OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 25, 30 January 1913, Page 3

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

CHARACTERISTICS OF RIVER PLATE WOOLS.

[from our cqere&pondent.] ! BRADFORD, Dec."l 3. Tho holding of the first sale of River Plate new clip wools in Liverpool this week directs attention to what is being grown in that part of the world; and the subject is not without some interest to readers of this issue. It has been well said that the River Plate is the keenest competitor against the wool and meats which_ are being produced in Australasia, and that is correct. I have little hesitation in saying that tho Commonwealth and New Zealand lead the way in the' production of mutton and wool, although the Argentine is a close competitor. I have a strong impression that the Argentine will 'never outstrip our Colonial cousins in producing the highest quality of mutton and wool, providing pastoralists pay due regard to those principles of breeding which bring fairly reliable results. When all is said and done, Australia and New Zealand possess a climate somewhat more salubrious than the Argentine, although that of the iatt-er is certainly good. The pasturage seems to vary somewhat more , than that of Australasia, and climate | and pasturage are two important ; factors in producing satisfactory results. • At the same time, the 'work which Argentina sheep men are doing is certainly of no mean order, and their achievements will stand careful inspection. There have been gieat changes in tho sheep and wool world, of the Argentine during the past few ' years, and it can bo said that its '. pastoralists have gone in for pro- j ducing meat, somewhat at the ex- j ■pense of wool. No doubt many firms ' are trying to combine a good carcase and fleece, but the methods employed, j particularly in the get-up of the I staple, are not anything like so up- j to-date and smart as in Australia and : New Zealand. There is room here j for a vast improvement, for the bulk ! of the River Plate clip comes to ; market i ust as it is taken off the j sheep's back, a line of action which ; meets with no favor at the hands of i wool Buyers.

Looking more minutely at tho wool crown in South America, the Argentine naturally claims premier attention. It has always been a country that depastured large flocks'of sheep, and tho whole of European manufact

Airers^ are _ grateml for the raw material which, is coming from that part of the world. As already said, the wool has vastly changed both in duality and character during the the past 25 years. In the past days it presented a very sorry spectacle; old wool-buyers living to-day refer to the time when fairly big weights were sold in Liverpool and London, which offered a sharp contrast to the wools from Australia. Since then there has certainly been a great change, the wools having improved considerably. In the old days merinos very. largely predominated," just the same as they did in. New Zealand. The incoming of the "freezer", and the introduction of such methods as enable the sheep to be killed and landed in London and Liverpool in a good consumable condition, has been the prime factor in bringing about the change which has been wrought in the character of the River Plato flocks. We have no particulars showing what percentage of merino an<l crossbred: are being kept in the Riv,er_Plate, but should say, roughly., that 75 per ceiit. will to-day be crossbreds, and the remainder merinos and other breeds. This great change is entirely due to the transformation which has come over the export trade in frozen meat. Pastoralists have seen the wisdom of converting their merino flocks into crcssbreds, thus keeping a Larger animal more fitted to the requirements of the frozen mutton industry.' No sensible man can grumble at this reform, although it would be a pity if jastoralists iv Australia adopted the same methods, and turned their meri*o flocks into crossbred. Practically speaking, the world's supply of wool from the chief countries ''down under" consists of about 57 per cent, of merino and 43 per cent, of crossbred; hence it looks as if supplies are nearly evenly divided.

11l producing the great change in the- flocks of the Argentine, the Lincoln has been more employed than any other breed of mutton sheep. Some few years back the demand amounted to nothing less than a boom, and yery big prices indeed were paid, one Lincoln ram from the well-known flock of the late MiHenry Dudding, we believe, fetching as high as 1600 guineas. It was a common thing to see up to 500 guineas paid for Lincoln rams of firstclass character, but during the past year or two there has been the usual slump,, and to-day nothing like the high^ prices are being paid which English stud stock breeders would like to see. The fact is. the flood tide has passed, the whole industry has now got down to what may Tbe called normal business conditions, and while good trade is still done with Argentine pastoralists in English pedigree stock, abnormal prices are no longer forthcoming, nor likely to be. The employment of such a big quantity of Lincoln blood has worked a great transformation in the flocks of the River Plate, and to-day crossbred wools from that State are certainly somewhat lower in quality than the hulk of New Zealand wools. "Wo think circumstances justify us in saying that a buyer could" find far greater weights of 36's to 40's wool m the River Plate than he could in New Zealand, all duo to the system of breeding which is in vogue. ' Perhaps we hear less about it, but the fact remains that River Plate pastor alists seem most concerned about growing a fairly big sheep, and appear to be content to go on accepting 'current prices, and producing sheep and ■wool after their own heart

It must be said to the credit of Argentine pastoralists that tho character of the crossbred wools grown to-day is a vast improvement on even a dozen years ago. No doubt the breeds have become mo7e acclimatised, «nd the importation of large quantities of English pedigree stock has certainly left its mark upon them. All buyers alike say that the wools have vastly improved, and satisfaction is expressed that this is so. If there had been the same improvement in the get-up and offering of the La Plata wools as there has been in tho breeding, this would be still more acceptable to buyers, but this improvement may come in time. No one with any knowledge' of how business is done in Australia or London can appreciate the method of ■nurdhasmtr in Buenos Aires, for the wool as a rule is offered in bulk, and the buyers ha? to make his own estimate of the "clean yield," the heavy skirt being sold along with the entire fleece. It is here we say that objection can be raised against the

River Plate clip. Still, buyers'know ■ their trade, they get used to it, it being the improved manufacturing I properties of the wool which give the • most satisfaction. In the old days there was a good i deal i.of prejudice against what is known in the trade as B.A. wool, but f every year rinds that prejudice de- . dining. No doubt River Plate wools 0 spin and produce cloth somewhat f harsher in handle than the woors of t Australia or New Zealand, but big f qiiantities. are now bought by English t buyers to blend with similar qualities . grown in Australasia. Spinners say s that these top-s produce satisfactory . yarns, and no doubt a developing 3 business is being done with England 3 in ' these wools. At tho same time, 1 the bulk of the River Plate clip is f still bought by France and Germany. 3 Jts sninners and manufacturers havo I manipulated these wools for a good 3 number of years, they know their t- good and naturally are -« turning them to the best possible } account. It is, nevertheless, in order - to say here that increasing interest r is being shown by West Riding spin- " ners and manufacturers in River » Plate wools, many firms sending their * own buyers to Buenos Aires for the 5 season, and as time goes on still i larger weights will be used in Brad- - ford and district. ' \ SHEEP STATISTICS. ' [ j This article will be incomplete if "J • we do not make mention of the sheep " stock of the Argentine. At one time : it was supposed that in the River \ Plate itself between 90,000,000 and 100,000,000 sheep were being depas- \ tured. but the latest census revealed J. a very different state of affairs. In y, looking at the .sheep returns of that r . part of the world, it is necessary to ' pay regard to the number of animals ":i which are being depastured in the ' i whole of South America, for from ; Uruguay, Patagonia, Chili, and the ' ; Flakland Islands we are to-day 1 i receiving some excellent wools. ' ; During the last few years some first- | | class lines have been shipped from I j Punta Arena, up to 12-J-d being paid ; j at the recent series of London sales "j for wool coming from that port and ;; the, Falkland .Islands. The follow- ' ! ing shows the total number .of sheep \ ! at present being depastured' in South j America: — \ I Argentine 77,303.517 I Uruguay 26.286!296 \ Chili 4j224'.266 ? ; Falkland Islands . ... 71-5.000 | Colombia. ... 746,000 f ; Other States 409.000 ' 109,684,730 j ' MERINOS BARELY STEADY. Turning to wool markets, the past! ; week has really shown no new j i development, everything taking on I to some extent a holiday appearance. I i The fact is, everything now appears > i to have reached the maximum for the •■ . time being, and there is nothing to ; indicate that we are going to see ( : higher values until the future ap-; j pears a little clearer. If should be • ■ borne in mind that 2s sjd has never • i>een realised, hence the ease of Jd ito id is not in the least serious. If. > J topmakers have secured somewhat ' j cheaper wool, they are justified in i taking a fraction less, but otherwise there is nothing important in connection, with the market. Consumption remains undiminished, and no ■ \ doubt .with the endT of the year . i drawing nigh "the ease is fully justi- > fied. Crossbreds. are very" firm, in ! a 'large measure due to the strong ■: overseas advices. All this is having I its effect upon topmaktfr-s, who are { firmly quoting 15|d to 16d for 40's j prepared tops, but business is in no ; sense active. !l ==- ===== '