288 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  27,  1902.  ■ 
The  Wool  Trade, 
“  When  the  bottom  is  reached  there  can  be  no  movement 
except  for  a  rise.”  That  the  wool  trade  has  recently  reached 
bottom  few  will  deny.  Good  wool  at  13s.  per  ton,  6s.  6d.  per 
stone,  5|d.  per  pound,  must  surely  represent  the  lowest  pos¬ 
sible  range  of  prices,  unless  the  unfortunate  producer  is  to 
pay  the  manufacturer  a  premium  for  taking  his  wool  off  his 
hands.  We  remember  well  the  time  when  wool  was  w’orth 
2s.  6d.  per  pound,  and  for  many  years  it  rarely  fell  below 
Is.  6d.  During  all  that  time  we  purchased  suits  of  clothes, 
blankets,  and  other  woollen  goods.  A  Scotch  tweed  suit, 
well  cut  and  made,  costs  as  much  now  as  it  did  then. 
Blankets  are  cheaper,  but  very  little  in  proportion  to  the  fall 
in  value  of  the  raw  material  of  which  they  are  made  ;  whilst 
other  woollen  goods,  other  than  shoddy,  have  pretty  much 
the  same  value  they  had  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago. 
Here  is  a  puzzle  indeed.  The  farmer  is  getting  little  or 
nothing  for  his  produce,  and  at  the  same  time  manufactured 
goods  are  as  dear  as  ever.  The  manufacturer  must  be  coin¬ 
ing  money  1  But  he  is  not,  or  only  in  isolated  cases.  The 
Bradford  papers  have  been  full  of  failures,  and  when  money 
is  to  be  made,  there  are  usually  rlenty  of  people  ready  to 
join  in,  so  we  must  suppose  that  trade  is  really  as  bad  as  it 
can  be.  That  it  is  worth  the  farmer’s  while  to  hold  this 
season’s  wool  as  long  as  he  can  we  will  give  a  reason  for. 
Newspapers  give  ixs  market  reports  too  often  hashed  up,  or 
specially  prepared  for  our  consumption  ;  bxd  it  is  often  pos¬ 
sible  to  riddle  out  the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  We  will  quote 
from  last  week’s  wool  market  report  :  “  The  London  sales 
continue  remarkably  firm,  and  since  the  opening  on  Wed¬ 
nesday  last  the  tendency  of  prices  has  been  against  the 
buyer,  though  not  quotably  above  the  opening  advance. 
Bradford  topmakers  on  Thursday  night  put  up  prices  to  a 
level  with  London,  and  entered  thereupon  on  a  battle,  with 
the  aid  of  the  spinner,  against  the  users  and  the  piece  mer¬ 
chants.  So  far  it  has  not  been  possible  to  make  any  real 
advance,  for  the  merchant  is  the  determining  factor  in  the 
situation,  and  he  says  that  the  present  state  of  trade  will  not 
warrant  higher  prices.  Heavy  consumption  is  admitted,  and 
all  that  goes  to  justify  the  merchants’  attitude  is  the  pre¬ 
sumably  poor  purchasing  power  of  this  and  other  countries.” 
Here  is  ample  material  for  reflection.  Lack  of  purchasing 
power  is  apparently  the  reason  for  raw  wool  being  at  the  low 
price  of  6d.  per  pound.  It  is  a  sad  day  when  the  trade  of 
the  world  is  at  the  mercy  of  financiers,  and  the  price  of 
English  wool  seems  to  depend  on  the  power  of  English 
farmers  to  store  it.  “  The  merchant  is  the  determining 
factor.”  Here  is  the  middleman  with  a  vengeance.  Farmers 
make  too  usual  a  practice  of  selling  their  avooI  as  soon  as 
possible  after  clip  day,  with  the  result  that  practically  the 
whole  of  our  home  supply  is  thrown  on  the  market  between 
•June  1  and  July  31.  It  is  during  this  period  that  the  mer¬ 
chants,  or,  as  they  are  termed,  wool  staplers,  who  come 
round  the  country  districts  buying  wool,  combine  with  the 
greatest  unanimity  to  keep  prices  at  as  low  a  rate  as  pos¬ 
sible.  It  is  to  their  interest  to  ring  prices  down  as  low  as 
possible  about  this  midsummer  cime,  and  they  do  so.  As 
autumn  approaches,  so  does  competition  for  the  w'ool  re¬ 
maining  in  farmers’  hands  increase,  and  A^alues  are  higher 
almost  Avithout  exception.  As  Ave  have  said,  most  farmers 
sell  their  avooI  about  midsummer,  but  a  feAv  make  a  prac¬ 
tice  of  selling  in*  September,  and  they  are  in  all  probability 
fully  justified  by  results. 
We  have  always  advocated  that  fai’mers  should  sell  their 
wool  year  by  year,  as  holding  for  any  great  length  of  time 
is  too  ruinously  expensive  an  amusement  for  them  to  in¬ 
dulge  in  ;  but  if  merchants  this  season  offer  no  more  than 
6d.  or  Sjd.  per  pound,  there  Avill  be  so  little  to  lose,  and  so 
much  to  gain,  that  groAvers  who  can  afford  to  keep  their  wool 
over  wdll  be  Avell  advised  to  do  so. 
Staplers  have  aLvays  made  great  use  of  bad  and  careless 
Avashing  as  a  handle  to  keep  down  prices.  It  is  the  same 
Avith  w’ool  as  AAuth  many  other  articles  ;  the  price  of  poor 
quality  is  apt  to  rule  tne  price  of  good.  We  thoroughly  be¬ 
lieve  in  tub  Avashing  Avith  softsoap.  The  soap  costs  about 
6d.  for  a  score  of  sheep,  but  the  work  is  so  satisfactorily 
done  that  it  is  Avell  Avorth  the  extra  expense. 
The  soap  should  be  dissolved  in  hot  water,  a  quart  tin 
full  of  Avhich  should  be  poured  on  each  sheep’s  back  after  it 
has  been  placed  in  the  tub.  The  latter  must  be  of  good  size, 
and  an  old  breAving  tub  is  excellent  for  the  purpose.  The 
soapy  water  must  first  be  Avell  lathered  over  the  sheep’s  back, 
for  it  is  there  that  much  dirt  accumulates,  especially  in  Avindy 
and  dusty  weather.  Hoggs  often  paw  the  backs  of  others 
AA'hich  are  lying  doAvn,  and  so  dirty  them,  Avhdst  young  lambs 
are  very  fond  of  standing  on  their  mother’s  backs,  Avith 
shnilar  results. 
Professional  clippers  aauII  all  agree  hoAv  much  easier  it  is 
to  clip  tub-washed  sheep  than  those  washed  in  a  dyke.  The 
labour  is  much  less,  and  the  shears  require  much  less  atten¬ 
tion.  It  is  very  important  that  sheep  should  be  quite  dry 
Avhen  clipped.  They  should  be  put  under  coA^er,  Avith  an 
ample  straAv  bed,  the  night  before.  Hoav  oioen  have  Ave  seen 
sheep  quite  dry  on  their  backs  and  sides,  but  wet  under  the 
body,  through  lying  on  dirty  wet  bedding  1  It  is  practices 
like  that  Avhich  get  farmers  into  bad-  odour  with  merchants. 
Fleeces  taken  off  Avhen  in  such  a  condition  are  not  fit  to 
keep  for  even  a  short  time,  much  less  to  store  for  a  year  or 
two.  No  !  If  Ave  are  to  keep  our  avooI,  Ave  must  Avash  it  Avell, 
and  put  it  away  dry  in  a  dry  place.  It  must  be  on  a  board 
floor,  and  should  not  touch  outside  or  damp  Avails.  Care 
also  must  be  taken  to  see  that  the  roof  is  rain-proof. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Work  is  proceeding  swimmingly,  and  evei’^dhing  is  couleur 
de  Rose.  Six  hours’  rain  the  other  day  AX’as  just  the  thing  we 
Avanted  to  make  Barley  sowing  perfect.  Some  of  the  Turnip 
land  of  a  strong  nature  tunied  up  a  trifle  rough,  and,  drying 
rapidly,  just  Avauted  a  soak  to  make  it  fall  I  ke  lime.  Drills 
have  been  AAmrking  continuously  s  nee,  and  as  SAvedes  are 
finished,  and  sheep  off  the  land,  with  but  three  or  four  acres  to 
plough.  Barley  Avill  be  all  in  the  ground  by  April  1.  On  some  of 
our  land  March  soAvings  are,  by  the  older  heads,  considered  to  be 
too  early,  but  early  soaa’u  fields  have  gone  through  the  test  of 
drought  so  much  more  .satisfactorily  that  Ave  are  fain  to  try 
early  drilling  all  round.  The  misfortune  of  a  poor  root  crop  may 
thus  bring  its  compensations. 
The  sound  of  the  roller  is  heard  in  the  streets,  and  a  cheer¬ 
ful  sound  itl  is.  The  rattle  and  clang  of  a  pasjs.'ng  roller  is  a 
sure  sign  that  there  is  plenty  of  employment  for  everAmne  in  the 
fields.  Just  noAv  there  is  more  than  enough  AA  ork  for  the  rollers. 
They  are  Avanted  to  roll  the  Barley  after  the  seed  has  been 
harrowed  in,  and  every  acre  of  Wheat  that  has  not  been  rolled 
is  crying  out  for  it.  Some  must  be  rolled  t\A  ice,  for  it  is  AA'oe- 
fully  thin,  and  has  verA^  slender  roothold.  It  mu.st  shortly  be 
hand-hoed,  horse-hoeing  or  harroAving  Avould  still  further  reduce 
the  scanty  plant.  Hoed  it  must  be,  for  AAmeds  aaIII  ahAays  fill 
vacant  spaces  if  they  are  alloAA'ed  to  do  so,  and  the  hoeing  AAill 
more  or  le.ss  earth  up  the  plants  and  encourage  them  to  tiller. 
A  slight  top-dressing, Avould  do  good  if  the  land  is  out  of  condi¬ 
tion,  but  the  drassing  must  not  exceed  841b  of  nitrate  of  soda 
per  acre  ;  2cAA-t  of  .salt  per  acre  m’xed  AA  ith  it  Avill  simplify  the 
operation  of  soAving,  and  help  to  keep  off  mildeAA*. 
The  autumn  planted  Cabbages  have  stood  the  Avinter  veiy 
well,  considering  that  AA^e  had  29deg  of  frost,  but  it  takes  a 
good  deal  of  frost  to  kill  a  Cabbage  that  has  been  planted  Avell 
doAAii  to  the  neck  in  a  plough  seam.  Winter  rains  keep  Avashing 
the  soil  down  into  the  seam,  and  feAV  of  the  Cabbages  have  not 
their  stems  Avell  protected.  Weeds  are  making  a  strong  appear¬ 
ance  amongst  them,  as  also  here  and  there  a  Thistle,  so  Ave  must 
have  the  skerry  at  'Avork  and  hand-hoe  betAveen  the  plants.  It 
is  reniai'kable  how  little  progress  has  been  made  in  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  field  Cabbage.  We  have  many  fancy  names,  but  the 
old  Enfield  Market  still  holds  its  OAA'n  and  is  most  reliable. 
