The Brookhaven leader., 1883-03-29
Sheep and Wool Growing.

In the United States the history of
sheep huS} an ~ has been marked by
movements so pecul ar as to warrants the
term "manias' in DIES riding them At
times there has been shown a strong de-
sire to engage largely in sheep farming.
and a most every farm had then its
flock: at other times an equally strong
determ nat on has been shown by thot-
sands to get rid of all their sheep at any
prce, or almost at no price. These
NOV, ments ha not always been m
mediately preceded by marked ri e in
the pr.ce OF wool. nor has this desire to
increase or to diminish the number of
sheep been in direct re ation to an adj
vance in tie alue of their feeces at the
moment.
In the year 1878 the advantag of
tered to sheep h sbandry b, the newer
States and Terri cries attracted the at
tent n capitalists and others. and by
the middle of the year 1881 many thou
sands of sheep were ranging where but
very few years before ne were to he
found. Yet in 1878 medium wool sold
for some cents per pounl more than in
1881. In l-S0 wool rom Kansas and
Nebraska sold or prices ranging from
sixteen to twenty-siX cents, yet there
was steady and rapid growth in The
interest taken in sheep farming and a
large increase in the number OF sheep
tax from the Eastern and Middle
States for tue purpose of starting ranches
in the West.
With a diversity of sol, forage and
climate especially favorable 10 WOO =
growing, that industry has received in
\ orth America far less attention than
might have prolitably been given to it.
The were consumed in the United
States between the years 1851 and 1919
a total oil, ;, s2J.76 200 pounds of wool
Or this quantity 956,4 6, % pounds, the
custom house valuation of which was
S165 415, $50, were imported. AS the
value of goods impo ted or ported il
greatly underestimated in returns made
by the revenue department, the aboy o
figures may be sat ely doubled to get at
the cal market value of the wool i'm
pc ted. This wo I'D give fla ly S}31,
GOO, 900 as the sum paid in the seven
teen years to other countries for wool
which m ght have been grown at home.
AS an item of passinr interest in this
connection it may be stated that in the
year 1872 the value of imports of wool
was placed by the Treas ry Depart
ment at >26,2l4, 1875. the quantity i'm
porte having been 122, 25e, 500 pc nds
The civil war of 1861 '65 compelled the
peop e OF the United States to buy
largely and at high p ices the products
of the loom, and the supply of cotton
being C t oil in great measure,
caused a larger demand for woole s..
Stimulated b. these crcum tances mill
owners increased their facilities mt
they greatly exceeded the no NAL re
quirements of the country. For some
Years the production OF goods vent on
active Y, even after the war had ended,
until there was a large over upp v.
When the panic of 1873 came many
mi l. stop ed, and the inlpo taticn of
wool fs,l from p, 256, 500 10 nds,
brought in 1872. to 1890 pounds in
1874 The value of the wool import d
in the last named year was placed at
IS. $50, 100, Or, Sl7,963, SS9 ess than
that of the importations of 1872. = Chi
Scdgo Tribune. = s'st - 80 & - I~
"A Tawtucket man. able bodied and
mechanically expert, hassf0ur children,
between the ages OF nine and sixteen,
but none of them are allowed TO % to
school. ''1hey are my only support. +"
he say S; and they work in mill, while
he does nothing. - PrOrtdence Journal
II.