EDUCATION FOR WOOL FARMERS

Manawatu Times, Volume LII, Issue 3527, 17 June 1927, Page 3

EDUCATION FOR WOOL FARMERS

To Arrest Wool Deterioration GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE SOUGHT TO PROATDE FOR AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE EXPERT. An important discussion topic place at the annual meeting of of the New Zealand Romney Marsh Sheep Breeders’ Association yesterday on the question wool deterioration and the unanimous opinion was arrived at that the education of the wool grower was the only way to jtrrest the trouble. In view of tho national importance of the question the meeting resolved to approach tlio Government for a grant to enable the Agricultural College Council to engage tho services of an expert lecturer to deal with the growth of wool. In moving the adoption of the annual report tho President, Mr. J. E. Hewitt, touched on tho development which had taken, place in the export of stud sheep and also made, reference to the exuostion of wool deterioration. It was gratifying, he said, to notice the record increase in tho number of stud sheep exported and to note that the prices paid were considerably higher. It was important that breeders should take great caer to see that the quality of the sheep exported was of the highest. This duty really devolved upon the Association s inspectors and their inspection of sheep for export should be most stringent. He had received a letter from a breeder in California who had this to say on the New Zealand Romney:— “Up to the present time the New Zealanders had the name of sending us much better Romneys than the English, breeder and I hope they will still merit that good reputation in the future . Should your Association be zealous enough in this respect and exercise judgment that only good Romneys are sent to the States it will only be a short time until you gontlqmen can have a good trade over here.”

As to the recent comments on the quality of Komney wool, samples had been sent for examination and report to the Leeds University but the report had not yet come to hand. When tne report did arrive, Mr Hewitt felt that it would prove his remarks of last year that the best wool produced In New Zealand could not be surpassed in any country in the world. As to wool deterioration the council had considered the question and felt that the only manner in which it could be tackled was to investigate the causes. With this end in view the council proposed that the Association should offer to th e Scientific Ilesearch Committee a sum of £IOO a year for S years to be expended in woof research and the education of farmers throughout the Dominion on wool qualities. In connection with the education of the farmer on wool qualities, Sir James Wilson said that he had seen the evolution of sheep during the past thirty years. The movement of the Association to grant £IOO was very gratifying to those who had worked to maintain the quality of the wool but he was afraid that it was not enough. It was the ordinary breeder in the back country who was to blame for the deterioration of wool and the question of education was of importance. But it was a question whether the council would not be wiser to make a substantial grant to the Agricultural College which would soon bo established in Palmerston North to place the education on a wider and more authoratlvc basis. The Associations proposal of £IOO a year for three years Would not bo sufficient to pay for the services of an expert. Tne Association might even approach the trustees of the Howard Bstatc for a substantial grant to be devoted for wool qualily educational purposes. A £I,OOO a year was not too much to pay for the services of the' right man. Mr D. Smith, Mastcrton claimed that much of the deterioration of wool was duo to the failure of farmers to cull their ewes sufficiently. Old ewes which should be fattened off were put back to rams instead of confining’ breeding to the younger and stronger ewes. Mr J. C. Hyman (Kairanga) thought the Association should ask Bradford to supply samples of the wool complained of so that the Association would have something to go by. Another speaker blamed the back country for the deterioration of wool —it was not the breeders—it was the land. Mr Hyman: “Get samples of the bad stuff—that’s the way out of it.” Mr A. C. Morion said that the farmer required a practical man to teach him not students from colleges. Tills was a very important matter said the chairman. The sheep wool and meat w-ere responsible for 62 per cent of .the exports of the country. The Dairy Industry was obtaining help from the Government in dairy research but the sheep breeder was getting nothing. However, the sheep breeder was taking a lead but could not possibly hope to provide all the

money required for scientific investigation of wool qualities. If the breeders could not get the assistance of the Government or any other institution it would pay the breeders handsomely to submit to a voluntary levy to provide a sufficient sum to engage the services of an expert. A salary of £IOOO per annum for such an expert had been -mentioned but even if the salary were 15000 it would be highly worth while. It was essential that the breeder should be educated. He knew hnd others were of the. same opinion, that many of the high priced rams purchased at the ram fairs today contained the very wool which was giving cause for complaint. Many farmers had no idea of what they were buying and knowledge came too late. Inferior sires were not going to make a wool grower successful. If the farmer exercised more care m classing his ewes to the sire much or the trouble would disappear. Mr O. Monrad considered that the trouble lay in the fact that they had lost the Lincoln cross and the crossing of Down and Down with poor class Romneys produced the inferior Hocks* Mr W. Perry said that the Euglisn breeders were experiencing the same difficulties as those of the Dominion in the matter of wool deterioration. In the effort to produce perfection in lustre there was the danger of inducing the development of hair. After touching on several technical points in realtion to the different wools Mr Perry expressed the opinion that the Romney wool was improving but there was room for increasing the education of the farmer. Mr R. Bremncr (Waverlcy) claimed that many farmers were not worrying about the quality of the wool of their ewes but the value .of the fat lambs and appeared to be concentrating in this direction. Land had a great deal to do with wool said Mr J. H. Absolom (Hawke’s Bay). A great deal of the wool came from the back country where land was deteriorating and ho considered that it was from this land that tne wool complained of came. The following motion was then moved by Mr W. H. Buick (Masterton): — “That the Romney Marsh Breeders in general meeting request the Government-to allocate a. sum of money either from the Consolidated Fund or from the proceeds of the Howard Estate (which was left to the nation for educational purposes) to the Agricultural College Council so that it may be able to appoint a lecturer to deal with the growth of wool, such lecturer to address meetings of fai'mcrs on this special question and as time goes on the senior students of the College would also be available for ,'hc same purpose." The motion was seconded by Mr F. E. Dorset (Mastcrton). Sir James Wilson in supporting the motion trusted that the meeting would carry it unanimously. It appeared that all were in agreement that the education of the wool grower was essential and if the motion were given effect to the means to attain the object would bo available. The chairman; I should not like it to go out that this fault lies solery with the Romney. It concerns all breeds from the Merino upwards. While dealing with the Romney, which was the dominant breed, they were inclined to forget the other breeds to which the fault was common. The motion was carried.