YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 14

YORKSHIRE LETTER.

•SOME DESIRED QUALITIES OF THE NEW CLIP. (From Our Sceclal Conespcndcnt.l Bradford, January 0. Seeing the trade stands on tho threshold of another year, when, if reports aro correct, excellent growing conditions have prevailed during tho time tho wool, to be handled has been grown,! and When thcreforo everybody is expecting material of an exceptional quality and a "bumper clip," it may bo worth while to consider what are the features whereby the quality of the production which is now to bo handled will be judged. Although tho conditions of growth may have been everything that can bo desired from the squatters' standpoint, there aro many matters affecting tho usefulness of the staple which will need to bo tested before a pronouncement may be made as to the standard which has been reached. It has bem before noted in this paper that there should be certain features in wool staples which are absolutely essential to successful manipulation of any clip. In connection with the new clip it is proposed in this articlo to again refer to these, as well as to other matters, which, owing to a variation in trado conditions and a change in fashion v .11 have to bo considered by all those who aro to make tho most' out of tho opportunity* ' the year's growth*of wool will yield.. First, .it needs to be hsserted that more than ever length is required in the wool staple, and thero need be no hesitation in stating that unless this bo present considerable difficulty will be experienced this year in making a success—financial and otherwise-of tho material bought. Each year sees a speeding-up of machinery; in fact, this in these days of high prices seems to bo the means iv..ereby the users of .wool mav obtain a ;nargin of profit, if considerable speculation is not indulged in. But big speeds will never give regular and strong yarn unless tho fibre is good in its cohering property, and as this is absolutely impossible unless the material be of' good length too much attention cannot bo paid to this particular feature? . It miglit bo suggested .that this is' not' a..very desirable property in materials which "haw to be used in'-the "clothing" trade; or in other words it is only necessary in combing wools. It must not lie forgotten, however, that a ■ quickening of the rate at which machines run .is in the woollen trade, as well, as in the worsted section, and in the tendency .is to' redveo'either tho extent of tho individual operation -or the number' of operations employed. .Consequently what was obtainable as a result of thorough ' treatment of tho fibre has now to bo produced through tho agency of its length, and this, if absent, means that neither a firm nor a smart cloth will be producible. It miglit be urged that it is unnecessary in theso days to lay stress on this point when so much lias been done in tho fleece in regard to this particular feature. It is, howovor, point-. :d out at this juncture in order that it nay-bo more than ever looked for in a :lip in which thero has been moro than i tendency to increase tho number of ibros which, any sheep : can' nurture, iften at,.the cxpenso of-tho length to vhich the fibre ,may-be grown. ■ On soundness'in staple too,, much iralortance ca'niiot 'bo placed;' Wool. to- . lay is on 'a high' pinnacle as' regards inccs, and every body, is feeling .tho difßulty of doing business at a price which eaves a satisfactory profit. :. At tho iierchauting end of' tho trado in particu- . lir the ; w'ail is often'heard that further itisiness is going, to. bo well nigh>iraposiblo unless a reduction takes - place ,in he prices,,aske,d.; -Yet .the.dpmand for ■■ vool isj 50 ,'gi-eht;that " considerably ' beaper' material' seems somewhat out of 110 question, and thus to many'tho only • lternativo availablo seems to be to-te-nd treat any. material handled in such . way as to make it either look better or :o further than has been previously the ase. Wo jfijpfliiqualities being, taxed al-. aost beyond i tjieir..U|iiit (!( pdi ( to; t pij .-' ent hithertq r ,unknown. Tho" ordinary' ' o's and Gis qualities aro being regular- . y spun- abovo , their quality counts in lder that a yam of a fineness required' for a given cloth may be produced at a price Id. to 2d. per lb. cheaper th.an would bo tho case, if, tho quality specially suited to its yarn requirements \ were employed., It is hero tho soundness, of the fibre is : tested,'and 0110 one may" stato without-fear of contradiction that if during tho last ten years the character of the wool fibre had not improved correspondingly with tho deterioration that has taken place in the qualities of tho well-known , styles of tops, r and had . not the improvements ih- wool.becri parallel' with ..thodeplorabloincrease in ; tho extent of spinning now occurring, there would have been, a deadlock' in the trade, particularly in - the finer qualities 1 long before this: ' What has happened before in conibing and spinning will happen again, but this year probably.in a moro pronounced way, and it behoves, all growers. of .wool and users to see that tho lots they handle have.tho quality of soundness well in.evidence so that they will, successfully, counteract tho strain to which they will bo put. • Of the* many features which constitute quality in tho wool fibre non-3 is more important than that of fineness. It goes without saying that unless the fibre is 'fine tho spinning of a high count of regular yarn at a great spoed cannot bo - done. At tho same time it is well to

utter tho warning note that generally speaking with all tho advanco in sheeprearing fineness in quality in tho standard flocks, though improving, is not what it onco was. ' Referring for example to merino wools, CO's and 6i's are tho qualities which arc mostly available, while typical 70's, SO's. and 90's aro difficult to get hold of. Tho trade seems to. have swerved'on to tho qualities ; first mentioned, 60's tiiid 64's, and' tho tendency lias been for tho grower to make the necessary provision, and at tho same time benefit himself considerably through growing a heavier fleece. This has, however, been done to an extent which causcs tho material to bo less serviceable than it should bo, and the GQ's and C4's.qualities which were once fine and silky are frequently thick in fibre, and aro characterised by moro or less "strong" fibre, also. Anyone looking at samples who desires to attain to a high quality standard in top, yarn, or cloth must' not neglect this feature; in fact, rather must he deliberately err on tho right side, and ieavo a margin of fineness to counteract the increased severity of present-day spinning conditions. ' . •