OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 222, 12 June 1908, Page 10

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

, 1 : ; — BLACK WOOL. [FROM OUIt SrECIAI, CORRESPONDENT.] Bradford, April 24, 1908. Reading the other day a short account in an Australian paper that a New South Wales pastoralist has found out tlio secret and reduced the breeding of black sheep to a science, led mo to think of-black wool, and the special characteristics of that valuable commodity. The information is given that this breeder lias already a flock of 3000 sheep as black as Erebus. If I remember right, a Queensland squatter has for years been engaged in building up a black merino flock, though the world lately has heard very littlo about him. To be told that the 3000 already referred to gavo an average of 711b. of wool per lioad at last shearing, and the same to sell at 13d. per lb., •is decidedly interesting and profitable reading. Another interesting fact is that the lambing of the niggers' was 84 per cent., and to be further told that a well-known slock salesman had been commissioned to purchase the best black ram in the Commonwealth to further improve this unique flock, reads almost like a fairy tale. Most sincerely I heartily approve of such a course ,of conduct, and wish everyone engaged in attempting' to produce black sheep every success. WHY BLACK SHEEP? It would be interesting to know the cause of lambs being born with black wool, when their parents were both as white as driven snow. Recently 1 spent a week-end. with an intimate friend, who is a sheep farmer in one of our lovely Yorkshire dales. All his ewes are Scotch blackfaced, a breed essentially! fitted for the rough foils and moors of the high altitudes of this - part of the country. It was lambing season, and in his flock some half-dozen black lambs had arrived. I stood and examined one carefully, wondering ' v.'iij this should have come into the world w a coat as black as my hat when its mother stook close by with a fleece as white as snow. Here is a grea't field for scientific exploration, and as I write this the thou occurs that it is worth while putting a few black fibres under a powerful microscope to see if the construction of the fibre is similar to an ordinary white staple. I don't expect to see any difference whatever, but possibly one may find a little change in the colouring matter, if I may so term it, of the cells themselves. The reason why Lincoln wool is so' lustrous is due entirely to. the action of light striking the .largely- constructed cells of that fibro, and the,' sumo becoming poli: s • and glistening.- to the eye. I- am not in, a position to dispute'the'-possibility of black : sheep being bred scientifically, but there is absolutely no guarantee that by coupling a black ram and ewe together that the progeny will be black.: A COMMON PROVERB. - This last few years -black, wool has been, made a great deal more of than was'formerly done, and whero at one time it was more of a hindrance and nuisance than a blessing, this is not sp to-day. Black .wool has come to stay, and those breeders who havo'a fow black sheep in their flock may regard them more as a special blessing than otherwise. The oft-repeated axiom that there are " black sheep in every flock " has lost to some extent its horrid significance, though the sneak and impostor that attempts to the, guise'.of purity and, | truth, is certainly of the' strongest words of condemnation, and to bo' cast out of society_ as a blackguard. Heal black sheep in the-apimal world can only bo regarded to-day as "a boon and a blessing illustrating once inbreathe wisdom 'of a benign Creatorin providing His creatures with exactly what, thy want to preserve health and promoto the general happiness of mankind.

BLACK WOOL I POPULAR. During -the past few years black wools have grown in popular favour simply because they have found the propor sphere for which nature intended them. Every sheep-breeder must know by this that, unlike white wools, black' descriptions are used in their natural state, that is, undyed. It is impossible to dye black wool into any; other shade than black, tho operation simply deepening the colours and rendering it a more heavy or "jet. black" still. But medical scinence,' aided and substantiated by experience, has found out that dyed fabrics when worn next to the skin are highly injurious to the wearer, and should never be adopted by anyone, and'particularly'byia person given to . sweating. Take tho case of a, person trou-. .bled with sweaty feet, and who -wears, say,' black stockings. We oannot conceive of that person doing a inoro foolish thing, endangering health at every turn, and.yet,'for all that," it is a very common occurrence. Aftor-a life-long experience in handling and seeing wool through' every stage of its manufacture, we have long ago-discarded/the uso of all dyed materials, next -to the- skin, confidont- that tho absorption of Colouring'mattors'"by"'the pores" of the skin is simply the absorption of so much foreign and poisonous matter.. , It'is , exactly here that the-'benefits of black wool cotno in, and modern,manufacturers havo at last-met' the needs of nature!'!by producing the;.very; fabrics that nature requires, arid which are best fitted for : mankind at large. ~ -v- , USES OP BLACK WOOL. The production of "sanitary" or "health" .flannels or under-garments is. now,.a thing. of. first importance with underwear manufacturers," and these are the men who compete keenly for black wools. It is no uncommon thing to-day to see a bale of black fine wool sell for 25 to 50 per. cent, more than does tho ordinary white .wool out of the same flock, simply because' black'is rather scarce and wanto.d.' When the British Government gave', out an "order .;-for/1 natural underwear flannels at the beginning oftlie Boer War, black-.'wool , went up tremendously, and it lias fallen very little since, it being to-day relatively dearer than white wool. "Natural grey," flannel,;; or . "health" flan-, nels, as they are usually called, aro the thing for every person, and as under vests, pants, 1 etc., they should be universally worn, containing no wool that has been dyed, the. colour, if sometimes a little light, being got by blending together white and natural black wool. Even the scouring of the black wool does not alter the shade, -only the grease, ..eto., .being, removed, the colour being the same. In these black wools wo have everything a sensiblo person can possibly require for. comfort and appoarance, besides wearing capabilities, and the more the hygienic qualities ,become known the greater will be the call.

' To growors' wo would say, let all black fleeces be baled separately. - It. is ,a, mistake to pack them along with white fleeces, as it is not overy buyer that can use them. Even if there aro' only sufficient to; make a ;little bale, that will sell better, because it is all black wool, than if it were a mixture of. black and white. ! PRICES STILL, DECLINING. Tho market this week has boen interfered with considerably by the Easter holidays, • and ovorybody has wolcomed- the chanco of being able to get away and leave behind the distressing factors which at present obtain in wool. The last market day showed further weakness, and everything is on a lower scale than when I last wrote. As proof of tho very unsatisfactory state of trade, much machinery set down last Thursday till the following Wednesday, and plenty of mills are standing a; full week, some not even beginning till next Monday morning. This is a longer' holiday than there has been for years, and if the whole trado could stand bodily for a month, it would give a breathing space that is very urgently needed. Everything is depressing to a degree, and instead of their being any chance of business, to effeot sales is altogether out of tho question. Nobody will look, and nobody will buy. Plenty of topmakors of good standard super GO's aro wanting no more than 2Ud., and a iess bid would be jumped at. Even"merino spinners are crying out that the end of tlioir yarn orders is well within sight, and " particulars " are coming in vory slowly indeed. Spinners who all along have expressed confidence that the tide would turn, havo begun to cry out, and big firms are faced with conditions the like of which they havo not known for the past seven years. Manufacturers aro finding that their customers will not tako up their piece orders as they would like, and instead of repeats coming in, there is a tendency towards cancellation.

In the case of crossbreds, thero is tho samo doleful tale to tell. Fifties tops can be bought anywhere from 15Jd. to 12Jd., 46's' riro not worth moro than lid., and 40's can bo bought by tho ship-load at BJd., and possibly less. It is really disappointing to find tho situation so utterly demoralised, and nothing but* lower values stare London brokers in tho face for the May sales. There is still a completo absenco of all business on Continental account, tho yarn orders which are offered being ;on a lower basis than anything yot accepted. It is Teally painful to see the condition of some spinners, who are simply fast with everything. They cannot get rid of spun yarn, and without doubt in a good many quarters thero is financial pressure. Mohair is still vory quiet, though a purchase in Port Elizabeth of Cape firsts at 10d ; has been made more as a "spec." than anything else. To-day'B .j>rico here is jiid. ,to;j2d« ...