The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-21

TIE
Leonise from S to 4 about loo
SeSov1eme 5 4 90 IS
Sorriens 4 4 IS St
Arrogon 8 60
Anderson gives the value of wool in the Lon
don market about the sam period, which, redu-
cea to our money, stands thus: For the best
Cts.
German 90
Polish c5
British ~
White Persian a.
Ked 100
Spanish ss
1t appears from this, that the finest Spanish
wool is mt carried to England, since the price
there was below the price at Madrid about the
same period. Gov. Pownal, in a letter to Arthur
Young, 1888, gives the following as the average
prices of British wool coarse seven and an haJF
pence, common eight and an half pence, fine @.
levcn pence the whole fleece that is, reduced to
our meney, about, coarse ID cents, common IL.
and fine 20 the south-down, which appears to
me, to have the staple of our best wool, Is. or Is.
and 3D.. our money. This difference between the
price Of Britis'. and Spanish wool, is the more
worthy our notice, because it enables us to COM
bat the preIudices which so generally prevail h.
mong us IN favor of British sheep. we should
then stop and examine candidiy how lar those
preiudiccs are we'll founded. Britain contains
= ~ 'hNfh kiC 1SnH "ODlItu
sheep, bred in marshy grounds, to the small fine
woolled sheep fed on the Welsh mountains. The
Durham breed, which is, believe. the largest,
weighs about 260ib. live weight, and Yields from
b to BIB. OF wool but his wool would be of little
value, except where blankets or camblets are
made its value in England is about ID cents the
pound spanish fleece, taking the flock round
will yield, exclusive of tags, about three pounds
each, (mine give me ne Al FOUR worth at least 80
cents, that il, for the whole fleece, 1a7 cents
The British fleece, at 7lb. which stating it HIGH.
for a Hook round, at II, is SO cents, less than one
third of the value Of the Spanish Asece, and vet
the sheep weighs only about one third of the
weight otthe British sheep and if, as l believe
can hardly be doubted, animals of the same spe
cles eat in proportion to their bulk, the expense
OF the British sheep must be three fold greater
than that of the Spanish Merino or, in other
words, we may have three Spanish feeces, worth
six dollars and 81 cents, at the same
rate as one long woolled British fleece, worth on.
ly SO cents ; but this is not the only objection tn
these sheep the s,roDgestis is, that we have few
or no pastures adapted to them they would
then, OF course, degenerate. Indeed, this breed
rs by no means the favOrite breed in England
Those now generally sought for rich pastures are
the Dishly, which weigh alive about $50 pounds
when fat, and the south down for lighter land
The Dishiy is oil the long wooHod kind, and NAV
give about Glib of wool, worth 10 cents the lb
' llC jOTIUCF
breed lays III the carcass, which is, indeed, the
principal object in England, on account of the
low price oil wool, and the high price of meat,
which do not operate in this coun.
try, where wool is so per cent. higher thaa in En-.
gland, and mutton 80 per cent. cheaper shall
su5Join to this 4 note Of all the breeds of England,
together with the quantity and price of their Ace
ces, so that every farmer may compare their va.
lue, surprising even that they would not degene-
rate, with the value of Spanish sheep, which we
Know Will retain their advantages in our pastures.
and under our warm sky. Since, however, the
rage in Britain for fiic sheep (by which is meant
sheep with fine carCasscs, without regard to the
WOOL has so greatly increased, that 500 gl:.hc.s
are sometimes given for the hire OF a ram Tor the
season, no cxpensei is spared in their food, and IN
proportion to their size must be the richness of
their pastures, and winter provender: turnips,
tares, cole, potatoes, and rye, in the spring, are
and sometimes even wheat must be S..
criiiced to them, if a backward spring should
prevent the grass from coming forward in time
for the lambs for it is a rule always to keep
them IN an improving state, and this at so much
expense, that Mr.. Macro, one ofthe best farmers
IN England, asserts, that these fine breeds sinh,
the Waite OF the wool, and almost of the flesh i'm
keeping, or, in other words, are not profitable to
the farmer. How much less profitable would
they be here, where so little attention is paid Ell
ther to tue summer or winter provision for sheep }
|N"uJ M+NVu SNIcTlSnCS ildS proved English
sheep do not suit our climate ur management
Numbers have been imported, but no trace of
item remains after the third or fourth generation,
unless II be near the Sca-coast, where the climate
IS moist, and where they can occasionally have
recourse to the salt meadows. Add to this. that
the flavor Of ali this fictitious mutton IF NAV
use the term) is very much inferior to that OF
those which are capable of maintaining them
selves in health and vigor with less care and AT
%tention.
II should be observed, that the prices above no
ted are near fifty per cent. less than wool Of the
game quality would bring in the United States,
and that we discriminate less as to the quality.
When, however, we manufacture more exten
sively, VIC shall necessarily distinguish the diff.
ferent qualities of wool, and, Of course, S.,nish
wool will bear the same relation in price to Zee
ces OF an inferior quality that it does else where
Should we, on the other h2nd, grow more WOO;
than we choose 10 manufacture, (of which there
are strong indications at presently since il is the
only article that has ever rise, in price this msa,
years, Spanish wool wonid become an lnportani
articlc Of expectation TO every pert of Europe
S''SC W. Esd thAt even in Spain, It is worth Che