Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-09-26
state Fair.
INTERESTING DISCUSSION ON WOOL

discussion at the farmers meeting on
Thursday evening, Sept. u, was "Wheat
and how it can be grown best in Ver-
mont" The wool growers, however,
were anxious to have the wool question
discussed, and at the close of the meet
ing Wednesday evening it was voted to
have an hours discussion upon wheat,
and then give the balance of Thursday
evening to the wool topic. When the
meeting was called to order by Presi-
dent Gregory, it was concluded to dis
cuss the wool question first, and q little
later in the evening it was concluded to
postpone the wheat question altogether.
E. H, Griswold Of West Salisbury was
the first speaker, He alluded to the gen.
eral depression in the wool market
throughout the country, and said that the
effect of this depression was more seri-
Gus at the West than it is at the East.
Probably three-fourths Of the sheep in
Ohio will be slaughtered during the pres
ent year. Any long continued depression
in the wool market will drive hosts of
farmers out Of the business. He be-
lieved that so many men would drop
wool raising throughout the country
that it would cause the price of wool to
advance ten or twenty cents per pound
during the next year or two. The Yer
mont farmers ought to try and raise a
good class OF sheep independently of
the wool that they directly aim for. He
could see no reason for any permanent
encouragement in regard to wool grow
ing. He believed that the trade in sheep
would soon be as lively in Vermont as
it had been, though the prices might not
be as high as they were during the war.
Victor Wright of Middlebury said
that he was not discouraged as 8 wool
grower, and could see no reason for any
wide spread Encouragement. Low
prices must be expected occasionally
and there was no sense in abandoning
the wool growing business because the
prices were temporarily depressed. He
expected the farmers and wool growers
of the State to do all in their power to
retain the present tariff. For himself he
would not knowingly vote for any man,
for State Legislature even, who was not
known to be decidedly in favor of a
protective tariE.
Nathan Cushing of Woodstock, spoke
Of the unsettled state of the business OF
the country,and expressed his confidence
that the business Of wool growers would
come around right by-and-bye.
Judge Joseph W. Colburn of SPRING
field said that the manufacturers of the
country had once promised the wool
growers that they wood stand by them,
and they had abandoned them and tried
to advance their own interests by work
ing against protection. He thought
that the wool growers had better look
out for themselves, and not trust any
more to the promises and arrangements
of the manufacturers.
H. c. Merriam of Boston, said that
$400,000000 was invested in wool grow
ing in the United States, and it was of
the first Importance to all wool growers,
and to all farmers who were not wool
growers, that this department Of Ameri-
can agriculture should be carefully at
tended to. The cutting off of the cotton
supply during the war largely increased
the demand for wool, as well as its pro.
duction. The cultivation OF cotton in
Egypt, Brazil and India, and the resump-
tion Of cotton planting in this country
had supplied the markets with cotton,
and had diminished in some degree the
demand for wool. There are now about
$4,000, 900 persons in the United States,
and the annual consumption Of wool is
about 100000 pounds. With so
large a yield of wool as we now have,
the question is how can the market be
controlled and protected so far as to
make the business remunerative. In
Brazil, wool can be grown at three cents
per pound, and in Australia, the finest
wool in the world can be grown for
seven cents per pound. In view Of these
facts he regarded a duty Of ten cents a
pound as none too high, and in fact, as
not high enough, The South American
and Australian woods can be imported
under that duty and sold AZ prices that
will ruin Vermont woOl-growers. 1t is
of vital consequence that the present
tariff be sustained, and he knew that it
was the design Of the Massachusetts
manufacturers to try and get Mr.. David
A. Wells tariff through at the next
session OF Congress. He thought it
would be useless for the wool growers
to contend with the manufacturers, for
the manufacturers have control Of both
the political and agricultural press. The
are the shrewdest men in
the country, and they will spare no