OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2578, 12 August 1903, Page 7

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fhoii Ocr Special CoRREsroNDENTO

BRADFORD, June 12, 1903. No. 2.-THE ECONOMY OF SHEEP FEEDING.

Heavy ltiml is capable of carrying more sh&cp than it is u-ually called upon to do. But in this case tho cropping would have to be specially adapted. The great attack of liver fluke which caused such devastation .-..mong sheep in 1879-1882 was particularly severe on tho heavy land, tl;o vrci sc-asons Iceeping it ia an over-saturated oondition, and consequently favourable to the development of the flukft In many cf t~esE> the Lead of sheep has never been brought up •to th© numbera existing before ihe attack. Much of this land has gone into what i« called permaneiat pasture, although it is only so nominally, for there is little in it that resembles a good, permanent pasture, and its fcheep-carryuyj powers aro very small. The land is thus to a -great extent lost to aheap-raising. Had a system of cropping been adopted which Irould have been favourable for sheep-keeping, much of it need not have gone out of cultivation. Previous to the wet years mentioned jnuch of this land had prospered as what is known as wheat and bean land, and when osrn growing became ■unprofitable few of those farming it saw their way to making such a change in their systems of management as would permit of its being kept under cropping. Thus it fell out of cultivation or was sown nitJi seeds for per-

manent pasturage, &5 has been seen with little, advantage in most cases, although the small xoturn may be bettor than the lo»:s •which would have occurred if wheat-grow-ing- un-dsr such a rotation as the four-course had been pcrdsted 1 in. Heavy land is net suitable for frequent cultivation in tlrceedays_. yet there is reason to think that it might have done better had a S3'stom which would have provide sheep food 1 been adopted. In regarding hsavy land as sheep lard, the first idea is to throw aside, as impracticable the winter fattening of sheep, and to regard summer fattening and a certain amount of breeding as t~& bee.t possibilities. A method' of cropping suitable fcT turnips and barley is aho impiaeticable, and boMi tbes3 crc-pa should be left out. Winter sheep ke&ping en arable land impliss suoh a trending and. poaching jf the soil and so much discomfort to the sheep that fiucces? in the turnip r e » cannot be looked for. The list of crops suitable for heavy land, provided it is reasonably drained, is not nearly so limited a° appears to be> generally thought. Temporary weds of grasses and clovers can be kept down for lcng:r pc-riods than on lighter soils, and there is less likelihood of clover sickness. Lucerne and sainfoin «*hrire far better on it thru is supj'ioscd. Tho former may not lo?ep down fo long as <-n f&ud soils, and 1 the latter may not kec.p t-own. so long 1 as on the chalks; tut they will do well for at leart two years, and tend to -enrich the soil meanwhile.

It may bs thought that two years is not worth striding far, but, considering the small expense attending tteir cultivation, it is well worth doing, ?nd the deep roots of these p!nn.ta he!p to open up the subsoil. Trifolium. incarnatuin does well on most heavy laud. Mangels, as » means of supplying rcote at times when the other crops are not available, do well en strong land, and if the same piece of land is kept under this crop year by year iho co?*: of cultivation is light. Tho cabbage family is well suited ito strong land, and if thousandhesdecl kale- and hardy field cabbages are grown, tho cropping may be^ arranged for a supply of thesa to be available- from Michaelmasi to Christmas. Tares or vetches do as well on heavy land as on cray other class of soil. With land cropned with the above crops its condition is likely to be fcooc 1 ,. and an occasional crojv of " corn may ba taken with the rrcspect of a gcod yield.

With the help of tho permanent pasture no great difficulty should be> found in keeping a good head of ehe-cp on the farm. Such a. system would demand an occasional fallowing, and it might, during wet seasons, be necessary to give the land a d<iad' fallowing now and 1 then. To plan out a definite rotation and. to attempt to follow it strictly is hardy desirable. There is little difficulty in arranging foi summer sheep fattening and for •summer working of the. land. Practically all the crops admit of the land being trokca tip in fumnwr, and very little need be done- in winter; at anyrate, no more than can be got through conveniently under favourable conditions. Th© crops mentioned <Jr> not call fcr a frequent breaking up of the land, and there- is no substrntial reason why those with heavy land should not carry more sheen if they alter the conditions under which they Cop the land. Sheep continue to be- the. most, remunerative section of farm s+ock, and beo\y laud uicn mie-ht take a bigger share '« sheep farming with advantage to themselves.

NO "SOFT SPOTS" IN WOOL.

Another week has parsed without any actual progress taking place, or at least without their being that real manifestation of good business passing which one likes to spe. At the- same time it i 3 some, satisfaction to bo able to report the existence of no "«oft snot?," everyone elingtug most tenaciously to every pound 1 wwgM. of «+oo4c he. has. There i- an ingrained 1 belief that Bradford will have to come up to every other centre on the vexed question of price, and this i? sxercising a very beneficial influence, over the whole market. Ton-makers -com more determined than ever to rctwt tho pahry 24£d> which spinners offer for a super 60's top, and 25^d is what i* wanted. Talking the other day to a most vf spec table and influential spiroer. he said that, however difficult a. top-maker's, position was, that of the spinner was even worse, if that vnild possibly be, for manufacturers would iiot even given "particulars" on o'd contracts. Running out the pi ice that is being offered for merino yarns, it chows that users aro wanting to buy on a. basi< of 2s per lb for a su-per 60's top, instead of 2s 2d, which some are atk'ag. This makes a moat difficult situation, and nothing can be lone but tit tight and await development*. Crossbrccte are selling and moving out of hand almost as fast _as tops are. _ being combed — a good sign indeed. Forties arc gcaerally quoted at 10id, which cannot b& called dear— in fact, a£ things ire, they are cheap. The impression is that prices will be maintained, and if there were only _iome additional new business passing we- should coon see. another advance. The market is hopeful in this department, aad with a big consumption there ifi every appearanoe of a good trade continuing.

Mohair is very quiet — demand is very slack even fcr low qualities, and Cape firsts can be bought at a shilling. English wools are firmly held, and expectations aT& high over the mew clip. About a penny improvement is looked for o\er last season's prices.