New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-04-08
INTERESTING TO FARMERS.
SHEEP AND WOOL.


sl9l SIS exported from the United statesi the
value OF that manufactured during the same year was
e4O 4l 565 making total OF 1892 23e, 100 This wos
at the time when the Southern States were the great
Of the world and in the year Of the greatest
production In the country. We have shown In preyi'
Gus article tho comparatively small amount Of wool
produced in the same year.
We now call attention TO the number OF sheep which
were kept the same year amounting to 24s2J0 oo pro
ducng GO, 5il, 3i3 pounds Of wool We have already
shown that our wants 200 O0 oc0 pounds and when
we present this as an estimate do not mean dirty
greasy stuff which contains only about rs per cent OF
wool but clean brook ashed wool. TO produce which
womb require some TO- 100000 sheep II we allow tie
number at the present time 10 have increased to &c.
oO00 COO still need A 900. which, at the very low
rate Of e. per head viii require capital OF e3o o00
100 This is important consideration for capitalists
for It Is nearly equal to the whole capital EN-.
ployed In 1850 In the manufacture Of both cotton and
wool, which amounted to si35 800; while 10000 Oe0
sheep would employ capital Of $4,000 COO estmat
ng their value ut 81 per hood, which mist be consid
cred very low estimate indeed IN view OF the fact that
within few weeks have been sold for thousands
and ewes for hundreds Of dollars whilo $50 $40 and
$50 is nowhere considered an extraycgant price FOR
good rams and ordinary sod at from s. to $40
per head IN many sections Of the country. We are In
clined to the opinion that IL we cond obtain full esti
mate at present prices Of the value Of sheep required
to produce the needed quantity Of WOOL and also obtain
the price Of slaves employed the Southern cotton
fields IN 1850 should find that the sheep required tho
most capital Or readers will pardon as for making
the comparison between the value Of sheep and the price
OF men.
We have entered thus infinitely into this part Of the
subject in order that the public generally and stock
rasers particularly may what large and important
field Is open for their future operations and that all
may understand that sheep husbandry is Of grester
pecuniay interest this country than slave propaga
ton.
We have another very important consideration to
present and that is the production OF mutton coo 900
pounds Of which are annually sold In the markets OF New
York City five estimate i's population Of the present
time at 9Ooooo thon We shall have about % pounds to
each indvidua and estimating the present population
Of the United States at IS OOo which is allowing but
slight increase for the past four years; and taking the
consumption Of the City Of NewYork as an average Of
that Of the whole country the annual amount will he
geo. 900 pounds and II we reckon this amount at the
veIy low price of five cents per pound. we shall have
animal expenditure for mutton OF s49 goo COO; II to
this sum we add s2co CO., oO0 the value Of the annual
amount Of wso required at present prices, We shall
have an annual value Of e249 oOo COO being s6 ESQ
more than the whole income from cotton In $780, more
than fourfths Of which had to seek foreign market
while the wboIo product. both Of wool and mutton.
would be consumed at home.
In this connection. this question may Be raised; II
we increase the number of sheep seventyve per cent
will there be q corresponding demsnd for mnton'
We reply that the consumption Of mutton tas thus fr
been about equal to It's production; but when peo-
pie fully understand that II contains onffh more nu'
triton than beef and onefourh more than pork, that
a. an article Of diet Is far wholesome than the Int
ter much moro easily dieested than either and can be
produced twenty per cent cheaper than beef We may
res, assured that mutton viii b second In demand to
neither beef nor pork.
In England this Is well understood. FOR during the
last ST. months Of s6o the In the leading markets
exhibit the following comparisons: he AS head Of beef
cattle Is 40 pigs and 762 740 sheep and lambs; and
this large proportion Of the latter not caused because
mutton Is cheaper than beef for we find that for the
six months the average price Of prime mutton was
~ cents per pound while that Of prime beef was l6
cents per pounds and while for the las. fifteen years the
average price Of beef has been lit cents per pound
that Of mutton has been l2i cents. And though Eng
land for its size is the largest sheep producing country
IN the world yet that production hiss been ciual
10 the demand-the result Of . positive knowledge that
!, !. the most nutritious meat sold in the market
The soil and climate OF the United States are well
adapted for tho production Of good mutton. and every
description Of WOOL while England has to import every
pound she FOX the finer descriptions Of goods. Aud
ret with all our natural advantages almost every
country In the world, have been the most dependent
for wod In fact our attention had been directed to
and fixed upon cotton that began to think that wool
could not be raised with profit Designing men had
led US to think and talk Of cotton as though the sub
strata Of poor old mother Earth had been nothing but
cotton. cropping out nowhere but in the Southern
States.
The production Of cotton IL confined almost exclu.
lively between tho 36h parallels While sheep. though
varied in their kind. adapted to the various condi
lions Of soil and climatehat exist between the ettudes
II 65 and are found luxuratng lin the fertile valleys
rambling along the slopes bounding among the craggy
rocks, or grazing upon the mountain tops.
The history Of cotton Oates further back than the
10Th century, while the history Of wool and Its manu-
acure is nearly coeval with the history Of man. Yet
all these draw backs. under the stimu
stng force Of slave labor and in the hands Of those
Who were determined to use It, either for ruling or
destroying q world. II soon attained such mighty
,ower from the quantity produced. that the
wners were deluded With tho idea that 1t was that
liant which bore the world upon Its shoulders and the
orce which moved the wheels Of oil the civilized powers
earth and that to withhold IT, refuse to raise H.
voud produce riot dlscord and rebellion everywhere.
to such they impressed this idea upon
he commercial world. THAT on its Bonded knees 1t
,Aered slave oearchy. the power to rule the white
md everywhere the black aud whom, not satisfied
With this south Carolina seceded when the flag which