Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-06
WOOL GROWERS MEET
Annual Gathering of the National
3 Delaine-MerinO Association.
SHEARERSWILL NOT WASHFLEECE
Washington County Sheep Said to be Not
Of an Inferior Breed.
A BANQUET CONCLUDES THE MEETING

The annual meeting of the National De-
laine Merino Wool Growers Association
was held yesterday in the new Sherman
House, Canonsburg, Pa, W. R. Craighead,
President of the association, occupied the
chair, and J. C. McNarey was secretary.
Owing to the gathering being a postponed
meeting, the attendance was not as large as
it would otherwise would have been. There
were about 40 delegates present from Penn
sylvanis, Ohio and Indiana. They repre-
sented some of the wealthiest sheep breeders
In the country.
A discussion lasting over an hour was in
dulged in on the advisability of issuing
new register Of the sheep produced by each
breeder. This volume was to include the
record of every sheep. The motion was
finally carried, and the book will be issued
in October after the animals are counted.
A request was received from a number of
Ohio sheep breeders asking for admission
into the association, and requesting that
their focks be examined. The members of
the association did not take kindly to the appli-
cation. The rules are that any persons coming
into the association must first secure some Of
the Delaine merino sheep and breed them.
SHEPHERDS DEFEND THEIR SHEEP.
An article published in the Michigan Farmer
came in for great amount of condemnation.
1t contained speech delivered by R. Gibbons,
at Rochester, N. Y, before the New York
Sheep Breeders Association. In the speech,
Mr.. Gibbons made an attack on the Delaine
breed Of sheep, saying that the stock was in
ferior. 1t was decided to reply to the speech
and deny the charge. Secretary McNarey
thought il probable that Mr.. Gibbons had been
deceived by having other sheep palmed off on
him as Delaines. The secretary said that
were representing themselves as members of
the National Delaine Association, and breeders
of Delaine sheep. These breeders were impos-
tors and should be prosecuted.
Mr.. Orr, editor of the StOckT1dn OF Pittsburg,
who was present at the meeting, made long
speech on the subject, and showed the animus
of the attack. The charge was made by Mr..
Gibbons, that the published illustrations Of the
Delaine sheep represented them to be better
animals than they really were. A committee of
three. composed of President Craighead, Sec
retary Men arey.and 7. Z. Orr, was appointed
20 deny the charges.
James Bell, of Independence, made motion
to abolish the practice of washing sheep. He
said the United States Wool Growers Associa-
ton had adopted law prohibiting its members
from washing the animals. He statedit is only
a question of time until all the wool growers
in the country would refuse to wash their WOOL
A great many growers do not now wash their
sheep, as it is injurious to the animals. Buyers
force growers who do not wash their sheep to
accept lower price for their wool. If farmers
would not wash their animals they would get
as good price as they do now, when the wool
is cleaner.
President Craighead advocated the ''un-
washed" He said if sheep were sheared in
March the growers would get clean wool and
the animals would be benefited. If the wool is
allowed to stay on the sheep until May it gets
dirty and the grower is compelled to accept a
lower price for it Others thought it paid
Tax n1s cf haNTo Fnr
the wool The manufacturers would rather
have the wool unwashed on account of having
to pay washed prices when the product is
but half clean If there was universal move
ment not to wash the sheep the wool growers
would get better prices for the product. The
motion was adopted.
The following officers were reelected: W. R.
Craighead- President; j. b. Johnston, Treas
urer. J. c. McNarey. Recording Secretary, and
James McClelland. Corresponding Secretary.
The Executive Committee of the Association
recommended the suspension of ]. K Bailey,
formerly of Washington, but now a breeder
near Urbana, O., for transferring sheep that
had not been registered. The report was laid
upon the table for action at another meeting.
A GRAND BANQUET.
After the business meeting a banquet was
held in the dining hall OF the hotel. The room
was prOfusely and tastefully decorated for the
occasion. In the center of the long table at
which the bancueters sat, was the figure of a
rams head with large gilded horns. Smilax
and flowers were scattered over the figure,
making pretty effect The menu was a mas
terpiece from the hands of a chef and would
have done credit to irst-class Pittsburg hote l..
After discussing the viands for two hours,
President Cralgbead called for speeches. The
latter were as follows:
Those Who Feed Us" A S. Miller; The
Ministers VINO Do the Washing" DR..
W. F. Brown: "0ur Wool Growers Who
Do the Sheartng," A. W. Herriott, of Imperial.
"Our Doctors Who Do the Trimming" DR.. T.
Allison. of Kittanning. ''Our Lawyers Who Do
burg. Other speeches were made BY W. g.
Berry, of Houstonvilie; R. L Munrz, Of tanons.
burg: Julius lie Moyne, of Washington: Gen.
erai William s. Callaghan. of Canonsburg;
Jonathan Allison, of Washington; Dr. ]. B.
Donaldson, of Canonsburg; T E. Orr, of Pitts
burg; ]. Murray Clark ESQ, or Canonsburg
and Minor Day. of Washington.
It was thought that some action would be
taken on the tarif-wool question on account
of Congress now being IN session. Nothing
was done, however, about the matter. In re-
gard to it, President Craighead said: I'VE are
satisfied with the present tariff as we think it
is high enough to protect our business The
only thing wrong with the law is that it allows
waste wool to be imported free. This supposed
waste is good wool, and comes into competition
with the wool sheared in this country. If the
customs officers were a little vigilant they
could make it pay duty, and the American
wool growers would receive the benefit of the
transaction. The association as an organiZa-
tion does not take action of such matters on
account of the members being partisans To
discuss the tariff would lead TO trouble, and we