The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1890-04-11
BY S. A. BROWN & Co.
SHEEP AND THEIR FLEECES
HOW PROTECTED WOOL RESTRICTS
THE MANUFACTURER.

How Protection Cuts both Ways.
Wool Is Il staple of infinite variety. No
two sheep, even Of tho same breed and
p~asturing on the sano grass land, will
yield neeccs that will bring exactly the
Same price.
So with breeds Of sheep and their nat
ural ~pasturage. A hundred sheep are
transported from Saxony to Yorkshire,
England. In Il few years time tho fine
merino wool of tho Saxon sheep will
either be considerably coarscr iii quality
or lighter in weight.
Experience in sleep breeding has
taught the wool growers of the world
TINT certain localities arc best suited for
certain breeds Of sheep. 1t docs not fol
low that any Of these breeds should he
Of Il previously known variety. The
great ilocks OF Australia are the result of
many crosses between the different va
f:c:;cs of English and Saso"y sheep.
Tho locality Of the sheep run has much
to do with the value of tho fleece. III
England, where tho pasture is like Il
garden lawn and where the shepherd has
not too many sheep lo attend to, the
fleece is comparatively FREQ from dirt Or
artificial impurities. On tho other hand,
tlceccs coming from the Argentine Re
public are noted for tho number Of burrs
knottcd in them. This makes Il serious
difference in the price paid for tho wool.
Sheep were first brought TO the United
States in 1908. Exactly 200 years after
ward the first important consignment OF
merillo sheep arrived here. 1t numbered
1000. Since then the mcrino and Eng
lish strains have been blended in all the
tloclis in this country.
In some respects the climate OF the
eastern half Of tho United States is I'M
fitted for rearing sheep III grcatest per-
lection. Tho extremes Of heat and cold
arc too great. In moist, equnble eli
mates sheep never drink water, but
quench their thirst with ~succulent grass.
Lambs ARE shorn for the first time
when they arc eight months old. This
shcaring il called the .'lirst clip" and
commands a higher price relatively than
any subsequent. The weight Of Il first
clip fleece is not usually moro than three
pounds, and often less than this weight.
England seems to be the only dcnsely
populated country i'll the world where
sheep farming is carried on successfully.
The great sheep runs OF Australia Ia VI
only their owners and shepherds near
them. So also in the Argentine Repub-
lie, and III Texas the inhabitants hear
sheep pasturagcs arc much fewer than
in other parts OF these countries.
10 some extent sheep raising appears
to have been almost a pioneer exploit in
this country. III 1868 there wcro 3S, OOO,-
O00 sheep east Of tho Mississippi river.
IN 1888 tho number, wns reduced to 49,
O0O, OOO. Even these -, 0 900 do not
show n fair average, for an undue pro-
portion Of them arc in the twenty-eight
counties Of Ohio which form a natural
sheep pasture.
For one reason or other, other states
between the Atlantic and the Mississippi
river have given up largely tho raising
Of sheep. In the prosperous farming
state of Iowa dairy farming las been
found more profitable. Illinois raises
dairy products, too, rs well as corn and
wheat on former sheep pasture lands.
at the present time tho great wool grow
ing states, excepting Ohio, arc in order
as follows: California, Texas, New Mcxi-
co territory and Oregon. Three Of these
arc practically frontier states; the fourth,
California, in its climate resembles Aus.
tralin.
According To the report of the agri-
CULTURAL department. the total number Of
sheep IN the United States in 1888 was
43,514.755. These yielded a total wool
clip OF 30f,6T6,1el pounds. Tho total
quantity OF manufactured wool i'm
ported into this country in 1857 was 114,-
404 ,173 pounds. or this quantity about
81 900. GOO po,l:ds were for tho manu-.
facturc OF carpets.
Under the tariff Of 1888 imported woods
nre divided into three classes. These arc
conlbing woods, clothing woods and car
pet wools. Tho first two classes arc sub
jcct to 4 duty Of ten cents a. pound if
thirty cents or less in value. II they nro
more than thirty cents IL pound in value
the duty is twelve cents a pound. Car
pet woods pay Il duty Of two and Il half
cents Il pound if the value is twelve cents
or less IL pound, and five cents n pound
ii tho value is moro than twelve cents.
Thes duties represent respectively nd
valorcm 1923, 5l.78 and 24.0S per cent.
1T is quite apparent, therefore, that tho
farmer in this country is abundantly pro
tectett so much SO, in fact, that prncti
cally no wool is exported out Of Tic
country.
On tho other hand, it would not follow,
II wool was protected more highly than
at present that tho imports Of foreign
wool would be lesscncd.
All the woods produced III tho United
States are OF medium grades. 1t is
neither the very best nor the worst. The
sheep which produce carpet woods have
flecccs which average two and q half to
three pounds each. This does not begin
to pay the American farmer who raises
sheep for the fleece alone, and 80 that
every pound of carpet wool is imported.
This docs away with tho 81, 000, 900
pounds Of imported carpet wool referred
to above.
Again, the American manufacturer
cannot make lino dress goods for ladies'
wear from American grown WOOL. III