Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-10
American Wool.

Virginia will 90 for Harrison anu Mortoh-
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American Wool
There are some solid facts about Ameri-
can wool. its production and the necessity
for its protection, in an article contributed
to the August number of the North Am
erican Review by Mr.. E. II. Ammidown.
which should be well understood by all
American farmers, and for whose benefit
a brief statement of some of the more i'm
portant facts as given.
The value of the fifty millions of sheep
in this country is estimated, and We think
very fairly, at one hundred million dollars,
which is two dollars per head. These
sheep produce three hundred million
pounds of wool per annuin, the value OF
which varies somewhat with the conditions
of the market, but may be stated at from
seventy-tive TO ninety millions OF dollars.
Wool stands sixth in value on the list of
American Agricultural products, being
out-ranked by corn, hay. wheat, cotton
ana oats. IL tHt duHudi piouuSt VI iiut
ton for food and the increase OF the t1ocks
in prosperous times We're added TO the
value of the wool. the total yearly value
would exceed sl25, 900, 900.
Another very important advantage pos
sessed by the wool industry as factor of
national prosperity, but one difficult to es-
II l. har of ha Inc pf .hppn
As means of enriching and main
tanning the fertility of the soil. This
is factor not generally appreciated
although Mr.. Ammidown makes the
statement that one of the thriftiest far
mers in the State of New York said, after
IA careful study of the subject, he be-
heved that the advantage derived yearly
from the improved fertility of his land
where sheep were grazed, equaled the
value of his wool crop. 1t is true that
this element of value has not been in
vestigated carefully enough to justify
positive conclusions, though it may not be
unreasonable to estimate the annual gain
to the county from this source of fertili-
zation at not less than fifty millions of
dollars. The proportion of the value of
farm lands which is due to sheep hus-
bandry and to the income derived from it
is important though not easy to determine.
Yet, when it is considered that there is
no substitute for sheep, and that many of
our farms consist largely of land suitable
for sheep pastures, and which without
sheep husbandry, would be unused and
would deteriorate in fertility, it must be
admitted that no estimate of the advan-
tages of American sheep husbandry is
complete, which fails to appropriate the
decline in the value of our farm lands
which would follow the abandon
ment of sheep husbandry as a
leading national agricultural industry,
1t has been claimed, by those who have
made studies upon the subject, that this
decline would exceed $3.50 per acre, on
ll2.O00, 900 acres of American farming
land, or a total of $3.50 900, 900. 4 serious
reduction of the wool crop of the United
States. coincident with IA constant increase
in the worlds consumption of wool,
could not fail to be quickly followed by
an advance in the price of foreign woods,
ers, and increased cost of wooden goods.
Our great competitors in the production
of wool are, in the rank as named Aus
tralia, South America and Russia. Aus
tralia, with its vast area of unoccupied
land is the first wool producing country
in the world. In South America land and
labor rank low in value, and it is the third
rank in the production of wool. Russia
comes next with its boundless wastes and
Semi-slave population.
1t is an interesting fact that the United
States is the only civilized country in
which there has in recent years been d
large increase in the production OF
wool. From 1870 to 1880 our con
sumption increased 20 per cent
and our population increased 30 PEE
cent, but meantime, under the in
fluence of our Protection policy, the price,
of wool have remained comparatively uni
form. During the above period our farm
ers have received remuneratve prices fo
wool. and American manufacturers hav,
extended their consumtion of wool 20 pei
cent, while i'll England prices of WOO
have decliaed nearly 80 per cent, and the
consumption of wool in manufactures ha,
not increased at all.
Whatever may be the design of tn,
American people as to the advantage OF
maintaining the wool tariff. it cannot be
doubted that our tariff on wool has, dur
ing the past twenty-five years, prevented
the decline ofeour wool industry and Sc
cured its rapid extension, together witt
the equally rapid growth of our WOO
manufactures. Nor can more complete
demonstration of the necessity of Protec
ton to maintain and advance the Ameri
can wool industry be offered than the
contrast between the development of the
industry in our own country, and its de
cline in Europe under the same outside in
fluences. If space We're at command com
parison of the average prices of wool in the
United States and Europe would confirm
this statement. Abundant figures from
official sources could also be given to
prove that our own country can. under
our present tariff system. produce the
wool required for its own manufactures
and also manuf tcture the wooden goods
required for our own people. The same
figures, had we room to give them.
would also demonstrate beyond question
the powerful influence of our protective
policy on the development of wool pro-
duction in the United States. and on the
increase of our manufactures of wooden
goods as well a. show the disasters which
would follow the change or overthrow
of the protective policy of the past.
These figures would show that the guam
tity of American wOolens used bv our own
people has increased from S2.1l per cap
tia in 1853, to S5.3i ercapita in 1879; and
that the quantity of foreign woolens used