OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2268, 19 August 1897, Page 6

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fhom Oub Special Coreespondent.) Beabfohd, June 11. HOW TO PREPARE WOOL FOR MARKET. In these days of agricultural depression and general keen commercial competition it is absolutely necessary that those who intend to make any profit, or, indeed, to survive in tbe great race of "the survival of the fittest," should thoroughly understand their business and be enabled to use all the means which will commend their wares to the best market, and in the best possible condition for obtaining the highest price. In no business is the necessity for this more clearly seen than in the proper preparation of the wool for market. It is net " too much to say that there are thousands of x pounds per annum wasted by cheep-owners ■which might easily come into their pocketß if they only exercised tke ordinary care and circumspection which are absolutely necessary to the successful treatment of their wool for the consuming markets. In order therefore to give wool-growers some reliable information upon this important subject, I would draw their attention to the following practical suggestions. , By an intelligent application of them better ; returns for clips can be confidently looked for. 1. The fleeces as .soon as taken from tbe sheep should be placed with the outer surface upwards on a table, the top of which consists of open wooden bars or crossed wirework, which allows much of the dnst and other loose refuse, laesidts any double-cut staple (which should be avoided), to fall through. 2. The separation of the inferior parts of the fleece should then be effected — that is ; the polllockf, bailie?, skirts, dung, and .shanks should be taken off; and beyond this, if from any cause, as sometimes happens, some of the staple should lie stained or show any excessive prevalence of burr, it should likewise be removed. 3. These separated portions must in all cases and under all circumstances be baled apart from the fltece?, but the extent to which they may* be usefully- classified depends in scm3 - measure upon the size of the clips and the amount of material to be handled. Where the flock is of some importance the fleece may be advantageously divided into («) fleece, (b) skirts—these being the larger and better parts of the fleece skirtings ; (c) bellies, (d) locks, consisting of the heavier and more wasty fragments of the fleece. Even on some very large sheep stations ia the colonies a clip is done np in a more elaborate way, bub for general purposes an adoption of even the before-mentioned elementary principles is all that is needed at the hands ef the average sheep-farmer. Where a sufficient bulk of wool is dealt with, the bellies aud locks May to advaatage be scoured or band-washed, as they carry a large percentage of waite in addition to real grease, upon which freight and other expenses in relation to the residuum of wool are Very heavy. 4-. The classing of the fleeces should then follow. If there be enough hogget, ewe, and wether staple to form under each head •Ten. a few balei, these should be packed

separately, and " lambs*' " wool always. In classing fleeces before baling, the clas*er should keep an open eje on (a) quality, (b) length, (c) soundness, (d) condition. The fleece* ' should, after skirting, &c, be folded, not tied, even if this should (as it need not necessarily, entail the employment of an extra haad to carry the folded fleeces from the table to their «6ptctive bins or bales. The folding should be dons . as follows :— The fleece, spread out (outside upwards), should be turned from the edges inside outwards on either tide of tbe centre, and then folded again (much in the same manner as you would fold an ordinary tablecloth) ; ib should then be rolled up, care being taken to keep a shred of staple at tbe end free, which, after being twisted, should be tucked under the fold, co as to serve a» the means of attaching and securing the whole. Tying is objectionable for many reasons, and by following out these simple instructions the recent complaint from rhe Bradford Chamber of Commerce about the tying of the fleeces with sisal twine would ba remedied. As extra marketing " pointers " I would say : Avoid branding your sheep with tar ; use lamp-black and oil. Let the bales be neatly pressed. Don't spade-pack it ; the get-up is half the selliDg of it. Skirt carefully and well. Don't put two qualities of wool in one bale ; this is bad policy. Select an agent whom you can depend upon, and don't hamper your wool with heavy reserves. It only prejudices the sale and detracts from the true market value of your clipi WOOL QUIET. The wool market this last week has been immersed in holidays, and as a consequence trade could not be expected to be anything but quiet without some distinct change in the situation, and nothing has happened to raisa business from the recent dull level. Staplers to-day are not struggling under the crushing burden of heavy stocks, and while the demand at the hands of consumers continues very languid, with no anxious buyers anywhere, y6t the wool in hand is regarded generally as good property, and there is no uneasiness or undue h,aste to f orca sales. We have men in our midst ever disposed to go in for " calamity howling " simply to gain a point, yet many well-'ntormed experts are very sanguine about the future, and express themselves in a way that gives one the impression that they should not ba surprised to see wool advance before nexc September. However that may be, this is certain, that the aggregate of consumption in a general way is on a full level with what has prevailed these last few months, although prices are low and unsatisfactory. In crossbred tops and wool there is, perhaps, a rather better geueral inquiry, but values are still below London parity. In merinos there seems to be some irregularity, even good, long warp' tops being nearer in price to short-stapled tops than ever. In English woolo business will be quiet nntil the local wool fair 3 begin towards the end of tbe month. As to the present there is nothing of moment offering, except a few clips from the west of Ireland, and the consignees are asking prices which Bradford does nofi seem disposed to give. In worsted yarns the demand, both for export and home account, is distinctly dull, and with the exception of a rather better demand for the latter in twofold warpa for serge purposes there is no new feature to be noted. Perhaps the 'demand for fine wool yarns of the merino character is the most depressed department of the trade. In manufactured goods business is still very uneven, although some classes of goods are still being pushed through rapidly in considerable quantities for the United States, the goods having to ba across the "herring pond" by July 1; otherwise 'trade continues dragging.