Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-04-25
Sheep Jnterest.
FACTS ABOUT WOOL.
From Harper's Magazine. ]


the last hundred years, and with the
modern race-horse, furnishes the most
extraordinary examples of economy as
an intelligent art. OF these woods two
distinct orders are recognized. The
longer staples, in which also the fiber Is
straghter and the barbs less marked,
are called "combing wools." because
they are Strengthened out, much as hail
is, by combs and laid flat together for
summing into the smooth, hard. tightly
twisted yarns which make the fine, hard
finished fabrics called "wOrstcds SO
named from the village of Worstead,
in Norfolk, where Flemish weavers,
brought over by Edward Ill, about
1881. made this kind of goods. The
shorter staples, more curly and with
marked barbs, are called "carding
wools,' because they are treated by
cards. like the curry-conb used Tor
horses. before spinning, and these make
the "woolens' proper, thicker and soft
er and more like felt. The shorter woods
also make felt, which is produced not
by weaving, but by mating or heating
together the fibers until the barbs of the
wool catch into each other and thus
make "A continuous fabric, somewhat as
paper is made. But these woods grade
into each other imperceptibly
rarely Jumps; and the invention of inn
proved combs has brought into use Tor
"worsteds'' many staples formerly too
short for anything but "woolens." On
the other hand, the final result OF these
graduations is found in woods so various
that they may almost be called different
fibers. so different are their qualities.
instead of being grouped under one
word 'wool'
1t is roughly estimated that the world
contains at least 800 900, 900 sheep-pos-
sibly over 100000, 000-producing about
1000. 900 600 pounds of wool The
worlds crop of wool can only be guess
ed. but it is certain that the humble
sheep contributes at least S3OO,OOO,OOO
annually in wool to the wealth of man
kind. Our own wool crop, greatest in
1854, when it is estimated at SO,OOO,OOO
pounds, was, in. 1SSS, 2G5,0OO,OOO
pounds. Nearly half the wool we wear
is of foreign growth, the figures of 1881
being crop of 100000 pounds. an
import of III, 900. 900 pounds and con-
tents of 1873, 100000 pounds of wool in
imported goods.
The variations in the number and geo.
graphical distribution of sheep in the
United States are very noteworthy.
Previous to the war, lS40-lS60, the CEN
sus showed about 10000, 900 sheep, near
ly all east of the Mississippi river; the
sheep in New England, nearly 100000
in 1910, were but half this in 1850, and
the same was true in New York, but
the new West more than made up the
balance. The agricultural report for
1888 gave 5O,OOO,OOO (probably an oyer
estimate), of which but 81 100000 were
east of the Mississippi. over 100000 of
the balance being on the Pacific coast.
lie current eSlllidlcs lol 1000
1850, O19 sheep, valued at 800, 1863.
The great majority of sheep-raisers in
Ohio, are the farmers who keep from
twenty-five to fifty or even hundred
head as a help to the farm. East of the
Mississippi the number of flocks reach
inn l. Ian,
The sheep is one of the small farmers
best servants. 1t not only produces
wool and mutton, but it keeps his fields
fertile with manure, cleans them of
stubble and weeds, and by causing vege-
citation to grow upon the hillside count.
eracts the waste of soil ''by which the
farmer feeds the rivers from the heart of
his pocket book
In the far West, on the contrary, the
sheep are in huge flocks, often quartered
on government lands, supplying an eX-
elusive occupation to hundreds of ranch
men. The census of 1880 reported 81
sheep ranches in Texas, New Mexico
and California, aggregating 100000
head, an average of 100000 to the ranch.
1t is reckoned in California that two and
half to four acres are required per
sheep, while on the small farms of the
East 10 sheep may be fed to the acre of
pasture.
The California sheep, largely of French
Merino stock, are of unusual size, known
as 'rustlers,' because they must rustic
about for their food. Many of them are
from the flock of W. W. HOLSTER, who
in 1852, recognizing the adaptabiity of
this new country for sheep growing, re-
turned to Ohio and procured 60OO of the
best sheep he could find, of which but
third reached the coast. But the in
crease was so rapid that in "A few years
he had over 10000, and sold above
100000 worth of wool in year. The
long midsummer drought compels IA
sDrinu n,iUration nm into tho Gin,