TRIBUTE TO ROMNEY WOOL

Hawera Star, Volume L, 20 February 1931, Page 5

TRIBUTE TO ROMNEY WOOL

QUALITY OF DOMINION’S CLIP. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) MASTEIiTON, Feb. IS. Speaking at Solway to-day at the presentation of the challenge trophy foT the Farmers’ Union fleece competition, Mr William Perry, president of ,the Royal Agricultural Society, dealt interestingly with national aspects of wool production. Mr Berry said that Mr Sidey, of Canterbury Agricultural College, who had recently been at Home studying wool questions at the wool research station, had expressed the opiinon to him that Romney wool was equal in quality to Corriedale. Statements had been made at Home that Corriedale was the wool and that New Zealand growers ought to breed their wool to that standard, but that argument had practically been disproved. One was of practically as good quality as the other. Ro,mney wool of round fibre made first-class worsted cloth.

He was very pleased to say that the wool of Romney sheep in the North Island—he could not speak about the South Island—was very much better than it was three or four years ago. He believed that if what had been done were followed up New Zealand in a few years’ time would again have the reputation it formerly enjoyed of pTO-j ducing the best wool in the world. The head of one of the big woollen firms at Home had told him in Wellington that 1 there was a great shortage of what they called preparing wool —wool of long' staple and fair sized fibre. Two kinds of wool were wanted at home, this long staple wool and wool of finer quality. Growers should concentrate on producing one or the other. Mr Perry advocated getting a qualified man to go round New Zealand advising farmers on the selection of sheep for wool production. If this were done a wonderful improvement would be witnessed in a few years.