Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-06-28
Will Wool Decline?

The Michigan Farmer thinks that
the price of wool ought not to decline
from last years prices, and thus dis
cusses the subject:
"There ought to DO some standard
for the price Of wool, by which we
would know when it was high or
low, and this standard is the cost oe
raising or growing the wool on the
sleeps back. The best wool grow
ers admit that it costs generally
three dollars head to keep sheep
through the year, and a
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 a general average, is
about all the focks of fine woods in
this State will do hence, when wool
gets below 40 cents it may be con-
sidered low price, and when it is
above that there is a margin OF profit
left TO the wool-grOwer.
Now last year the wool opened
with feeling that the number of
sheep had been much reduced, and
that the clip would be light, and
it'll gold at 1855. But during the
winter the large number of sheep
killed for the purpose of reducing
the flooks had overstocked the mar
ket with pulled woods, and gave a
supply that had tendency to keep
the price down.
Again, the decline in gold had its
effect and o most important one !:
for that decline not only affected the
prices of woods, but Of wooden goods,
by reducing the price Of the import
ed articles. Considering the condi-
ton Of trade and thc state Of bust
ness during the season, we consider
that the price Of wool has been well
maintained and we 10 not agree
with the New York and Boston re-
ports SO much quoted by our local
press that the wool clip Of the pres
ent year must be bought at low
rates. If it is, it will he the fault of
the wooI-growers themselves in push
ing their clip all at once into the mar
ket before it is wanted. The clip of
wool in this State is not large. We
know flocks that have been reduced
in numbers fully one-half. Men
that used to keep from 300 to 400
are now keeping but $50 to 200
head. Then there has been during
the year n lighter growth of wool
than usual. The winter has not
been a severely intense one, but it
has been long one, and the feed of
the sheep has not been IS good as
usual and this applies to other
States as well rs to Michigan; hence
there will be considerable 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 docks having been very thor
oughly culled over and the inferior
sheep thinned out. The wool itself
will go into market in better con-
dition and more evenly put up than
is usual and hence 1t will be en-
titled to 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 offered 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 market"