OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(From Our Special Coerespondent.) BRADFORD, June 29, 1900.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SHEEPBREEDEKS. Last week was the premier agricultural show of the United Kingdom, the Royal Agricultural show, held at York, and to which the whole of the British-speaking population gravitated. Accompanied by an American farmer largely interested in sheep, I went, and -what we saw well repaid the trouble and the ■expense -incurred. The most important item to colonial sheep"breeders was an influential meeting, or rather conference, held in the Guildhall, at York, and which was fully representative of the ' sheep-breeding industry throughout the whole of the British .colonies, the United States, arid South America, and may be regarded as a gathering "unique in the annals of the flock- - "book societies and pastoral associations, all "having the common object of preserving and the various breeds and types of sheep. The English societies, as a matter of course, were strong, in numbers at the con--feren'ce; Canada sent several distinguished agriculturists, while quite a number of Australian and New Zealand pastoralists indicated a strong interest in , the endeavour to bring into line the rules and regulations of v the societies concerned in the exportation and importation of sheep, with the object of safeguarding the record on all sides of the water. This was, of cour.se, the first meeting, but it is hoped that it will become an annual conference at this important show, ■but I, 'for one*, cannot help but thiiik that after a few years' this occasion will grow stale if held absolutely in.England, and I think that colonial sheepmen \ should .agitate that this conference rotate, and be held, one ' year in ' the ' United States, the next in Australia, the next in South Africa, and so forth, «ach conference being held at the time when i'he most important stock show is on. Eng- • land to-day is practically the only country ■to which foreign sheepbreeders come for pedigreed mutton fires, and in every case oui colonists and foreign buyers of sheep oct - -wisely and cautiously. The full "pedigrees of three generations back are now demanded on the export certificates, and the Customs department, in the United .States particularly, '•watch very closely the interests of the im- • porters in this particular phase of the business.- Proper methods of identification are i-ightly insisted upon, and hence this conference spent considerable time in discussing the relative merits of tattooing. Ear-marking, and ' the Insertion of Metal ' Tpgs )h the Ears of Sheep.— On this point Mr George M'Kerrow, who represented the Oxford, the Southdown, and the Shropshire societies of America, said, in part, that English breeders could' not send them certificates of tregistration and numbers that were toe care- " fully compiled. In America they were molally certain that sheep had come to them V/hich were being misused, and. the imported ■ f ftriiffl alK were ahojvn as home-bred sheep. He

insisted that a flock-book number ought to ■ be sent out with the slieep, and stated that provisional numbers were given sheep entitled to be registered with American associations pending the .issue of the flock-bopk. On the question oi legistiation of sheep for 1 export, a long discussion took place, when finally the following resolution was unanimously pas&ed— "Societies exporting sheep shall, with every sheep already registered, send the official export certificate of the exporting -society, whereupon shall be recorded in full it 3 pedigree and registered flock-book number, signed by the secretary 'of the society to which it belongs, and stamped with the corporate seal of the same. But that where a sheep is eligible ior registration, but has _ not yet received a registered number, a provisional number shall be given to the sheep by the secretary^of its- society (incorporating in the export certificate the Humbfers jiidicaling the individual "identification of the sheep)^ and that the "ilock-book mimber shall De" sent to the secretary of the sheep purchaser's society as soon as the flocki-book wherein it is recorded is issued. The vendor of the sheep sold shall apply for -the said export certificate or certificates, giving his own and consignee's full natne^and address, together with' the, name of the;oountry to which the sheep is' 'going." Prior id" this resolution being' put, strong objection was taken by two leading jEnglisli breeders 'to certain words in the resolution, they affirming it" to be vca workable, but-i fail to see how that can be. A leading breeder from Victoria spoke of the necessity of identification, ancl said he would retrain from 'mentioning names, but knew_ for a fact that animals had been imported- ifito his country from 'England as pedigree animals which were not so. All spoke strongly in support of a method by which a full pedigree and identification were libsolut'ely Certain. ' The conclusions arrived at by the conference in the matters discussed will be submitted for approval to the sheep societies througlamtthe world before they become the recognised laws of this "Imperial Federation" of sheepbreeders. After all, as a New Zealand delegate observed, "a great deal 'must be left to the honoxir and integrity of the vendor.'' The show of sheep was' excellent, , and Mr Henry Dudding again took the championship for the Lineolns. COURSE OF WOOL PRICES. Once more we are compelled to record a week of intense quietness, with the market at a, complete standstill. We hardly feel justified in describing the situation as "panicky," but toprnakers.aie vronclering &nd thinking seriously if the game of holding out any longer is worth the candlej ancl it is certain that there is an increasing number about who are being forced to realise. To give a quotation foi 60's tops is almost -impossible, spinners offering as low as 20d in all seriousness, but, needless" to say, such a price il as yet altogether beside the mark, and even •forced sales are registering more than that figure. At ; the same time a very good 60' s top is easily procurable at 22d, though the best makers are wanting 23d. In a word, business is at an end till London pronounces the verdict next week, ancl the market is waiting feverishly for the result. " The folj lowing table" shows' the movement of values during the .past month,: but the figures given' nmst be -fcabsn more as nominal and as representing near the. market value for good selected lots — _ „

J • o5 CM ■ in ai Description oj Staple. gf a 1-5 00 <D a - 3 CO *-5 Lincoln hoggs Lincoln wetheis Deep-grown Tioggs .. Deep-Rvown wethers ... White super hoggs ... White super wethers .. liishliogßS Irish wethers Pick Shropshire hoggs Pick Shrop. wethers ... Oidinary halfbred hoggs Ordinary halfbred ■wethers Wiltshire Town tegs ... Wiltshire Down ewes Oidinary 60's, Buenos Aj res tops Ordinary 60's, colonial tops Super CO's, colonial to?s Ordinary 40's, colonial tops - ... Ordinary '36's, colonial tops Turkey average mohair Cape tirsts, mohair ... d. SJ 74 74 n 8i 8 8 74 10i -9i d. S 71 8 n 8 7i 10 9 d. 8 n 74 7 8 "n 8 74 10 9 d. S 8 7 8 ? 71 10 9d. S 71 7* 7 8 P 7* 10 9 d. 8 7* ?4? 4 8 74 8 n 10 9 8 n 7i .71 71 74 7h 13 V 3 7 121 ]2+ 7 ]2 12 7 12 12 7 12 12 7 12 12 22 21 £0 20 20 20 24 23 23 22 22 22 25 24 ! 24 23 23 23 10i 10 10 9i 91 92 91 20 l&i 9 391 13 9 19 J7J 8J 19 17* 81 19 171 S4 19 174