The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-16


wool rams The question was further
discussed by Leonard Fish of Ira; Sec
rotary Chapman, who stated the grounds
upon which the committee had arrived
at the opinion stated by Mr.. Sanford. aud
instanced case in point in his own cN-
perit nee as Il breeder; by Mr.. Sanford,
Mr.. Fish. DR.. Smith of Brandon, MI.
Wnslow. Lyman w Poet of Cornwall,
G Cady of Middlebury and n b Doug
las of Cornwall.
An adjournment to afternoon was then
taken.
AFTERNOON.
The meeting was called to order at .
o'clock by President James, who an
nounced that Hon John l. Hayes of Bos-
ton, secretary of the National Association
of Wool Manufacturers, would deliver an
address. Mr. Hayes in opening, referred
to his acquaintance with the late Edwin
Hammond, whom he classcd with the
great bcncfactOrs of mankind. and said
Me coat-of-arms of his association was
surmounted by cut of MIR llammond's
celebrated Sweepstakes. He announced
that his subject was The Merino Comb
ing-Wool Industry" There are. he said,
two processes of preparing wool for
manufacture - carding and combing.
times, but the latter is of modern origin.
"Worsted" is the name given to cloths
made by cardng. Chaucer mentions Z
friar dressed in this material. Combing
by machinery was perfected by Michael
Simpson. an American. who died couple
of weeks ago. His machine is used for
combing carpet woods. The machine that
formed the foundation of those unlver-
sally used today was the invention OF a
Frcnchman. In every sort of wool IA
brio where there is no nap the combmg
machine is employed. The French early
saw that Combing could be applied to
Merino WOOL and that gave rise to the
French Mcrino-a large-bodied animal
growing long wool. The French in
vented various fabrics. merino etc. The
English did not comb any WOODS except
those of long fibre. Up to 1860 we fol-
lowed the English practice and our wool
manufacturers urged the growing of long
woods. Then the processes in vogue in
| France were adopted here, and in 1869
| the first wOrsted coatings were made in
| this country. The wool used was Mcrino.
In 1876 there was an astonishing exhibit
of worsted at Philadelphia. Since 1850
the manufacture of wOrs,ed has increased
! from S320.00O annually to S45.0OO.OOO,
!
breeding, which has furnished the nee
essary material. Mr. Hayes compared
| the tariff on worsteds by the act of 1867
with that by the act of 1883. and stated
! that by the classification adopted under
the latter, English manufacturers bad
| been enabled to get worsteds into the
country at a much lower rate of duty
| than was intended by the trainers of the
act. In consequence the importationS
| have increased enormously. Every
pound Of cloth imported displaced four
| pounds of homegrown wool. SO this
classification has done more injury to
our wool-growers than the reduction of
the duty on wool. Besides. it has had
an important bearing on the mohair in
dustry. \ good mohair-the fleece of
the Angora goats grown here as any
where in the world; and there is Il great
demand for the pushes made from it.
TO cure the evil of the present classical
ton it Is proposed by the manufacturers
that the department declare worsttdS to
be cloths. Mr. Hayes made statements re-
lative to dress-Goods. The abandonment
of crinoline has caused demand for
soft. clinging fabrics made from Merino
combing woods. The use of these woods
has been enormously increased by this
means. The qualities of Mcrino woods.
produced by Vermont breeding, makes
the wool which the world most
wants. The elements which constitute Il
good combing wool are soundness,
length. density. sottueSs. iineness. elias
ticity and weight. For clothing wool
tinenesS is most necessary. and sound
ness and length are not of so much con-
sequence. Care in growing is the essen
tial to sOundness and strength, charac-
terstics which render American wool SUI
perior to any grown in the world. The
older States have better chance to grow
this sort of sound wool than the others,
and therein lies their hope for the future.
In answer to an inquiry from Mr. i \
Bissell of East ShOrebam. Mr. Hayes said
that wool rs short as two inches could
be combed, bnt the better length was
three to three-and-ahalf inches.
Secretary Chapman read vigorous
protest against commercial treaties. writ
ten by Mr.. Hayes and issued by the eX-
ecutive committee of the association of
which he is the secretary, and offered
the following resolution, which was
unanimously adopted:
ResOIred, That the Yer mont Merino sheep.
Breeders association. having read the protest
against commercial treaties sent out by the Ma
uOnal ASSOCIATION of Wool Growers through their
iary, Hon John l.. Hayes of Boston, would here
by express our cordial approval of the sentiments
expressed therein, and would especially tender
them our thanks Tor their just recognition of our
industry and their honorable recognition Of the
compact that has so long existed between the
WOO growers and the wool manufacturers
through their respective national associations,
ard would hereby tender them our cooperation
to secure such needed advance in the duties on
wool and wooden fabrics as shall make all
branches of their industry renumeratve and
shall secure to ours the additional protection
necessary to make it profitable. In this connec'
ton we would also endorse and return our
thanks to our hOnOred senator, Hon. Justin ;.
Mouill, Tor the able, thorough and exhaustive
treatment OF the subject OF conn ercal treaties in
his recent able speech against such treaties IN
the ) nate OF the United states
Mr. John p Ray of IIoneoyc. y Y, sec
rotary of the New ork Sheep Breeders
association, read Il paper entitled "Indi-
viduality." history records the achieve
ments of men of genius in war, states
manship and invention. Equally Wor-
thy of remembrance as benefactors of
the race are such men as Atwood, Rob
, inson, Stickney, Stowcll, Hammond and
others who have brought Vermont Meri-
nos tO the DpvfpctiOu they now poSSpSS