The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-06-30
WIFE Woo EDccIinG.

The Michigan Farne, thinks the price
of wool ought not to decline from last
years prices, and thus discusses the sub
iect
There ought to be some standard for
the. price of wool, by which we would
know when it was low or high, and this
standard is the cost of raising or grow
ing the wool on the sleeps back. The
best wool growers admit that it costs
generally about three dollars a head to
keep sheep through the year,and flock
that produces an average of four pounds
OF wool, and certain amount of increase
in weight and numbers is regarded as
doing well. Wool at forty cents per
pound, taken as medium price, only
produces SLIGO per head, and the balance
Of the cost OF keeping must arise from
the increase of weight of mutton. We
think this, as general average is about
all the ilocks of fine woods in this State
will do; hence, when wool gets below 40
cents it may be considered low price, and
when it is above that there'is margin
of profit left for the wool-grower
"Now last year the wool opened with
q feeling that the number Of sheep had
been much reduced, and that the clip
would be light, and with gold at 1.35.
But during the winter the large number
Of sheep killed for the purpose of re-
ducing the focks had overstocked the
market with pulled woods, and gave
supply that had a tendency to keep the
price down.
Again, the decline in gold had its
effect and most important one for that
decline not only affected the prices of
woods, but of wooden goods, by reducing
the price of the imported articles. Con-
siderihg the condition of trade and the
state of business during the season, we
consider that the price of wool has been
we'll maintained and we do not agree
with the New York and Boston reports
so much quoted by our local press, that
the wool clip of the present year must be
bought at low rates. If it is, it will be
the fault of the wool growers themselves
in pushing their clip all at once into the
market before it is wanted. The clip of
wool in this State is not large We
know tlocks that have been reduced
in numbers fully one-half Men that
used to keep from 800 to 400 are now
keeping but $50 to 900 head Then
there has been during the year lighter
growth of wool than usual The winter
has not been severely intense one, but
1t has been long one, and the feed of
the sheep has not been as good as usual ;
and this applies to other States as we'll
as Michigan; hence, there will be a con-
siderable shrinkage In the amount of
wool produced per head. The fine wool
OF Michigan on an average will be many
grades higher than it has been for some
years, as the wool will be finer, the flocks
having been very thoroughly culled over
and the inferior sheep thinned ont. The
wool itself will go into market in better
condition and more evenly put up than
is usual, and hence it will be entitled to
q higher rank in the market. We speak
now of fine Merino wool, for as yet this
is the great staple of the trade In this
State there will be more long wool offer
ed than usual, for there are many more
long wooded sheep grown by the farmers;
but still the proportion of the clip of
wool will be hardly more than to 100,
so that it will not affect the general mar
ket."