OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 6

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Oue Special Correspondent.) Bradford, February 26. SELECTION OF SHEEP. Some sheep-breeders think eel«ction a very slow process. Ib is not so Blow, after all. Our aelection of good ewes and a good male having been made, an improvement ia Koon shown. The generations of sheep are nob long ; in two, or n'j most in three, years you can ha.va offspring of your own selection, breeding again to select rams. In thene modern days wo have a quicker method of reaching our ideal — we can easily get it by purohSSa from breeders who have selected ; thus we readily get our fancy. If we wish to get the mo3t perfect wool we go to. the breeders of such and buy. It we want strong wool, we go to such flocks and get it. If we prefer grea3y, mnrkj-, superabundance of yolk, we can purchase it. Every man to his faney — he oan be readily supplied ; nay, if a breeder wishes to grow hair instead of wool, tho sheep are ready for him. Thus we of tho present day have advantages over our fathers ; we can be supplied readily, quickly, without a life spent in tekcLion, however pleasant th*fc selection may be to thi enthusiastic worker. How exceedingly ple*bant it is to see the resulb of youc own planting of trees and your owu selection of animals. The possession of largo fiocka usually produces cweleasuess in breeding, and especially in feeding. In this matter the owners of limited numbers of sheep often excel — they can feed. Thanks, however, to the times tho breeder of large locs of sheep can get his fancy all ready made. Space will not permit me to say much on tho crossing of different breeds of sheep, bub experience has found in the colonies that the Lincoln ram put to the merino ewe produces * most valuable, animal. Its wool is of good sound value, whilst its carcase is almost perfect for fattening, freezing, or for growing woo). In heavily-grassed country another crocs with tho Lincoln on to the first cross thrives well, but ib in uob advisable for drier, lighter grassed country. Some breeders speak well oE the Shropshire and other down breeds for crossing, and, indeed, they are admirable, especially where a farmer wants an early matured bred lamb for market. WOOL VALUES. The general tendency of movement in the wool market this week has (shown little farther ndvancjto a better stale of things. Attendance on 'Change kaeps large, and if at all possible men are open to do business, bub demand ism no sense what one may call normal. In fact, where bulk and si^e of transaction is looked for American speculative account is responsible, but apu'b from that nobody shows any inclination to plunge. There is, perhaps, an'all-round more cheerful leeling, and tome even talk of more doing than last week, cub where that occurs prices are undoubtedly on thtt lowest level. Still men are in oosen*e despondent, many spinLors being better off for work, while in the Home pieco trada an increase of activity prevails. English descriptions of wool aro very lifeless, bus in mohair and alpaca there is more doing at firm rates. ■ The following table shows the course of prices during the month, and represents the general asking price of to-day for the several grades enumerated :

1 NiitJio and Btair's "Standard" Seeds should be sown by every farmer and gardener who wants to make bi3 crops a success. Once used they will always bo ueed. Dunedin.— Advfe

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Lincoln hoggs Lincoln' wetheis Deep-grown hoggs ... n » ... Deep-srown wethers ... White super huggs White super wethers Irish liogß3 Irish wethers Pick Shropshire hogga Pick Shropshire wethers ... Ordinary halfhred hoggs .. Ordinary halfbred wethers Wiltshire • 'own tegs Wiltshire Down ewes Ordinary GO's, Buenos Ayres tops Ordinary tiO's, colonial tops Super GO's, colonial tops ... Ordinary 36's, colonial tops Ordinary 40's to 50'e, colonial tops Turkey average mohair Capß firsts mohair Description of Staple. O5 I IN s 0 _£; d. 101 ir 10 0J 101 10 10* 10 101 10 10 9i 11! 11l * & d 2 I d 9J 9J 91 10 91 101 10. 101 10 m 11:1 Hi & £_ d. 10' nj 93 »1 10 93 10 9! 10 9} 9i 9J U! Hi & « 3 X £> d. 10 93 93 9i 10 93 10 91 10 9} 91 91 US m ~cL~ 10 9J 98 91 10 9J 10 92 10 9J 92 91 HI Hi 171 181 181 131 171 18 18* 13 174 18 18i 13 171 18 18i | 13 17* 18 18} 13 133 18 17 I 16 16 13J 17 16 m 17 16