FARMERS' COLUMN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume V, Issue 767, 7 April 1884, Page 3

FARMERS' COLUMN.

Notes by " Y." Messrs, Goldsborou»h and Co., of Melbourne, have recently published their annual review of the wool market, as they hold that the season is now practically over. The most noticeable feature is the rapid increase on the number of bales sold within the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales. The increases within the several colonies are thus set forth : — 1883-4. 1882-3. Bales Bales Melbourne & Geelong... 189,227 155,850 Sydney 120,000 85,000 Adelaide 39,000 34,596 Equal to a total increase of 72,781 bales, which is no less than forty per cent, of the whole Australian production. I notice that among the selling brokers, Goldsboro' and Co. take the lead with 68,000 bales for the season, fcbe N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Co. being second on the \to\nt\\tfl,aQO Vrates iv round numbers. Exceptional prices are quoted for some of the highest class Tasmanian woo\s, yjMcVi ' realised as much as 17$ d for greasy, and j up to 30£ d for washed. The average prices are quoted as follows :— Middling merino in heavy condition, 8d to lOd ; good merino combing, lOd to Is ; choice western clips, Is Id to Is 3f d ; Lincoln and low-graded wools, 6d to Bd. Referring to the low prices for crossbred wools, Messrs. Buxton and Ronald, of London, have issued a table showing the rate of increase in the quantity of crossbred wool catalogued in London during the last ten years which came from Australasia, which I extract the following :— Crossbred Wool Sold in London Market.

T?vom vihich. it appears that the total production of coarse wools in these colonies has nearly quadrupled in thelast ten yearß— a fact of which, I believe, very few persons were cognisant. It is Baid that fully 75 per cent, of these coarse wools are entered as % bred Lincolns and compete with English coarse wools. Some idea of the extent and magnitude of the wool trade in Great Britain may be gathered from the following figures :— There was during 1883 a total importation in the United Kingdom of 1,428,264 bales, or 60,432 bales less than the quantify received in 1882, which, when added to the home clip of 534,700 packs, shows a grand total of 1,962,964 bales, or 628,230,5151b, to be disposed of in the English market in twelve months. The supplies of alpaca and mohair for the same period amounted to 69,471 bales. The production in the United States (including pulled wool) is estimated at about 315,000,0001b, or an increase of 15,000,000 lb on the clip of 1882. It has been remarked that there have been very large increases in the imports of River Plate wool, and that the quality is rapidly improving. There were 322,000 bales imported in 1883 as against 276,000 bales in 1882, being an increase of 46,000 bales of 8401bs each, or fully double the weight of ot the average bale from the Australian colonies. The number of sheep in the principal wool-producing countries abovementioned is as follows : — According to the latest returns Great Britain, including the Chaunel Islands, has 28,347,500 ; the United States, 49,237,291 ; Eiver PJate provinces, 94,000,000 ; Russia, 50,000,000; Austtva-HuYigai'y ,4o,ooo,ooo ; Australasia, 70^498^150. It cannot be denied but that the above facts aud figures afford food for reflection. They point to the desirability of producing fine wool of good quality. This can only be dove by careful selection and heavy culling of all inferior woolled sheep. The balance of profit is not so heavy against the longwoolled sheep as it might appear at first sight, inasmuch as a good Lincoln flock will often clip lOlba of wool a head, but a good merino flock seldom averages much over 51bs of greasy wool per head. Assuming that a consideration of the above cited facts may tend to induce many breeders to try a cross in their flocks, the following note referring to the relative influence of sire and Cam in crosses may be of interest. In England it is contended — aud the balance of opinion would appear to be in favor of the contention — that when there is a disparity in size between the two breeds proposed to be amalgamated the sire should be selected from the smaller if symmetry is desired. Thus it is said that a cross between a Shropshire Downs ram and a black-faced Highland ewe invariably produoes a sheep having the appearance of mongrel, whereas, when the sire is selected from the smaller breeds, tho progeny is a compaotand symmetrical sheep. The cross between the Leicester and Lincoln ram and merino ewe has been found to produce a valuable carcass 6heep in this colony. It will be interesting and a valuable contribution to the controversy to observe the result of the cross between the merino sire and Lincoln ewe, which is now being tried by several flockowners in this district, to ascertain whether it bears out the view expressed above.

187*. Sales. Liistrnlia ... 24,000 few Zealand... 30,100 Totals ... 54,100 Bales. 69,500 97,500 167,000 Bales. 71,400 92,600 m.ooo J.OOO. Bales. 88,500 116,000 104,500