The Portland daily press., 1878-07-29
Something aboutwooI.


The wool trade of the United States has
reached immense proportions, and the labor
involved m preparing the staple for market
has of itself become an important industry.
Inc product has increased largely with the
close OF each decade, while the exports are
lnsignincant, showing that there is home
demand for all the product raised. With the
progress in manufactures, tending to VARIETY
and cheapness, there has been constant and
rapid enlargement of the demand for wool.
In this country the value of wooden goods
has advanced from $45OO,OOO in 1920, to
$175,000,000 in 1877. Respecting improve
ment in the wool raised in this country for
generation past, the effort to mould the orig
inal flock to suit the changed demands of the
wooden manufacture and the pressing require
ment for meat, the progress has been won
derful. In fact, there are few of the races of
sheep extant in Europe century ago that
have not felt the modifying influences of re-
cent progress in manufactures. The exten.
sion and gradual perfecting of woollen ma
chinery made demand at first for wool of
finer quality, which was met and this slim
ulated invention in the direction of fancy
worsteds, and combing- wool fabrics of all
kinds. This, with other causes, including
breeding with reference to more and better
meat supplies, have co-operated to produce
the present style of goods made from woods.
AhO AuLAuCi VI 5uCCp III buc ~ ulLG0 Dtdt6S
is estimated at about IS, 100000, capable of
producing 155,000,000 pounds of wool. In
addition to the domestic product, the receipts
OF wool from foreign countries have averaged
100000 pounds for the past fifteen years.
The largest importation in this period was
in 1872, when 22,000,000 pounds were re-
ceived, valued at $25,00O,OO0, The supplies
OF foreign are obtained mainly from South
America, England, Australia and South
Africa. 1t is suggestive fact that while the
value Of our manufactures is about four
times as large as in 1850, the average of i'm
ports OF woollens of the past five years $685.
OO0,0O0) exceeds but little that of the entire
period Of fifty-fVe years, beginning with the
very infancy of this industry.
One has only to visit several of the i'm
mense warehouses in Boston to get an idea
of the amount of wool that is handled at
single wool market in the course of a few
months; while visit to counting room of
one of these establishments win present to
the eye an almost endless quantity of SAM
pies OF the staple, received from localities
where wool is produced. It requires the ex-
perience OF an expert to judge wool. The
article is sent to market in all sorts of condi-
tons and in all sorts of qualities, from the
first and most desirable to the coarsest and
understandable. Sales of wool are made by
sample, and the trade involves none of the
tCSauiCdl COuIucICldl prdCblC6S dSSOClaUGQ
with cotton, wheat or other products.
The market reports or the sales of wool re-
fer to x, Xxx, xxx, and other kinds of wool,
terms Which are mysterious perhaps to some
readers. No arbitrary rules can be applied to
the regulation of wool sales. All wool is sold
on its merits; a certain price is paid for GER
tain quality. Marketable wool undergoes
careful examination, and is branded accord
ingly. Every sheep is respectable, and the
wool on his skin is respected. Delaine wool,
suited for the making of delaine goods, is so
combing wool. Pulled sheariDgs is wool
sheared from the skins; it is very short.
Clothing wool is the finest of all kinds, and
OF course the most desirable. Large quaint.
ties of it are imported from South America.
Carpet wool is the coarsest in the trade.
Western wool is not so well assorted, gener-
ally, as Eastern wool. California wool, of
which large quantities are now annually
bought In this market. is good, bad and indif-
ferent, as some other woods are. Texas wool,
some OF lit, is as good wool as is raised in the
United States while some of it is very poor.
1t is predicted that not many years hence
Texas will become leading wool-producing
state, Xxx wool is from full-blooded ami.
mails; xxx and picklock is from animals hav-
ing more of Saxony blood than anything else,
or choice merinoes. The merino of the pres
ent day, briefly, whatever its name, is pro-
Queer OF good quality of cloth-wool. x wool
is three quarters blood. Pulled wool is pulled,
so to speak, but it has various Specifications
in the market. depending upon the locality in
which the pulled article is raised or marketed.
What might be considered pulled wool in a
Western State would not fill the bill in a
Massachusetts wooden mill. xxx wool in
Michigan might become Xxx in New Eng
land. Farmers apparently have one stand
ard, and buyers another standard. Much de-
ponds upon the preparation of the staple for the
Eastern market. Many woolproducer has
deceived himself as to the quality of his wool.
Unmerchantable wool is an article that has
not been washed. The sheep may have wet
their toes in crossing brook, but the wool
on their backs was never washed. ALI infe-
rior wool is regarded as "unmerchantable,o
or inferior to the custom of the trade.
Considering some matters connected with
the wool trade and the manufacture of WOOL
en- goods in this country, it is evident that
there is still room for improvement. 1t is al
so curious fac. in the wool business that ge.
illogical and climatic influences have much
to do with the quality OF American wool.
For instance, good breed of Vermont sheep
will not produce as good feeces in California
as they would in their native State; and Con-
necticut sheep would produce an interior quail
ity of wool If taken to Western State. The
same law is observable in different parts of
Europe. Sheep in their natural home will
there produce their best feeces. There are
chemical elements in the soil, in the atmos-
phere and in the food that determine the quail
ity of the wool.
Some years ago an extra quality of clothing
wool that was raised in West Virginia was
sent to Germany to be made into cloth, and
the texture of the cashmere produced from
this wool attracted great attention among for
eign experts, and entitled it to premium:
yet there are no woods raised in this country
that can compete with the finest clothing
woods of Europe. American mills can pro-
duce as good goods from that wool, as far as
finish is concerned, as can the most ingen-
ious cloth makers of Europe; but that skill
cannot produce as fine goods. because the
wool does not grow in the United States.
The breed of sheep is yet to be found, and
the place for them to domesticate is yet to be
discovered, that will produce wool equal to
that which is the best in the world. This is
the opinion of leading dealer in wool, who
has made the business lifelong study.
No two places can produce the same kind
of WOOL. The United States cannot raise all
the wool it consumes, because it does not
raise all kinds. This country can, however.
produce all the wool it needs, when it ignores
Paris as the headquarters of fashion.
American Cultiuator.