CUE YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 6

CUE YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Our Special Corresi'OXdk.ii:,) BRADFORD, June 2. HOW TO JUDGE WOOL. Talking the other day with a manufacturer in this district, he said tc me candidly: " Mr . I do wish I could judge wool with that precision and correctness that you can." Tim. I replied, was an ea«y matter, but no man with only " l^ook knowledge" alone could ever become au e?.p?rt judge and valuer of wool. He mustliave experience, for experi- j euce still was the great teachei. And so it is, j and in wool especially a man can learn best j who is brought into direct contact with the i article. But, at the saina time, there are a few points which ii. is as well to know, for by following them out oiiy ma.ii with an average amount of judgment can learn much that will sland him ia good stead when he come-? to tackle the article itself. Let us, therefore, look at the subject. Perhaps there is no question so valuable, and the consequent result so important an element in dealing successfully with sheep and wool matters a» to know how to jii'lge wool in a proper, businesslike n>Ar«ui;>. Tc the sheep fanner, a- well a-s to- the wooi-buyer, ihis qu-'siion :s: s equally o,s ijnporis.ui, j'or, as t'i the former, whoae object is to make woolgrowing pay, this is a matter claiming strict attention on his part, for in the buying of new sheep, in the introduction of now blood into his flock, it h always of first importance to know how tc thoroughly overhaul the offeied sheep before concluding the bargain.•The finest and softest wool ia always found on the shoulders of tho bheep. That seenis to be tho special part favoured by nature throughout the whole breed of animal life, and an expert on judging sheep always looks at the v.'ool on the shoulders first. Here, then, ore a for/ moit practical suggestion's for selecting ijood-woolled sheap. | Always assuming that the wool to be inspected is really fine, we first of ail pay attention to the shoulders, where the wool sh/nild show the finest throughout the whole carcase. This wo take as a standard, and compare it with tho wool from the ribs, the thigh, and the rump, and the nearer the wool from the various portions of the animal approaches the standard the botler. First, we scrutinise the fineness, and if the variout, parts of t've fleece are satisfactory, we pronounce it, in respect of fineness, " even." This is a most important point, a<nd too much "attention cannot be given to it by all s'heep-brceders. An uneven fleece is always considered a very bail sign of inferior breeding, and whore there i 3 a wide range of difference in a sheep's fleece, suoh a sheep should be weeded out and never be allowed to breed. An " evmi " quality all over is a grand desideratum for all sheep-breeders, both in crossbreds and merinos. Next, consider that important feature the length of the staple, and if we find that the wool on the rib 3, thigh, and hack approaches rpa3onably in length to that of our standard we again declare the fleece, as regards length of staple, " lure and even." The next .step is to satisfy ourselves as to tiie density- or fulness of tho fleece, and we do this by closing the hands I upon> a portion of the rump and loin wool, these points or parts being usually thinnest ! and most faulty. If this, again, gives satisfac- | lioii, we designate all the wool "'even as : tc quality." Now this question of density has received at the hands of all " up-to-dato '.' sheep-breeders these last three years a good deal of attention, and rightly so, too. ft has now come to be recognised tl'.at it is not tho few individual heavy weight fleeces that bring tho most money into the sheepman's exchequer, but the general improvement of the whole fibek, and where 10 to 15 year- :igo men were breeding for a gicat length of staple, they are now breeding foi density. This is perfectly right, for wool is not bought by length of staple, but by weight, and good, dense fleece-s always weigh well. Now, to summarise those separate examinations : If tho fleece is nearly of equal length on shoulder, ribs, and back, and of equal density on shoulder aud acro'-s tlio loins, we may conclude, other conditions being equal, that we have a perfect sheep for producing valuable wool. Let it never be forgotten that " good wool and plenty of it" aro tho two indispensablo ele/nents in conducting successfully a wool-pro-ducing station. WOOL QtffETER BIT STEADY. This centre for wool continues to wear a decidedly quiet aspect e-o far as real transactions are concerned, and the turnover is confined to absolute requirements. The tone is healthy enough, and there ifi a fair amount of confidence in the market, but fine wool is passing through a testing period. There is now no doubt that all further upward movement ha* received a decided chock, and any higher values in merinos cannot be expected unl&='9 there h another found development in. trade. But. for the time being, ths market ia quiet and firm, with fine topmakera maintaining a very firm attitude. Priced may be quoted as unchanged, but here and there if an holder muat pell, he has to accede a farthing from late value?. Consumption is very well maintained, and this is helping grandly the position of fine wools, and the outlook is regarded as bright as over for this cla». of wool. Perhaps the mo-»t interest is centred around the English clip, the shearing of which really begins this week. But the market hera ooutiuues de-

pressed, and perhaps English, users never faced a now clip with a darker outlook than to-day. Without exaggeration we may safely say that the accumulations from last year are very heavy, and the old olip is still in many farmers' hands. What the course of prices have been since last clip-time will be seen from the following table, and these represent values in Bradford: — Prices in Lincoln. Irish. Midland. Halfbred (coarse.) June, 1888 ... SJd B|d BJd BJd Dec.,lß9S ... Bid Sid SA 8d To-day ... BJd 7id 7Jd 7U These figures are sufficient to show that the past season's trading cannot have been a profitable one to the dealers in English wool. Mohair is very firm owing to extensive purchases of Turkey abroad, but -Cape is quiet, yet firm. Yam-spinners are still well employed on old contracts, both for home and foreign users, and are particularly busy in respect to the former. Matters are about as "they were in regard to prices. There is a good home trade doing, but foreign* demand leaves something to be desired.