To the Eaitor of the "Normi-Cinwa Dasty News"
Sin—Professor Banker's further er of 18th instant is equally as interesting as his letter of 13th, only Teannot quite agree with all he says because some of his opinions do not agree with practical facts.
What T'maintained in my letter was that the large merino sheep population of Australia, which is be-{ween 250 and 300 millions, had been developed and Improved by an able well-educated and practical business type of men without any pretence 0 selentifle practices, although their line breeding was in the proper Girection and may be looked upon from practical results as somewhat Natural selection and the survival of the Altest both went together in the improving stages of the wild sheep In ils wild roaming state before it was domesticated. It could not have been the splendid, bold, and strong animal it is to-day, without these two factors. " The wild horse, wild caltle, the buffalo and wild pig, were all on the very same footing. said the Australian and Amerl= can merino sheep were developed and improved from the original domesticated Spanish merino and Rambouillet or French merino sheep and that they arrived in these couniries. I have no doubt that some other breeds were used to make an Improvement of them, especially in size, weight of body and fleece, and teneral conformation, but they are {rue merinos still and I have not. ooked up any book to confirm this for other data.
What Prof. Banken states salt very. Interesting; he knows a great deal of what he is talking about, only it docs not really ft in, with Australian conditions to suggest to these great breeders of merino sheep that it is the sparse food supply In Australia (or in America), rather than abunddant food supply, which has helped solve the production of their fine: merino wools.. Sullable conditions. certainly do help. There and. bad seasons everywhere else, and there are years. In which their Wool clip fs finer than other years; the good years of fine wool production might well be called "vintage years" owing to good climatic conditions, but certainly these great Austratian flocks are never sparsely fed with the view of a finer wool resulting. Australian Sheep breeders get enough to think about when a severe drought starts in, when there Is a desperately severe shortage of both pasture, food, and water, and then millions' upon millions of their fine merinos meet their death, T was much interested to hear about an eminent professor's _dis~ covery in the little island of Soay, when' he discovered the "lee Age" sheep, in its original form and that it had stood still and had not dove-loped. If "the professor had dug down' he might perhaps have found the "missing link" with man, but feel his discovery, may be accepted asa "mare's nest."
Tam glad Prof, Banken has such good ideas about' the China sheep ud Chinese wool and their development. Since writing my previous letter 1 have been told by practical handlers of China wools that a large part does not go into the manufac lure of carpets, but several wel Known press-packers here _assort such Wwools into qualities to suit farleus foreign markets, and that one line of manufacture" is blanket making, rugs, ete.
These China wools which a brought Into" the press-packers* warehouses are hand-picked Chinese labour.
A. J. Ricuanpsox, Shanghai, Jan. 20.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.