The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-07-26
AGRICULTURAL.
LOW.PRICED WOOL.

The Boston Cultivator states some facts
respecting wool imported from South Amer
lea, and costing there 8 cents or less per
pound, which are new to US; and from
which it appears that the admission, free of
duty, of wool costing only 8 cents, must be
exceedingly injurious and indeed, as the pro-
duction abroad increases, absolutely ruinous
to wool-growing in this country.
Immense regions of country in South
America are extremely favorable to WOOL
growing Sheep get good living from
cheap pastures through the year. Enter
pricing men from New England and other
parts of the world have been attracted
thither by these circumstances, have been
entered extensively into the business,
and by judicious crossings have produced
wool of superior quality. The Cultivator
says:
"We have before us now on our table six
kinds of wool imported duty free from South
America, furnished US as samples by one Of
the largest importers in the U. 5. which
actually cost in South America from 10
to less than cents per pound, and there
lore all ddmltted DUTY Tree.
The lst kind is long coarse wool about
Z inches in length and about as fine as the
wool of our coarse long wool sheep, and
such as is manufactured into carpets, wors-
ted, coarse blankets and negro cloths-and
comes in direct competition in our market
with the wool of our Blackwell and other
coarse long wooded sheep. This sample is
very white and clean and may be afforded
for 10 l-2 to l6 per pound.
The I'd kind is coarse wool, of a finer
grade, full as good as the wool of the best
of our old fashioned common sheep, and is
admirably adapted for a middle grade of
satinetts, coarse woolens, and common
blanket. 1900 bales of this wool were i'm
ported into the port OF Boston, last week,
duty free. If this wool be sold at one shil-
ling per pound, it will afford the importer
over one hundred per cent. profit. This
wool by comparison is as goodas the wool we
took from half Dishley and half Irish cos
set eve, but not so long, and may be made
as white as the driven snow, by washing
alone, as we know by actual experiment.
The Sd is full as fine as our best half
blooded merino wool, and NAV be cleaned,
as the importer told us, from l-2 to 2 cents
per pound, either by hand or machinery
This wool is good enough for the second
grade of broadcloths, cassimeres, fiannels,
and the first class of satinetts, and may be
so that 1t shall not cost the manu-
facturer, when perfectly cleaned, 20 cents
per pound.
The 4th, same grade, full of burrs and
dirt, may be cleaned for cents per pound
and may be purchased abroad at the lowest
rate above stated.
The 9Th is sample Of wool of about the
same grade as the above, short and fine,
In South "erica, very white and
clean. We were surprised when the i'm.
porter assured us that this very wool ras
imported duty free, and in South America,
positively less than 8 cents per pound.
The 9th is similar to pure merino, wool,
and the sample which we have washed in
hot soap suds, has become beautifully white
and clean. This wool compares we'll with
some samples we have from the Hon. Isaac.
C. Bates flock, and others of the western
part of this State. So fine was this wool,
that when compared win Mr Bates wool,
we were unable to decide which was the
finest, and so we called in third person,
who declared Mr.. Bates little the finest,
but the difference was trifling. This wool
,ods imported duty free while the very cloths
from this wool, by duty
ranging from so to 81 l-2 per cent. down
IL June 1912.
The Cultivator adds that Mr.. Bates last
years clip is now stored unsold in Boston,
and cannot command an offer of one half
so much as it sold for or years ago -
which is attributed to the increase and i'm
provement of South American wool. If the
above statements are correct, it is evident
that duty Of 20 per cent on the finer
South American wool would amount to
nothing in the way of protection to our
wool growers.