Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-05-04
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY APRIL 81, 1865.
Interesting 20 Wool Growers.

or subject OF much Importance 10 the
wool growers of Vermont. In regard
TO the alleged facts, we can only give
them as stated by our correspondent,
having no means either of verifying or
dlsproving them. If they are substan-
TALLY true, 1t is easy TO see that the In
terest of the producers of the great sta
pie demands that they give an imme-
date consideration to the subject;
Editor Rutland Herald: - Permit me
through the columns Of your valuable
Journal to call the attention Of the Yer
mont wool growers to the following ar
ticle clipped from the Boston CONNER
cial Bulletin, March 25th, The suici-
dial policy pursued by our wool growers
for the past few years is now telling
fearfully upon the interests and credit
of our State. Not many years since she
stood first among the producers of fine
choice wool and her products were ca
gerly sought after by manufacturers and
their agents from all parts of the coun-
try, but now while her woods are vastly
improved in grade, they are least sought
after, and among practical, judicious
manufacturers are considered the least
profitable of any in the country. 1t
was my fortune on the Oath of March,
to attend large auction sale OF WOOL
In Boston. On the catalogue was one
lot of "6470 lbs. Vermont fleece, very
superior" When this was announced
by the auctioneer a sneer seemed to run
through the vast crowd, and the wool
finally sold at 62 IL cents per b., while
q lot of fine Pennsylvania sold at the
same sale at so 1-2 cents, and though
no finer was vastly cheaper for the man
ufacturer, owing to its extreme cleanli-
ness.
Formerly, tons of tags and broken
and pulled wool were annually picked
up by peddlers in exchange for goods,
but since high prices have ruled for
wool, this branch of trade has entirely
ceased, simply because buyers can .f"d no
goods of the kind to buy, as sheep now, dead
or alive, produce nothing but clean,
choice fleece wool But the manufac-
turer who buys the choice fleece finds it
stuffed with all manner of filth, varying
In weight from a half pound to two
pounds or more to the fleece, while the
grower has pocketed his IS cts. to 81 per
pound for it. There is no other branch
of business in which such rascality
would be tolerated. The farmer, in put
ting up his butter, might as well put
the cows horns or his old boots in the
centre of the tub, and when remonstrat-
ed with, exclaim, "why, my butter is
much nicer and cleaner than my neigh
boris, for he filled his tubs nearly full of
gravel, and just covered the top with
with butter"
such a demand for wool and woolens
that many have seemed TO think that
anything crowded into the fleece was all
right; and the wool-growers' conven-
lions, got up and sustained by the
breeders of blood or fancy patent finished
sheep, have had much to do in strength
ening this opinion. The advice given
farmers not to wash their wool, and the
statements made in relation to the
shrinkage of heavy, gummy fieeces, are
simply absurd. Let prices again settle
to their original level Gas they are fast
doing) and Vermont wool will go beg
ging for market, not because of its in
feriority in grade, flor there is no better
staple sohen you get to ii, but simply for
the slovenly, dishonest manner Of put
ting it up.
Why is it that so much wool yet re-
mains in the State in the hands of grow
ers and spectators From the best in
formation | can get, less than one half
of the last clip has gone into consump-
ton, while in other states nearly all of
1t has been cleaned out.
Having been engaged nearly all of my
life in the manufacture of wool, and hay
ing falr amount OF State pride, wish
the intelligent wool growers of Vermont
would heed their own interests, and
place the Vermont wool as high in co,adi-
ton as it is in grade, and no section of
the country could then compete with
them in raising the great staple.
MANUFACTURES.