OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(Fhom Otjb Special Corbespondent.) BRADFORD, November 22, 1907. WOOL-GROWING IN SOUTH AFRICA. South African wools always offer the trade a fit subject for consideration, and although some of the first merino sheep that ever entered Australia went from the Cape, still the latter country has long ago been left in the rear in producing either merino sheep or wool. lam afraid that the record of the Cape wool trade is very much to day what it was 50 years ago, and some go so far as to say that it has deteriorated when compared with 15 to 20 years back. However, South Africa does not today occupy that forefront position as a wool-growing country that might have been expected considering the start it had, and one can only surmise that the old Dutch farmers have been contejft to let things take their own sweet course so long as they could comfortably eke out a living. While they have been sleeping the pastoralists both of Australasia and the River Plate have been inaugurating and carrying out a forward policy, and we see the effects • of their enterprise in wool being sent to both better grown and better prepared than the Cape-grown article. This is to be regretted, for I have always maintained that there is room on the consuming markets of the world for a big weight of well-grown South African wool, which '• always sells well providing its character is good. During the past two years we have heard fau more about Cape wool t"han for some time past, and since the conclusion r of the late war pastoral interests in South Africa have undoubtedly livened up. The trade welcomes that, for with it some material good has already accrued to Australian stud 1 sheep-breeders in particular. VN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. The writer of this letter feels somewhat proud of the fact that he has had a hand in bringing about some improvement in the production of Cape wool. One cannot -help but rejoice at the great awakening on the part of wool-growers, both in Capo • Colony, Orange River Colony, the Transvaal, and Natal. Farmers have been brought to see that their sheep and wool were not what they should be, and already between 7 COO and 800$ stud rams and ewes have bf>en imported -from Australia at about a cost of £30,000. New blood is badly wained, and in the near future it is pretty certain that more important purchases will be made. This cannot but have a beneficial effect upon the whole industry, for with sheep improvement there is bound to be a corresponding betterment of the growing fleece. Cape wools have never been deficient- in quality, and that is one reason why they stand so high in the estimation of Yorkshire spinners, providing the staple is of 12 months' growth, and condition at all reasonable. But Cape vools seem to many users to possess what I i^ay call a false fineness; that is, the staple is very lean and lacks bpdy or density. Tl'e importation of fhis new blood will rectify thjs' very largely, and cannot but leave -its mark for good upon the general flock. I was pleased a short time back to receive from the Agricultural Department five stud fleeces (three rams and two ewes), grown by one of the first breeders in Cape Colony. These came with the request that I had to take each one, *'alue them as they stood in the greasy state, estimate their shrinkage, then ges them scoured separately and 6ee definitely what was the loss. Then they were re-valued, and finally combed. This made a very interesting experiment, and some very valuable data has been acquired. I might say here that these five fleeces were the best that I ever handled, and although I have had over 20 years' attendance at the London sales, yet I never behelcT fleeces a« those sent. lam certain that 13d could easily have been got for the ewes' at the last series in* 'Cbleman stieet, for there was a splefididT" quaGtv, capital length, very 6ound, and had been well skirted. Of course, they were stud fleeces, and no doubt special care and attention had been given to the sheep. In connection with the wool one point especially came out— namely, that the shrinkage was a little more than estimated. This is one of the standing faults connected wih -Cape wool, and scores of buyers have had to face a. loss when the wools were scoured and combed, simply because there had been a Jarger shrinkage than had 1 been reckoned on. In these five fleeces I was only out in ope case at the most Z per cent., and it was in favour of the wool; that ia, the fleece gave 2 per cent, more in clean wool than I thought it would. Hundreds of lots of Cape grease have been bought during the past 10 years which have 6hown a loss of fr_<sm 5 to 10 per cent, above the estimate of buyers, and this has had the effect of causing many fixms t6 leave Caps strictly alone. It is always worse to estimate six months' wools that are heavy in sand and grease than if) is good 12 months' fleece grown on good grass country. The wool when scoured was simply perfect, and produced a "top" pf higfh.class quality. If there was grown in Soujjh Africa wool only 15 to 20 per cent, wofs© in character than this there would be fevver complaints than there are, and T an) glad to think that the tirqg is not far distant when euoh wbol_as this will be-the rule and not the exception. j S^ILL AOOM FOR IMPROTVEMENTr. 1 Tn*er£ is no do,ubt that South Africa • has the making of a big sheep and wpol business if the present programme is carried out thoroughly. The Agricultural Department Of both Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, Transvaal,, and Natal are certainly wide awake to the possibilities in this 3irec- ■ tion, and the co-operative movement is al-

i already bearing good fruit. What seems to - m© to be the most wanting feature in cons neetion with Cap© wools is a better preparation for market. There certainly is an imi provemenc in this direction, and some real ► good work is being done by many farmers, - but there wants an abolishment of the pre- > sent system of six months' shearing, and every fleece locking and skirting in Austra- ■ lian fashion. One cannot help but think ; that if there were anj real good to do • gamed 1 by shearing every six months the i equatters of Australia and Now Zealand i would be considered fit candidates for an asylum- Why, the present Australian clip i is of about ,11 months' growth, and i already much has been said of the staple ■ being " too short" and of insufficient comb- " ing length. If that is so, where does a six months' grown stable come in? There ' are plenty of gctod, big buyers who never i stop to value Cape wools when they see they are only of six months' growth, and euoh wook are only fit for clothing purposes. The^e certainly can be an improvej ment on these lines, and shearing once a ; year would be to the benefit of the whole ! trade. _ x Too much emphasis cannot be laid on the importance of all shorn fleeces being well skirted. It is simply a suicidal policy for 1 any grower to put in the fleece his bellies • and skirts, and these should always be reh moved before the wool is baled. ; A TRIFLE BETTER, MARKET. There is not much to report that is really fresh, but if anything things are a shave steadier in average. The tone no doubt is better, and there is hardly that depressed feeling which was' so pronounced last week. Almost every day the gloom deepened, and without doubt everything could be bought cheaper as the days passed. Some seem to think that a few decent weights of tops ha^e been lifted, but I am unable to trace their origin, or who are the buyers and sellers. However, it is right to say that in some quarters even last week fair transactions in futures were agreed upon at about the lowest price which has hitherto been accepted, and whether this will prove to be profitable business, time alone will show. I am certain that at the prices accepted neither merino nor crossbred wool can be bought at any market in the world, and these importers must have every confidence in being yet able to buy cheaper, otherwise they would never have sold like they have. On every hand there has been in evidence not the least desire to force anything^ and generally speaking prices have steadily dropped purely and simply on the ground of sheer inactivity, coupled with the feeling of uncertainty over finances. Nothing can be really expected until men see how LondonT"opens, and the feeling respecting that market is very much mixed. Prices should come down 10 per cent, all ; round to meet Bradford rates to-day, but I am not looking for more than a good 5 per cent, in merinos and 5 to 10 per cent, in coarse crossbreds. A good deal will depend upon what transpires in the financial ' world between now and next Tuesday. If the situation in 'America were to considerably brighten this week, then it would mean real good to the wool trade o£ his country, j but if the bank rate is again raised, it is bound to seriously handicap the free movement of sales both in London and elsewhere. The latest private cables from Australia, speak of a stiffer market than was I seen at the earlier part of last week, and great surprise is expressed at the way wool is selling. After all, even that market may stimulate buyers here, but it is hardly likely with the present bank rate that users are going to purchase more wool than they can pay for themselves. There has been no slowing down at the consumptive end, and as far 'as one can see all the output of tons, yarns, and pieces is beitfg delivered. I have little hesitation in saying that Bradford to-day is the cheapest market in the world for raw material, and it will be well if our cheap sellers aTe'not again making a whip for their own back 6.