The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-11
Astatement from The superintendent Of
the SteubanvllIn Wo0l II0Itsa.

the SteubenvIIle Wool House.
Editors IniSlIiEoucer.
The following clip Is from your papert
The United Stdtes Economiia and Dry Good
Reporter Of New York, under date Of Sat.
1tday, March LIST, In q review Of the wool
market, speaks thus: There Is no finer
woods In the world than West Virginia
and Ohio &% and above, except those oil
J Silesia.
Mr.. J. D. Whitman last week closed out
the entire stock OF y and Xxx woods accti.
mulated at the SteubenVille Wool House
to Boston parties at from 32l 10 "a cents
per pound delivered. Tile above prices
are not regarded by experienced wool men
as at oil satisfactory, since when transpor.
tation and other costs are paid the net
prices will not exceed q TO % cents. Tho
same quality OF woods were sold last sum-
nier at from SO TO IS cents.
Our attention has been called to the
above, clipped from your local columns Of
March 5, 1870, and We desire to make a
correction, and accompany It with some
remarks on "The Situation" as affecting
our fine woods.
The prices mentioned above as obtained,
may be taken as correct In speaking OF
our last sales, although the prices on some
lots were higher. The corrections we
should like to make are on the prices
which growers will realize from our sales,
q 10 29c. This Is based on margin OF 8
cents per pound for handling. We claim
to reduce this margin, and that the price
to growers will be from 80 TO 32lc on the
above prices-higher on some lots-all OF
which are better than prices paid to
farmers in the country ut present. We
make this correction in justice to those
who are trying, under many adverse cir
cumsiances, to work out the plan Of CO.
operation Us practiced in England, aud
noticed In your paper Of to-day as being
emlnently successful from SO many points
OF view.
As to the price not being satisfactory"
We i!... simply to say that experienced
wool men congratulated us on the prices
obtained on the present "delnoralized
market" as they term It. Men, who have
grown gray in handling wool went out OF
their way to so assure u.s.
II oil any interest to your readersit might
be stated that since receiving the first wool
In the house (some IS months ago) we
have sold something over SOC, 900 lbs. The
prices during the past eight months OBJ.
tanned, have run for NXN from 80 to SOC;
M 80 to Csc; y 20 to Sc; No. !, IS 10
SIC; No. 2 common % to 35c; combing
and delaincs from 80 to 42c; unwashed
from bucks at 10 to medium at &c.
We think these prices will compare IA.
yorable with the prices obtained, even by
Eastern houses. The first season after
the new year, after prices had fallen and
the excitement all died away, the prices
we obtained for XXN run up to SIC, and
for M up to SOC, with delaine even high.
er.
OF those OF your readers who may be
interested in wool matters much the larg-
er portion are wool growers, and while
what We have already said may be OF es-
pecial interest to only portion OF them,
anything We may say, as coming from
those who have gone through the mill"
for the two years past, in regard to the fu-
ture, cannot but be OF interest to the wool
growers.
The statement in regard to the "fnest
woods in the world is in certain sense u
dellsion. The writer Of this firmly be-
lieves that We can produce the finest"
&c, and have produced some OF the finest
il not the finest tleeces that were ever
grown, but while we are producing what
is termed in the market "fne WOOL" we
are not giving that particular attention to
the fineneSs OF the fleece us TO its weight,
and grow fine wool simply because that
class OF sheep seem to thrive better among
the Ohio river hills. We who grow what
is quoted in the market as "Ohio, Penn
sylvania and West Virginia" wool have
for number OF years been accustomed TO
see our woods quoted at the top OF the |
market in price, and as a consequence are
not prepared to see the tables turned upon
US and to find our woods at the bottom and
going on the market begging for buyers.
1t is but little satisfaction to he told that
there are no finer woods in the world than
ours But indeed in the general settling
OF prices it is hard to get satisfactory prices
or TO give satisfac ion in the handling OF
any product.
The principal grade Of the above wool
has been M, let US look at the prices OF
the past and present, as compared with
other grades. According to the tabular
statement published by Walter Brown,
and u very valuable wool chart by Sheble
L. Hill, of Philadelphia, we find that
prices have run about as follows:
1927 to 1861, fine SO cents, medium 42
cents, coarse 81 cents.
1862 to 1866, fine 70 cents, medium "a
cents, coarse II cents.
1896 to 1873, fine 53,cents, medium SO
cents, coarse 10 cents. ......
Since which time medium woods have
generally brought better prices than fine,
until tho past season. Even coarse"
woods have in some cases brought better
prices than fine woods. While medium
woods have been sought after during the
entire dull season, and have brought as
high as AZ cents, Xxx selling at the same
time for 80 cents. How much satisfaction
is it to know that We grow the finest woods
in the world, when the tables arc so com.
pletely turned upon us, and We see the
wool which We have been trying to breed
out OF our tloCks now bringing better
prices than fine wool.
What is the cause of this? viii this
state Of things continue? Shall We aban-
don the growing otwool?
These are questions OF much interest to
this section. Indeed, they are vital ques-
tons, considering the amount OF capital
our agricultural people have invested in
sheep and wool. Although intending to
write something on these matters our
communication has already grown to the
length intended, and we shall say nothing
furlheRat present than to give another
point OF satisfaction to some people.
II has been estimated by persons well
informed on tie subject that there has
been lost the past year ii the handling OF
wool $3,5O0,000. A portion OF this went
into the hands OF growers, which may be
considered proper, as the boot is on the
other foot at times. While this is mainly
to be attributed to the shrinkage of values
going on, yet much can he placed to the
imprudcnco OF buyers-oyerreac hingthem.
selves in their anxiety TO get hold Of their
share OF the clip aud jealousy OF one an.
other, OF the manufacturers and OF the
farmer in their attempts to "handle" their
J own wool themselves or through commits.