VARIATIONS IN TEXTURE.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3256, 21 September 1928, Page 8

VARIATIONS IN TEXTURE.

He righly insists that climate and I sturage exert modifying influences vii breeds, The wool of the Lincoln and Leicester is not the same in Victoria, New Zealand and South America as it is in England. There is more lustre in a pure Lincoln fleece grown in Victoria than there is in a pure Lincoln fleece grown in New Zealand or England. Further, a pure Lincoln fleece from a sheep reared in New Zealand possesses a little softer and finer quality than a pure Lincoln' fleece grown in England. A similar remark applies to a Bomney Marsh fleece. The British Dominions are the great improved wool producing regions of the world. Mr Hollings calculates the British clip of wool to be worth about £10,000,000; the Australian clip to be worth about £60,000,000 to £65,000,000; the New Zealand clip to be worth about £12,000,000, and the clip of South Africa about £16,000.000. The British Dominions contribute approximately 60 per cent, of the wool supplies of the world. These figures convey some impression of the tremendous value of the wool industry to the British Empire. The principal classes of wool are: — (1) Lustres, (2) demi-lustres, (3) Downs, and (4) mountain or carpet wools. Lustre wools are produced mainly in the shires of Lincoln, Nottingham, and the North and East ridings of Yorkshire. Demi-lustre wools are produced chiefly in Kent, the Midland Counties of England, and Ireland. Down wools are grown mainly in the Southern Counties of England, and there are allso flocks producing \these scattered all over the lowland parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The mountain wools, which Mr Hollings says are rough, coarse and kempy, are all grown on the hills and mountains of the Pennine range in England, in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and in Wales. DEMAND FOE BEITISH WOOLS. British wools have long been popular overseas. In the 13th century France, Belgium and Holland were eager buyers. This popularity continues to the present day. The figures given by Mr j Hollings comparing pre-war with postwar are certainly new to us, and we expect they were new to most of his hearers. Wools which in 1914 were selling at 14Ad to laid per lb. are now selling at 24d to 28d. Scots Blackface, which in 11)14 was selling about 9d per lb. now finds a market at about 1/That explains a good many things. The export figures are the most surprising.

During the period 1908 to 1913 the average annual production of British

wool was lB5 r 4g3,oooib. In the same period the annual exportation was 40,420,0001b. In 1927, when the quantity Of wool prdduced was 117,676,000 lb., the quantity exported was 62,021,----0001b., an increase on the 1908-1 average of something like 20,000,0001b. Details are given regarding the production, exportation, and retention quantities of British-grown wools iri each year since 1920, with the corresponding figures for the two periods of i six years, 1908-13 and 1922-27. The average annual production in the earlier period was 135,423,0001b. and the average export 40,420,0001b., whereas the average annual production in the later period was 107,836,0001b. and the average export 58,9.19,0001b. In other words, in the earlier period Great Britain retained 95,003,0001b. of her production, but in the later she retained only 50,917,0001b. These figures, read along with the figures for wool imports, suggest many reflections, but they undoubtedly speak in a heartening way to British flockmasters. They are producing a wool which the world wants, BREEDS IN NEW ZEALAND. In the closing par); of his paper Mr Holling discusses the change which is taking place in Australian wools, and the change which has already taken place in New Zealand wools. He hop* es Australian station-owners will • remember that the best Merino wool can be grown in Victoria. In New Zealand in the seventies of last century, 98 per cent, of the flocks were Merinos, with only 2 per cent, of cross-breds. To-day the figures are completely reversed; New Zealand has 98 per cent, crossbred and 2 per cent. Merinos. During the past ten or fifteen years Lincolns and English Leicesters have largely lost their hold upon the New Zealand pastoralist. The Romney Marsh influence has been the chief instrument in effecting this change. There has been a great improvement in the same period in South African wool. This improvement dates from the close of the Boer War, and Mr Hollings does net anticipate that South Africa will ever be dominated by mutton in preference to wool. Australia and South Africa are well adapted for the production of Merino wool that will satisfy the demands of manufacturers and yield excellent financial results. Artificial silk, meanwhile, has a great vogue, but Mr Hollings does not anticipate that it can ever supplant wool as the dominant material for human needs.