The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-06-14
The Wool Interest---Forthcom Clip
--PrOspect of the Market.

Tine WOOL LnLPEehL-s-L SAR
--PrOspect of the Market
S. d. Harris, Esq, Secretary of the
| Ohio Wool Growers Association, and
editor of the Ohio Farmer, published
at Cleveland, sends the following letter
to the Pittsburgh Commercial touching
the prospects of the wool market this
season:
CLEVELAND, o., June 8, 1866.
To the Editor Of the Commercial:
The season of sheep shearing is now
upon us. and with IL comes the ques-
| tion of what shall be the price of wool.
Having spent most of the past months
mt public shearings and meetings of the
wool growers, this question has been
constantly asked me, and have made
such answer as, according to the best
of my information, would snbserve the
truth. 1 think no person can say con-
! fidently lust what wool will be worth
"A month hence, or what price farmers
ought to insist upon, but as far as
have any opinion to express, will give
! it, under the above qualifications.
In the first place aS TO the causes
which will affect prices this season.
| The pending tariff measure agreed upon
bY the Joint Committee on the National
Wool Growers and National Mhnuiac-
turers' Associations, can operate only
prospectively. The bill has not, at this
writing, been reported To Congress by
the Committee of Ways and Means, so
that the nearest possible time OF its
passage is too far in the future to have
n yerv direct influence in determining
the price which shall rule for our woods
in June or July. But the prospective
and collateral Influences of this meas
.ure will be considerable. Let us cAlcu-
late. With an inpost duty of ten cents
per pound and ten per cent dd Vdtorenl
on foreign wools-of which foreign
| ~. fF R.alS Ia n a
to one of American wool-to the Amer
lean wool grower twice ten cents per
pound, and twice ten per cent, say
twenty-fhree cents, add 10 this the cost
of the foreign wool, say at fifteen cents
per pound, equals thirty cents, making
in all tifly-Lhree cents, besides ex-
change, storage, &C., and the American
wool grower will have his own market
at an average of some sixty cents per
pound. Even under the present delu-
sive tariff. it is stated in the last report
of the Boston Board of Trade, by one
of the best informed wool dealers in
that city that even at cost of twenty
four cents per pound, the importation
of MestIZa woods the pust season hId
not been renumerative; and this while
American wool is quoted at fifty and
-tfty-tive cents. If this calculation is
correct, 1 think the American wool
grower has abundant reason to be satis-
ueu WIFI tue pTOSpCCllNS COuhlLlO44 Va
the wool market.
Another and more immediate cause
affecting the price of wool in 1866, is
the fact that the eastern wool houses
are unusually bare, not only of foreign,
but OF entire and desirable lots of do
nestlc wool. The operations of manu-
Inoturers within the last few weeks
have cleared the eastern wool houses to
AN extent below that of any other time,
at this season, within the last five years.
Meanwhile the machinery of the WOOL
en- mills has increased fully fifty per
cent. requiring supply of one third
more than all the wool raised in the
United States, to keep it in even mod
crate operation.
These two main tacts-viZ: the un-
protitableness of Importation, and the
necessity for domestic wool, fix the
status OF the market ut its present open
ing; ,.s,, ,,,,,a,a .,o a,roadr 81 tho
| field with the ex press determination to
take the new clip ata range offron forty
five to fifty cents. Formerly twas the
custom, lust before sending out orders
| to purchase wool in the spring to get up
II sham sale in Boston or New York,
land send out false report of prices;
but as this practice can no longer de-
ceive Intelligent men, the spectators
| have reSorted to n system of decrying
| the condition of our woods, and for this
purpose have held meetings in Michi-
gan and Ohio, adopting rules both i'm
| practicable and unjust, and putting
| forth declarations concerning the pruc-
tices of wool growers whose impudence
| is only equulled by their tulsehOOd.
But the farmers have wool 10 sell, and
these men will come to buy it. Every
| farmer will decide for himself how he
will dispose OF his wool and the price at
which he will hold it. 1t is always most
satisfactory to the farmer to dispose of
his stuff ut home for cash in hand, and
when IA satisfactory offer of this kind is
made. should say take IL. But let no
farmer be deceived by speeious argu-
ments, as If the bottom was about to
fall out of the market. There can be no
prediction in trade at this time more
certain of fulfiIInent than that wool
must advance from present Quotations,
land although the published rates are
| from As 10 5Ocents, know ot constdera-
ble purcI asses already made in Ohio nj
| from 55 to go cents, and know of no
! good reason why all the better class OF
| good conditioned Ohio wool should not
| command the outside figure within the
next two months.
Believing this, as 1 do, from canvass
of the whole field of production and
consumption, [ send forth this stale
nenLsto the public for the consideration
| of such wool growers as are constantly
inouiring of me, "What are the pros
poets OF the wool trade this seasou?'
T S. d. HARRIS,
Secretary Ohio Wool Growers Asocia-
| tion, and Agricultural Editor Ohio
F'a7.naer, Cleveland, June 5, 1865
ntOa,n,,R