OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2372, 17 August 1899, Page 6

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Oub, Own Correspondent.) BRADFORD, June 16. HOW TO TELL GOOD WOOL OF WELLBRED SHEEP WITHOUT HANDLING. The time for the beginner to get the opportunity of opening and examining fleeces will be when classing for breeding or at shearing time ; but it is as well to get a good general knowledge of the sheep's outside appearance, so that after lengthened experience ho can pretty accurately guesa what each sheep's fleece will be like before the wool is opened for examination. A badly-formed, delicate animal will not have that free, buoyant, confident style of movement that a well-proportionecl vigorous animal will have. The strongest, most vigorous, and bpsc thrivers will be the oomparatiyely medium-sized looking, nuggeiy ones, { with wide forehead, soft pympattretio looking j ttyes, on short legs with stout forearm, good : strong bone- (not pipe-stalky looking}, with ! bodies not seeming long, but broad, with ribs ! well sprung ou6 from back, having- short look- '[ ing, stout necks running in level with the , shoulders and back. The neck below ahoukr | bo full and long from point of Fhonkler blade up along neck vein to the throaO, the chest deep and wide. Tho legs should be weO apart, and when standing the animal will ha-ve a, iirm, confident-looking- grip of the ground, and when walking a deckled, free, firm step. Tho back ribs must be well sprung out, with, iv strong loin, with little paunch of oft'ai. Although very special attention has not generally l;eeii given to the cprcase or moat-producing qualities of fine-woolled sheep- in tho colonies, yob it j» of the very firsb importance- that a sound constitution (sound building-up) be obtained in order to have an animal fit to grow | abundance of sountl, healthy wool. Tho first I importance in an industry being to ha-ve tho soundest, lv.oifc compact, and strongest ma-t-hive for the purpose that can. ho attained, it is necessary, even only as a wool-producing machine, to Ivave an animal with a sound, symrnetrica-ily-fontßed, healthy body. In looking for robustness of constitution) yao that along the neck, over the tops of, and behind, tho shoulders, is full, strong^ and well up, particularly in the mule, and also proportionately iv the female. Ra-ms- should have* vary muscular necks, with, rugged, bold heads, always able and ready £or a fight.. On a good style ol sheep tho wool will stand out ail round perpendicularly a& right angles to the skin, and will no* fail or shed down, showing partings oi> openings teviftcd " breaks." This is very important to notice, as indicating density, .soundness, elasticity, and life in the wool. Such wool will have an abundance of yolk, which will usually shosy on the outside with a cla«k tinge Hk« tiny heads nil over the back, and in, a measure is»o clown tho side&, the tips of the v/aof being in small tufts slightly stuck together, Ihiw forming si natural wal-arproof coating, keepidtf theweather out, and protecting and nourishing the wool generally — nature here providing in. the iinc-woolled sheep what it is found c>:pedient to do artificially by smearing or salving on the coarse-woolled blade-faced and crossbred sheep in the hills of Scotland. Thosesheep with the dark, matted flakes of yolkbesmeared wool, when tho wool is Uftotened or pasted down, bh owing openings or pactings (called broken backs and broken, shoulders, eto.) indicating want of density, soundness, and general healthinea» of wool, aro to bo avoided. In a sound, well-nourished, cloiwo fteecxv the wool will bo standing straight up, with, tho tips all glued together with yolk, in form very much ret-gmbling the surface- of a cauliflower head, showing, no partings or breafcK. A dry, white, frnffy-looking fleece on the sheet's back denotes brittlene3» and want of hearllfc, stamina, and nourishment generally, nb&eaco of character, buiid, v and style, and deficiency of yolk. In many cases the colour of the wool on the sheep's back is- influenced by Hio charpci ter of the soil on which it runs, but the fleece of a sheep with a healthy, fuLl oecretion I of yolk will usually have ;* dark coating on the tips of the wool, keeping out dust and protecting the fleece generally. These are some , of tho points which a "live" sheep and, wool ! man will ever be on the lookout to observe, and if the varied features enumerated are wanting^ set it down at once that the animal ;in deficient and the wool will be wanting also. , MERINOS AGAIN BKTTER. During the past week, the markeb hoa.brielced up wonderfully so far aH flue wools are con- i cerned, but in qualities below 4&'s it has recoded. Although prices have advanced so materially iv fine woola. j^etf the gay between crossbreds and merinos continues- to widen, and the comparative difference in, prices gets larger still. There is no question of a doubt that fine qualities have taken one more turn in tlie upward direction. Towards tho close of hisb week super 60*8 tops- had changed hands at 27Jsd. and some of the best topmakers had put up their price to 28d. .Spinners manifested a far jjreater anxiety to be looking-, and anybody who was prepared to sell could do so at the foimer figure, providing it was a really good top. Bub there is displayed no eagernefs on the part of holders to sell. -i.ie feeling is abroad tha* the limit has not yet been readied, that stocks are so low and available quantities so little that another riso in the raw material is inevitable, and that by waiting they will do bettor ptill. Tt is very significant fhat commission woolcombers con tinue to be very busy, and on the whole the Bradford trade in fine goods may be fitly described as busy. But a different tale has to told when we look at cvoeabreds, both English and colonial. As before said, in anything below a. 46's quality, or lower than a colonial lalfbred, the tendency of prices is distinctly downwards. Quantities are so excessively heavy, the turnover so limited, and fashions almost repugnant at them, that price alone has tc tempt men to buy. Even Lincoln sorts are offering at as low a price as ever -thes r were, and Shropshires can be bought at 7£il to 7i?d. There are many attempts being made to clear off old stock at easier rales, but Engglish crossbreds have during the -past few yoars proved so unprofitable that buyers are rather iiffieult to defvl with. Mohair is steady, and a fair butiness is reported as passing. There is not much ckamg© to reporb in the yarn branch. Spinners are very firm, and will no* make any concesaions. Machinery is fully employed m» old contracts, and tho home trade continues good. In pieces, manufaoturws of bright efcuffa *r« fctriy w«U «m-

I -ployed, and merohants are still doing a, bij trade in summer goods. .