246
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
the staple tender, ought to be prevented by a
constant supply of food throughout the whole
year.

The Wool Supply Association will be happy
to answer any inquiries, and give any infor-
mation that Foreign correspondents may re-
quire in their efforts to increase the supply
and improve the quality of their Wools, and
to render any assistance in their power to
facilitate the export of breeding sheep suitable
for crossing and improving the inferior Foreign
breeds. Already ten Rams have been sent
to India by this Association, from which the
best results are expected.

The Wool Association offer their gratuitous
services to parties abroad desirous of purchas-
ing Rams for exportation, or in any other
manner to promote the views expressed in
their observations.

A few samples of different varieties of the
Combing Wools required will be transmitted
to the Consuls in Foreign parts, and to the
Governors of Her Britannic Majesty's Co-
lonies, and wherever Wools suitable for the
Worsted Trade are cultivated.

Address the Bradford Chamber of Commerce,
as above.

Remarks concerning Wool; chiefly pointing
out the faults attached to each description
named.

Oporto.

The Wool usually imported from thence is
long stapled and bright, but troubled with a
sprinkling of grey and reddish hairs, which
depreciate the value and limit the competi-
tion. The sheep also, for want of attention,
are apt to produce cotted and yellow tinged
fleeces, which only realize in the English
market about two-thirds the value of free
open stapled white Wools. The receipts from
Oporto have increased considerably, but a
good portion of the increase consists of Wool
from a lower breed, and is called here
"Mountain Oporto." This description is
part long, very coarse stapled, and the other
part of the fleece is short and dull looking
Wool, unsuitable for same purposes as real
Oporto, and realising twenty five per cent.
less price. By attention this mountain Wool
might be raised to same character as the usu-
ally good description received from Oporto.

Iceland.

We don't know the exact quantity produ-
ced annually, but think it is 8,000 to 10,000
packs. The effect of a cold climate acting
upon sheep left to nature has been to produce
a Wool consisting of a long spiry coarse top,
with a fine downy bottom, which for English
consumers is very objectionable, and reduces
the value.

Russian.

The Donskoi Wool does not seem to meet
with the same care as the flocks of merino
that have attained such perfection in Southern

Russia. The Donskoi sheep is probably in a
state of nature, or at least partially so, and
the Crimean entirely so. Both these admit
of great improvement, and by care for a few
years a long stapled good combing Wool of
finer quality might be produced, upwards of
30 per cent, more valuable.

The Russian government has the power,
and probably the inclination, to initiate im-
provement and will probably do so at its own
expense, if the future advantage be made
manifest.

We see splendid flocks of merino have been
created in Southern Russia during the last
thirty years; we don't know whether this
was done by the rich noblemen or the go-
vernment, but it proves what improvement
may be effected on a large scale.

Turkish, Asiatic and European, including
Servia, Bosnia, Nissa, Scutari, Scopia,
Salonica, Angora, Smyrna, Syria, Persia,

These Wools are usually very scurfy and
kempy,* both of which are serious faults, but
may be eradicated by attention. It seems as
if most of these Wools got no care at all, and
in evidence of this we point to the large pro-
portion of scurfy and mangy fleeces. There
is the basis for capital combing Wool, even if
the growers cross with their own selected
rams, without the introduction of English
sheep.

East India and Persian Wool imported
from Bombay.

Improvement has already commenced here,
and a large field awaits full development.
Each year our imports are collected from a
wider range, and as we penetrate into a more
temperate region, we find Wool of a longer
and sounder staple, assimilating more closely
to our English descriptions than the short
hairy Wool that is usually grown nearer the
Tropics. East India Wool has a tendency to
be burry and scurfy, with a slight mixture of
grey hairs. The staple is generally too short.

China.

This Wool is usually soft short stapled
Wool; looks like neither fleece nor lamb; it
is usually very cotted, kempy,* and yellow.
No attention seems to be bestowed upon it by
the growers, but when a regular demand
arises, the Chinese will, no doubt, turn their
attention to the article, and effect desirable
changes; and from the extraordinary fecun-
dity of the sheep, large quantities might be
produced.

Egyptian.

Here is a Wool with many of the proper-
ties so wished for by our consumers. The
staple might be long enough if the native
collectors and growers did not induce the
practice of twice shearing. The Wool is
bright, sound, and silky, but is sometimes
spoiled by a sprinkling of grey hairs, also by
the admixture of ill-bred, rough, fuzzy wool,
known in trade as Syrian.

The Cape.

The chief remark to be made upon the