Wool. 69 



upon the whole it pays better to grow a medium wool and a 

 large carcass than to produce a fine true merino wool and a 

 small carcass : — 



Vermont-Merino. s. d. Australian Merino. s. d. 



Carcass .... — Carcass .... — 



WooP . 8 lbs. ® 8d. = 54 Wool . 4 lbs. @ lid. = 38 



Total 5 4 Total 3 8 



Cross-bred (^Shropshire X Merino). s. d. 



Carcass 120 lbs. @ 1|^. = IG 3 



Wool 9 lbs. @ 8rf. = 6 



Pelt . . . . . . . l|lbs. @4rf. = 06 



Total 22 9 



It is but fair to add that among Yorkshire merino spinners 

 at the present time there is such a tendency to demand a really 

 fine merino and to pay for it, that the conditions noted above 

 may possibly be changed owing to the enhanced value of the 

 true merino wool. 



Fortunately in this country the differences noted above are 

 not to be met with. When the early maturing of certain of the 

 Down breeds is taken into account, and also the fact that good 

 Down wool usually brings top price, there is little to choose 

 in the end between the best lustre wool sheep and the best 

 Down wool sheep. Upon the whole the tendency seems to be 

 to use the various Down breeds for crossing more and more 

 with Blackface and even Lincolns, but this is probably entirely 

 from the carcass value point of view. 



The wool value per sheep, however, is at least partially 

 dependent upon fashion. If alpacas and lustres are in fashion 

 long lustre wool pays distinctly best ; while if soft goods are 

 in fashion Down wool pays best. This point may be illustrated 

 as follows : — 



Southdown. s. d. Blackface. s. d. 



Weight of fleece, lbs. f^ 1 .'f. = .5 Weight of fleece 7 lbs. @ 4r/. = 24 



As previously remarked the same principles obtain in 

 dealing with Merino and the various Merino crosses. 



The conditions under which wool is grown in this country 

 are so diverse and the requirements of the manufacturer are so 

 changeable that it seems impossible to do more than lay down 

 very general principles and ftirther to promote, so far as may 

 be, the association of breeder and manufacturer. Too often the 

 manufacturer stands off feeling that any advice he gives one 

 year may be to his disadvantage or to the advantage of a rival 



* Only yielding 40 to 50 per cent, clean wool. 



