The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-06-28
first.Cluss MerinO sheep.
THE PROSPECT FOR THEM.


spring, which show that the choice heavy
wooled Merinoes of the country are not
only retained in those localities, but that
their owners possess enough zeal and
spirit to continue to bring them together
annually for public exhibition and com.
parison-thus seeking further improve.
ment. And we know a multitude Of
aocks in New York, Vermont, and other
States, which are kept up to their former
mark of improvement as carefully as
during the late period of high prices, but
which are not represented at spring fairs,
because the beeders of them are not
within convenient distance of each 9th.
er to get up such exhibitions.
Is this persistency in breeding this
GLASS of sheep the part Of wisdom, or the
part of follyf Suppose an epizootic
among horses, hogs, or cattle, or fail
ure in wheel, potatoes, or other necessary
vegetable products, should occur to such
an extent, for several constructive years,
as to render the growing Of them unpro.
6table-and precisely such things have
occurred would it be wise to give up
altogether the production of the unproft-
able animal, or CROP Or suppose the
over.production of either should cause a
protracted depression in price, would
sound maxims of trade, or sound common
sense teach, as the appropriate mode of
correcting the evil, that there should be
further production This would be kill
ling, instead of improving a branch of
trade. And if any such extreme action
were practicable, it would involve ruin
GUS loss to those holding the live stock to
be thus abandoned. tits claimed that there
is such an over-production of medium fine
wool-American Merino VIOLIN the
United States and that is the main and
almost sole cause of the low prices of this
wool for the last two or three years
Some highly intelligent and Jealous
friends of the wool.producing interest
fully believes this. Those manufacturers
who long for low prices, persistently as.
sert it. Some statistics, based 10 con-
siderable extent on estimates, seems to
favor such conclusion. We do not pro.
pose at this time to enter into any argu-
ment on the subject and certainly not to
present any opposing conjectural statistics.
But We do not believe there would be any
oyerplus of this wool grown. from our
present number Of sheep, had no COMPETE
tor in our markets; and with the amount
Of competing wool annually introduced
since the tariff Of 1867 went into force
whether on payment of the lawful
duties, or slid into class three by Treas
ury decisions, or paying nero nominal du.
ties on the skin, or struggled outright
we believe there would still have been
no excess of the domestic clip had the
business, and consequently the consump.
ton, of our whole country been in their
normal condition.
Whether the over-production is real oil
only apparent, or whether, if now real, il
rests only on transient causes, is not the
present question. We undertake to say
that even in the present state of things
with washed wool at the barn worth, say
forty cents pound-the growing Of such
aeeces as those recently clipped at thu
Alexander, Spencerport, and Honeoy,
public shearings, is fully as remunerativ,
as the average of other agricultural sta
ples---more remunerative than the 1873!
product Of wheel, barley, potatoes, ant
various other crops Wool Is not SINKING
or even remaining stationary in price
Forty cents now means more money thai
it meant last year, and still more than i
did the several preceding years.
There is but one contingency in whicl
the wool Of frst.class American Merino
can cease to be remunerative. and that j
the adoption of free trade 10 wool or, wha
practically means the same thing, con
forming the duties on it TO what is terme,
revenue standard. After that would
indeed, come the deluge." 1t woul
sweep all fine wool growing out of tn
land. But this we do not believe is
supposable contingency. Stultidcatio
and suicidal mania cannot 90 far Blu
we have wholly unanticipatsd evasio
Of the present tariff law Importing woo
on the skin) which, SO far as it goes, sui
stantially sstablishss free trade. tn
House of Representatives readily enoug
adopted an amendment in tho tariff bill
now before that body, which would pre-
vent the possibility Of such an evasion i
future but from present appearances.
Is probable that the whole bill will 3
over the session If this is the case.
will bring loss aud damage to our grower
to q considerable extent but with IL
knowledge they now have that the amen,
ments Of the tariff pass Congress, it
hardly probable that manufactures wi
embark 50 generally in the working
this wool as they would otherwise d
Yet, ss in the case of the wool tariff
1867, this delay in the action of Congre
may allow good deal Of wool to be il
ported in anticipation Of the rise in duti
sufficient to keep the mills of the SIX
clippers in stock for long period. The
delays 10 congress are vexatious snoue
but we do not know how they can
helped SO long IS SO large a portion
that body consists Of wrangling lswy,
and spouting politicians, eternally disc,
sing everything and legislating on eve
topic but the Industrial interests of
country and 80 long IS the great BIO
Of those whose pecuniary interest I
thereby affected are always ready to "
again for those who have neglected
even directly opposed their interests.
they are re-nominated by the wire-wo
ers OF their oaon party.
If the growing Of frst-class Ameri,
Msrinos is now remunerativs, it promi
to become much more 20, if protection
continued. The wooden trade. only g
in transient matches since the war, m,
in the nature Of things, revive and beco
vtsady, Is fast as the industry and b
ines II the country recover their morn