FAULTS IN WOOL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16376, 25 June 1927, Page 10

FAULTS IN WOOL

TO ARREST DETERIORATION

DISCUSSION BY ROMNEY BREEDERS Wool deterioration was the subject of a lengthy and important discussion at the annual meeting in Palmcrston -North ot the New Zealand Uomucy Marsh shoe]) Breeders' Association, and the opinion was arrived at that the education ot' tlie wool grower was the only way to arrest the trouolo. "During the year," stated the annual report," the council made arrangements, in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, to select anil forward to Bradford samples of our liomney wool to he examined and reported upon by the experts at Leeds University, with a view to counteracting tin- adverse opinion which has been circulated in certain quarters as to titc quahtj ,of New Zealand Kearney wool.''

Discussing the council's offer of £'WO a year, for three years, to the Scientific Research Council for wool roseaien and education of farmers in wool qualities, Sir James Wilson said that tlie services of a man thoroughly conversant with sheep and wool values would prove more advantageous in improving the quality of the wool and the breed than tlie research work undertaken by university experts. Nevertheless, such a man should be a highly scientific one.

Tlie chairman: I think we will all agree that this is a most important matter, and we must look at it from a national, and not an individual viewpoint. Mr, Hewitt added thai, if such a man with the necessary- practical knowledge could be obtained,, he would be worth a salary more in the vicinity of £SOOO than £IOOO. ''What we have to do at the present time is to educate the farmer towards knowing what is good wool and what, is hair, 1 ' he. remarked

Mr. D. Smith (Mastcrton) claimed that much of the deterioration of wool was due to the failure of farmers to cull their ewes sufficiently. Old ewes which should be fattened off wore kept instead of confining breeding to the younger and stronger ewes.

"I think we should ask Bradford to supply samples of the wool complained of, so that we will have something to go by," declared Mr. J. 0. Uyinan (Kairanga).

yir. A, C. Morton: Farmers want practical men to teach them, and not students from colleges. Mr. O. Monrad (ralmerston North), considered that the trouble lay in the fact that they had lost, the Lincoln cross, and that the crossing of Down with poor class Roinneys produced the inferior flocks.'

Mr. W. Perry (Masterton) said tfiat the English breeders were experiencing the same difficulties as those of the Dominion in the matter of wool deterioration.' In the effort to produce perfection in lustre there was the danger of inducing the development of hair. After touching on several technical points in relation to the different wools, Mr. 'Perry, expressed the opinion that the Romney wool was improving, but that there" was room for increasing the education of the farmer.

Mr. J. H. Absolom: One thing that has been missed is the deterioration of back hill land. Land that used to carry one and a half sheep to the acre to-day will only carry half a sheep. The chairman: There is one thing, gentlemen. 1 should not like it to be broadcast throughout the Dominion that the faults we are discussing are common only to Romney wool. As a matter of fact they are common to all breeds.

Mr. \V. 11. Buick (Masterton) proposed that the association should request the Government to allocate a sum of money either from the Consolidated Fund or from the proceeds of the Howard Estate (which was left to the nation for educational purposes) to the Agricultural College Council so that it might appoint lecturers to deal with the growth of wool, such lecturers to ho available to address meetings of farmers on the special questions, and, as time went on, the senior students of the college would bo available for the same purpose. The motion was seconded uy Air. P. H. Dorset (Masterton). .Su- James Wilson, in supporting the motion,, trusted that the meeting would carry it unauiiuousiy. It appeared that all wore in agreement that the education of the wool-grower was essential, and, it the moiiori were given effect to. the means to attain the object would be available. The chairman: I should not like it

go out that this fault lies solely

with -the Eoraney. It concerns all breeds, from • the Merino upwards. While dealing with the Romney, which was the dominant breed,4hey were inclined to forget the other breeds to .\hieh'.the fault was common.