STOCK NOTES.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 3667, 23 October 1897, Page 4

STOCK NOTES.

Mr T. Gray, the Linwood butcher, who has returned from a trip to England, scouts the idea of any considerable proportion of New Zealand frozen meat being sold as home-grown, though no doubt a good deal is eaten as such. Mr Grigg still holds the contrary opinion. Mr Grigg sends Home a prime class of mutton and lamb, and all I can say is that if much of it is sold as English and he receives the proceeds be must bo accumulating wealth very rapidly. The Dingley tariff passed the United States Legislature mure suddenly at last then some of the speculutive wool buyers anticipated, and several shipments which will not be admitted free of duty will be returned for re sale at Bradford, together with a considerable

quantity which had been bought in London and had not been shipped. Schwartz's Wool Circular, issued after the close of the London Inly sales, gives figures showing that from Jan 1, 1897, to that point there had gone into the hands of the trade in the United Kingdom, Europe and America, 1,744,000 bales, compared with 1,604,000 bales for the corresponding period of the previous year. As the supply for the two years is estimated to be about equal iu quantity, there would thus remain 140,000 bales less to be disposed of in the remaining portion of this year than was available for the last five months of 1896. This may be considered “ a strong statistical position.” I don’t know what the antagonists of Government intervention or assistance will say to a step that is being taken in New South Wales —no less than the classification for breeders of their sheep for the various sections (fine, strong, or medium quality, and combing or clothing length) at agricultural ehows. Acting upon a suggestion by a well known breeder, the Minister of Agricnlture has approved of the inspectors of stock being instructed to invite breeders of stud sheep to send representative samples taken from the Bhoulders’ side, britch and belly of the fleece of the type of sheep they are breeding to Mr Hawksworth, wool expert of the Technical College, Sydney. On receipt of these samples Mr Hawksworth will make )a preliminary examination of them, note their characteristics before they are disturbed, and forward the samples to Dr Cobb, of the Agricultural Department, who will ascertain the average diameter of the fibres of each sample and return them to Mr Hawksworth with the measurements marked upon them for final settlement of the classification.