The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-08
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The wool Intere.t.
SUGGESTIONS TO WOOL GROWERS.

The Wool Interest. HtE
SUGGESTIONS TO WOOL GROWERS.
A correspondence of the Chicago Times,
who has had many years experience as
an agent for manufacturers in buying
wool from the growers, says that In
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and most
OF the Eastern States, for the last twenty
years there was, and still is, a COM
mendable rivalry between growers to
see who could get their wool up in the
best condition. The result is that they
have no trouble in selling their wool at
fair price, either ut home or in the
hands OF "mfddle men," But in the
Northwest the ambition with u good
many seems TO be to see who can sell
the most dirt in n given number OF
tleeces, and have 1t pass for washed
wool-averaging say seven pounds TO
the tleece-either by driving their sheep
througha mud puddle, or If decently
washed, to let the sheep run from three
to six weeks without shearing, and in
some cases concealing dirty tags and
dead unwashed wool in the centre of
the fleeces. Three times within six
months we have sold wool and had II
thrown back on our hands because II
had been stuffed and on one lot of only
1000 pounds we had to pay S19l dam
ages on this account. ,rt F5 Ltl
The practice of selling dirty wool has
been so general as to drive nearly y eve
ry factory agent out of the market, SO
that manufacturers wait either until
the wool is bought up by spectators, or
until it accumulateS in the hands OF
commission or middle" men Mt whose
warehouses they can inspect large lots
and select such MS suits them; or, II
they buy dirty, undesirable wool, they
will takelit at "ruinously low prices.%
And, until growers generally pay more
attention to washing their wool and
putting!i it up in good condition, they
will have to submit to low prices, ship
their wool east on their own account,
or put IL in the hands of some western
commission man and have him do the
best he can with it, and then curse him
for selling it ut "ruinonsly low prices"
If wool growers ever succeed in hay-
ing good market mt home they must
more generally contribute their share
towards 1t by putting their wool up IN
good condition. t
In the Michigan State Agricultural
Convention, which met last week, the
sheep question was discussed with
much spirit. Mr.. Stuart, of Kalama-
ZOO. thought that wool was the great
desideratum to be gained. We want
sheep that will turn off the largest
amount of cleansed wool combined
with elasticity of fibre, softness of tex
ture and fitting proprieties with weight
OF fleece. 7tis-s
We had here moro perfect Spanish
merinoes in this country than could be
found in his native country. Mr.. At
wood wns the founder of the first blood
ed stock of sheep in this country. His
unwashed bucks at first sheared thir-
teen pounds of wool. They shear twice
that now. Tho flock of Mr.. Hammond
vas spoken of, which had acquired den
sity of fleece, firmness of staple, perfect
form, and with as long wool on the bel
ly as on the back. The Pnnler meri-
noes were spoken of net in very favor
able terms. Mr.. Stuart spoke OF. the
Vermont breeders of sheep, who would
sell for 81, 600 sheep that are no better
than we would sell for Sl6. They We're
selling poor sheep on the reputation OF
their best ones, which they would not
sell. He knew of one case of n man IN
this State who bought buck for 81, 600,
who thought he had the best animal IN
the State of Michigan. TWAS case of
dear bought and far fetched stock. He
knew instances in his county where
rams had been brought in mt Il cost of
from 500 to $500, that were not worth
as much as a frst-class wether. The
speaker said that for the past 10 years
spoke not only from his own expert
ence, but from the experience of others.
By n certain course of treatment, you
could make an animal look like mod
ell sheep, when as a sire he is not
worth,a dollar. He related the instance
of three sheep which we're brought to
Kalamazoo, for which $500 were asked
for one buck, and $3.50 each for two
ewes. They were afterwards sold for
S75, and were not worth 75 cents. They
had been fixed up for sale. We should
be careful how we bought such sheep.
They conld be Il xed up for sale, SO that
the best judges could not detect the de-
~ -. Nf,1NH. 1E,a
be fixed up.
Sheep growing wns more important
than any other branch of stock raising
in the minds of farmers. There was
more deception also in this class of
stock. he had been more grossly de-
ceived in it than in any other.
Mr.. Howard believed that for large
portion of the farmers of Michigan,
Spanish merinoes were the best, but he
did not think the rule was universal.
He thought it worth While to try the
Silesian merino sheep, which had at
tained n staple and fleece better for
some kinds of manufactures. He
thought these sheep could be raised In
Western Pennsylvania and Virginia to
@ reat advantage. He know of farmers
IN Pennsylvania who had sold this
kind of wool for 80 cents and for 81 per
pound. He noticed in the Boston mar
ket report that long Canada wool was
bringing the highest price. 1t was S0as5
cents per pound, while Michigan wool
of the wool from South America made
into alpaca goods. BY improvements
in machinery, it was found that the
long Iustre English wool could be en-
tireIy substituted for the material that
was made into alpaca. Our merchants
paidJ their gold, and the ladies paid
their money for these goods, supposing
they were getting the genuine article,
when; there was not a particle of genu-
inc alpaca material in it.
MFR. Gardiner, Jonesville, n wool man
ufacturer, considered that the interests
of the wool grower and manufacturer
were identical. He made up one hun
dred thousand pounds of wool per year.
The average shrinkage for the year of
domestic wool he found to be about 45
per cent. He discussed the matter of
and putting up wool. he had
about five Thousand customers of whom
he purchased wool. There was n great
difference in putting up wool. The
generality of wool growers were hon
est. He found some exceptions. He
had purchased fieeces with old pelts in
them, and old iron, but these were ex-
ceptions. For fine wool he preferred
the Silesian.
the convention adopted the following
resolution:
Resolved, That while we regard the
Spanish merino sheep as the breed
which would be most generally profta-
BILE to the farmers of the State, yet the
long wool breeds of England, a variety
of whose wool would be adapted to the
manufacture. of delaine goods, are
worthy of trial to a considerable eX-
tent.
MERCER COUNTY wooL-aRowERs.