 10

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

LINCOLN-MERINO CROSSBRED WOOL. (from our special correspondent.) Bradford, January 17. If we could bring back the .manufacturers and wool users of 75 to 100 years ago, and show them the great variety of wools which are nowplaced 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 Fairs sinco March, 1872, and he tells me that the number of qualities which now confront the trade are simply legion compared with, what they saw. in the early seventies and eighties. Why, in those days it was all merino wool, and tho finer and the better. Seldom did they see crossbreds; in fact, the only crossbred wool that was then available consisted pre-eminently of Englishgrown fleeces. The great colonial crossbred trade was then unborn, and not till the eighties were well passed did the 'famous New Zealand'crossbred wools begin to appear. It would be a very interesting and historical fact if it was possible to ascertain who first of all coupled an English mutton sire with a merino ewe, and who laid the foundation, of the big crossbred trade in wool. 1 remember well tho cheap wool days when merinos were but the price of an ola song, and when every bale of New Zealand, crossbreds- was- snapped' up like penny cakes/in a famine. • That,, of course, was due' to a comparative scarceness .of tho article, coupled with the great fact that the textile trade had almost gone mad over the novelty of producing very saleable fabrics, of a somewhat ..different texture to tho . coarser wools of British growth. " One can easily see that, wh<m for generations nothing but finefaced, soft fabrics such as merinos produce have been in vogue, that such a drastic, yet acceptable, change was bound to inspire pas-toralists'to.-produce crossbred wool when such handsome! ;prices were this, coupled with the increased' value of the car-, case, has led to. almost' a universal adoption of ! tho.mutton cross. : Schwartzes',-in-their last .annual' circular, estimate the.- production of crossbred -wool for last year at '45 per cent., compared with 31.7 per cent, in 1895. In tho years 19,03 and-1904 they estimated the production at 51.8 per cent., , the^arger 1 growth of Australia during the past three years •no doubt diminishing the proportion;-.of ■'. crossbred and-increasing the growth of\nierino.; . LEADING FEATURES.. It is a'hugfi mistake to think that-all crossbred wools show or- possess-, the sa'mo characteristics. Every crosß has. a- sp'eciaPdistinction of its own, and 'it'i6 .reasonable to assume, and experience,- confirms ~ it,y that orio cross does better in one loiklity^,than.another.. I don't thjnk the fact will, bo/ disputed,'.that tho English, Lincoln and Leicester'.'have,:, done' •most in briiiging to the front crossbred/wools,' and I am persuaded -'that", (speaking, ''frpm ''a'; wool-, standpoint) no other' English-- bre'ed-.'of sheep can produce a moro useful crossbred fleece.,..when' mated with >,a merino -ewe. •: This, of course, gives., us a "good .halfb'red'v fleece;, fine, ijice length; sound, 1 fairly ; lustrous, and much deeoer than, .the'.merino .staple. ' ; But, it; is succeeding crosses which perhaps concerns more the average. grower of crossbred wpol, and it is net so much the pure halfbred fleece that is tho bone of contention, as the later crosses. Holfbi-ed wool always comes under tho category of lino crossbreds, and will rango ■from 50.;s to 56,Y, quality." '. This is .-very largely used '3s; • thi ' .production- of worsted coatings, fine serges, knitting yarns, and anything where finenoss is not required. ; Both English, Continental, and American buyers all revel in

taking; fine half bred wool, the United States wanting, of course, light condition. ' " Coming to the-next cross, or a quality lower, here, again either tho Lincoln' or Loicester, and, lately with many bi'eeders the Romney Marsh, cross is a popular one. I am.not now advocating, eit-hor. one or. tho other, but stating a'ct'uril facts, leaving sheepbrcedcrs everywhere tha option to cross with either according to the financial , results ..accruing. But I will say this, nahiely, that either the Lincoln or Leicester produces a_. longer and a moro ' lustrous-.istaDlo -than does . the Romney. Marsh or any of Vine' Down breeds. During' the past two years complaints have been very numerous, over the; short .stapled ,character .of New Zealand crossbred wool. Every Bradford buyer has complained bitterly at the stumpy char--acter; of the, staple, . being , inpstly.. what arc known in :the trade 'as'.of' carding,-'-'and not' combing, length/ Let'the reader bear in mind that in good 40's wool length and lustre are two essential .characteristics, and in very many

—perhaps tho bulk—of the last New Zealand clips; these have been wanting features. I may be wrong, but- I rather incline to think that this'*is entirely-'duo:-to i' the"; discarding'} of tho Lincoln and Leicester '-rani rand- .its,- substitu-

,tion with such, a breed-as the Romney Marsh, whose fleece, comes' under ; tlie description' of ■'demi-lustre wool, which" is'miich shortor-'than either the Lincoln or Leicester. Let no .reader supposo that this is "a fad of the writer, or •that he hasra' grudge'iagainst.-such./breeds.as the Eomney Marsh, the Downs, aiid the like, for such, is not tho case. The Eomney Marsh .undoubtedly ,is a splendid cross in producing an excellent ■ freezer, and' may influence ' the. sale of fat sheep with tho freezing establish-ment,-but'from a fleece standpoint we get an altogether longer staple, more deep grown, arid more combing property about it when a strongerryrtplled--.-ram is .used, There is nothing more valuable in crossbred wool, than plenty„.of length of staple—l mean in coarso crossbreds "of 30's and 40's. quality. In medium crossbreds, ranging round ,4G's quality, the liomney Marsh undoubtedly is a very valuable sire, ,but the complaints have been all along that flocks that have got a namo for producing an excellent style of 40's combing wool have, this last season or ; two , been'- altogether finer a'iid •' more stumpy •in character, the comparatively dull appearance of the staple indicating clearly, the- non-use. of the.Lincoln and the Leicester ' Wheii' we turn-to look at River Plato crossbreds, we see there a continuance of the freo use of ' the Lincoln, this sheep dominating every other, where crossbreds are kept.. At, the first sale inLiverpool of "new clip" River Plate crossbred wools,' iield last - December, - I: heard several buyers . that '.some of the clips wore, "as blight as silver," and the length was splendid. Unfortunately l very low prices prevailed compared with' recent '-times, but then they wero full market ones, th'e shorter stapled wools'not doing a& 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 a 40'5,.. good length, and bright Patagonia is now producing some.first class lines, of crossbred , wools, aria the' characteristics here are somewhat- different to either the wools of New Zealand, or the River Plate. They do exceedingly, well for hosiery purposes, tho staple, being soft arid soinewhat short. As a, rule they aro rather wasty in condition, but serving a somewhat different pur Dose to long preparing wools like good 40's New Zealand or River Plate, and nobody looks 'for either length or lustre such as'we get, elsewhere. : • A STEADY BUT QUIETER . MARKET. . ~ During the past week' things have tapered off considbj ably in Bradford, and'it is now practically it ■ foregone conclusion that little will 1 be done between ' now and' the openingofj the wool ' sales in . Colemaiy Street next Tuesday. In the 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 the temper ofvother users is .different to those in Bradford, I don't .think values are going to rise much furtlier'for the present.'. A ? .lowcr bank; rate , will ,no doubt encourage .arid strengthen the. market! ■ but there is- not ".the business doing that was evident'a few months back;, and there is_ : a lack of that stimulating confidence which' wa3 so pronounced a feature some months/ago. 'Then , the weight of wool .in prospect is such that, it will take the - trade all its'time to'get' rid 'of arrivals, and even with a lowi-r 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 future, of wool: prices is .es-sentially-one, of firiaiice more . than.fanytliing. else, and o.c far as one can see the coming sales will- no)- show a great deal of difference when compared with last series. Good combing merinos may go par to 5 per cent.'up, while'the majority aro looking for crossbreds to come' down to enable Bradford topmakers to work on si ISJd. -basis for good 40's prepared.The missing link to-day in Bradford is that the Continent has in no sense reciprocated the recent movo in Bradford, and' reports are not of the best character. Yarn orders tiro not coming through at all wclK from Geririany, and until there is a show of life abroad it is hardly to be expected that either spinners or manufacturers will go in heavily It is now plain'to be seen that the bulk-of tho'reccnt 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 been .sold at. The market is very steady, and can bo describedfirm. There is not yet that confidence felt about tho 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'-con-sumption particularly in merinos continues large, and spiuners aro committed for some months to come. The crossbred end of the trade is, nothing near so healthy as fine wools ■ and some would bo glad 'of. "particulars." There is no big weight being shipped_abroail though remittances aro coming to hand 6om<> .what better. Mohair is ftuiet, -and unchanaod.