Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-23
THE PRoPER HANDLING OF WOOL.

scyIptSO1 expires.
THE PROPER HANDLING OF WOOL.
The wool Of this section stands at the
head of the markets Of the world. In
all Eastern wool market reviews, "Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia" wool
stands at the head in the list OF quota
tons. II is not too much to say, that it
Is losing that precedence, both as to
character and condition, and other
woods are taking its place. These other
may be getting better, but ours, to put It
mild, do not have the same attractive
ness to manufacturers as formerly. One
reason ofthis Is the manner in which
wool Is put up by the wool grower.
Half Washing greasy wool and its be-
ing put on the market in this way. Put
ting stuff, such as dung, burs and sweat
locks into the fleece, as well as tying up
unwashed tags, dead wool, and even
breaking up bucks fieeees, and putting
all inside of washed fleeces. If any
grower does this, buyers will certainly
avoid him. So will they do whole
neighbOrhOod. Some, and but few other
wise, in many neighborhOOds1 drive their
sheep to pond, and get them wet by
jumping them in, to swim q few feet,
then out again, this giving the flores OF
wool, by this swimming process, the
the appearance Of hand washed
wool. The grower in defence
of this practice says: The
same price is paid for ALL" The buyer
visits the farmers at their places and
makes little, if any distinction in price.
One farmer visits another while he is
shearing, or they shear around and as
sist one another. One has his box OF
"dead" wool picked from sheep that
died during the winter, and puts hand
ful or two in each fleece-another the
same with his unwashed tags, which he
has shorn off before he turned out to
pas,ure-the next has no bucks tieeceS!
All this seems like downright diShon-
esty. Carelessness and being too care
full, may both bring the same results.
One Is not particular, and puts all the
locks he can gather up and two or more
belli,s in one fleece. Thus putting all
the locks of a dozen fleeces on one man
ufacturer, and the second gets the clean
skirted feeees-when the wool Is
graded.
Whose fault is all this? We ask the
grower, he tells you "WOol is wool. |
Ny neighbOrs tie up all their locks and |
loose, dead and dirty wool in their
fletces, and they get just as much
pound as do. / used to keep out |
everything, but found 1 was lOosing |
every year; began to think it made no
d ference to the buyers, so | do as my |
neIgnDOrs. wheA tho Uuyer mako the
right discrimination will put up my
wool clean"
Buyers complain and begin to say:
ave cannot make any discrimination;
one lot is better worth 40 cents than
another is worth 50 cents; but when we
pay 4Ocents then every other grower |
must have 10 cents, so we pay IS and |
get the wool as we CO." The blame Is |
thrown back on the farmer, being Oneof |
class We have but to say that the |
wild wool buyers and wicked wool |
growers do the mischief and seem to
control the wool trade, one wild buyer
coming in will spoil the buying in a
whole section and one dishonest and
and careless wool grower, brag-
ging what he got for his heavy and
half washed, greasy and gummy, dirty
and dung locked wool will corrupt a
hole neigh5OrhOOd. Wool is grown
for money and wool growers are human.
BY cooperation and determination
only can this be remedied, unless this
false system be allowed to run its
course, but while it Is doing this, the
character and regulations Of our fine
WOOls is passing away. 1t is better to
Try to keep what we have got than to
attempt to regain it after it Is lost
-
Speaking of sheep and wool in this
connection, We might say something in
regard to the county Fair and Exhibi-
ton on Wheeling Island. 1t is well
known that there was some dissatisfae-
ton among the sheep men at the Fair
last Fall on account of the location of
sheep pens, as well as the manner in
which the premiums were arranged.
This coming season sheep will be given
the most eligible position on the
grounds; the premiums will be differ
emily arranged and increased; in fact,
the directors desire to do everything
possible to insure 4 good show Of sheep,
and to have every exhibitor satisfied
that he has received justice.
Farmers claim that the constant rains
have so drenehed the wool, and the cool
weather has kept back the exc from ris-
ing in the wool, until it has become so
light as to almost weigh nothing. OF
this buyers will be left to judge, they
being Judges" of wool, particularly
local buyers who work for a cent q
pound. The more pounds the more
money.
Our neighbor, W. II. ARNOLD, Esd,