Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-04-27
THE GREAT INDUSTRY OF WOOL
GROWING IN THE US.
SHOULD IT BE PROTECTED 7


A careful estimate places the
number Of wool growers ~ the
United States at abOnt seven hun
dred thousand, and fully five hun.
dred Thousand men are employed
10y them to assist in caring for their
hocks aud doing other farm labor.
A ma Ority of these hOck.masters,
as well as their employed help, are
heads of families; therefore, if you
add to their number their wives,
children and other dependents, you
will haye population of at least
four million persons more or less
interested in the growing of wool /;
or about one fifteenth of the entire
population of the United States
There are no doubt fully one hun
dred and fifty thousand other farm.
ers who keep a small number of
sheep. but these could not be fairly
classed az growers Of wool.
These seven hundred thousand
farmers will average to own or pos
sess at least one hundred and sixty
acres Of land each ;-making a to-
tai of one hundred and twelve mil
lion acres ;-devOting the more de-
sirable parts of their farms to the
raising of grain, hay, etc, "a good
share of which is required for the
feeding Of their horses, cattle, hogs
and sheep during the winter sea-
som and selecting the poor, rough
and hllly portions for the pasturlng
Of their sheep; thus putting to
profitable use their entire farms.
The number of sheep IN the Unit
ed States is now estimated at fifty
million head, and the crop OF wool
at about, three hundred and fifty
million pounds, and worth on the
average of last years prices about
twenty-five cents; making the total
value of the wool crop Of the cOun-
try seyenty-seven million dollars.
There are sold annually for ex-
port and home consumption from
thirteen to fifteen million sheep for
their mutton, bringing OH the aver
age about three dollars per head
making the total value of wool and
mutton sold each season about one
hundred and TWENTY-FIVE million
dollars.
Ii YOU remove the duty from
wool, and 50 make the growing OF
it an Improbable business, it wonld
reuder almost valueless the portions
of these farms devoted to sheep
raising, and thereby would decrease
the average price of the whole farm
at least two dollars and a half an
acre, making a loss from this source
alone of two hundred aud eighty
million dollars.
Sheep would also decrease in
value fully fifty cents per head,
making another shrinkage of TWEEN.
ty.tive million dollars.
Wool wOnld decline from seven
to eight cents per pound from the
average price Of the last fifteen
ars,-adding another loss of
twenty-five million dollars, and the
farmers would be so impoverished
by the low prices obta;nable for
their wool, that out of actual ne
cessity they would be compelled to
reduce the wages Of these five hun
dred thousand persons employed to
assist in the caring of their hocks
and the doing Of other farm labor
to the extent of at least fifteen cents
per day or about fity dollars per
year making a still further loss OF
twenty-five million dollars from this
source alone.
Now, for the sake of reducing our
revenue between five and six mil.
lion dollars, we must virtually i'm
pOverish one fifteenth Of the entire |
population of the United States,a land |
so force this large body Of people |
to follow a business that will yield |
no profit, and compel them to raise
wool in competition with all the
poor and poverty stricken nations
on the earth, where land and labor |
are fully One.half less than in this |
country; and in doing this, we in
dict upon this most honorable and
American industry the
following losses, viz;
ia the val. of lands, s2sO, 100000
LII L. u nnl mn