88 JOUENAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



January, 1920. 



Wool. — Public sales of privately owned South African wool were 

 held during' January, and 4071 bales were catalogued. The wool 

 attracted considerable interest and bids came freely. Brokers state 

 that the selection m greasy wools, although by no means good, was 

 better than on previous occasions, but there was still too large a pro- 

 portion of small lots of unattractive poorly grown staple. For the 

 long combings, competition was excellent at prices which showed no 

 appreciable change from those ruling on the 17th December. Short 

 rubbishy parcels were irregular and weak at a 5 per cent, decline. 

 Snow wliites, on the whole, were a belter lot than previously. W lulst 

 there was nothing of super quality or bulk, there were several parcels 

 of medium lengtli which showed good style and appearance. On the 

 average, there was no change in prices for snow whites, though the 

 tendency was in buyers' favour. There were very few Trans keis or 

 Basutos on ofl^er. There was a fair show of fine crossbreds, coarse 

 whites, greys, etc., for which the demand Mas not so good as it was 

 in December. 



Prices. — The highest figure paid for greasy combings was 60d. 

 This was secured for tiie top line of a well-bred, well-classed clip fiom 

 the Heidelberg District. Other Westerns sold at from 40d. to 46d. 

 The best price for Easterns was 50d., which was paid for a rather 

 short-grown Kaffrarian lot. Other prices, for wools shipped from Port 

 Elizabeth, ranged from between 38d. for moderate lengtli staple to 

 442d. for a good combing of different yield. Some so-called Natals 

 of fair length made up to 43-2-d. Short supers were a poor lot. The 

 lowest fetched in the neighbourhood of 23d., and the better ones went 

 up to about 30d. 



Snow Whites. — These made a fair show. Bid. was paid for a 

 bright clean Western of moderate length. The Paarls on oft^er were 

 on the small side, and were mostly withdrawn. 80d. was made for 

 the best of the Port Elizabeth parcels. Smaller and more specky lots 

 sold round about TOd., and good seconds made from 56d. to 62d. 

 East Londons were rather poor, being mostly short as well as faulty. 

 They sold betw-een 58d. and 65d. Natals sold up to 76d. The best 

 of the fine crossbreds were withdrawn. Lower lots sold at 56d., coarse 

 whites at 42d., blacks at 56d., and greys at 50d. There was very 

 little demand for white or coloured kempies. 



The date of the next sales is not yet fixed, but it will probably 

 be about the middle of February. 



Mohair.— A few transactions in good Cape Firsts have taken place 

 during the past month, but inquiries continue to be very small, as 

 spinners appear to be hard pressed to deliver w-ool yarns and cannot 

 aft'ord to put machinery on to mohair. There is little, if any, demand 

 for lower class hair, which is, at the moment, quite unsaleable. 

 The last transaction in winter hair was at 25fd. delivered at Bradford, 

 but it is problematical whether this price would be obtainable to-day. 



Goatskins. — At the public auctions held on the 22nd January, 

 68,231 Cape goatskins were offered and 21,987 sold. Brokers report 

 that, apart from several shipments from Mossel Bay, there was a poor 

 representation from the Western Province, nor were there any 

 standard lines from Algoa Bay or East London ; in fact, the catalogues 



