The record-union., 1892-02-02

! =
/ ing the PAST deCa ade The first record of yearly
production of wool was made in 1854, when
the output was $4,000 pounds. A large in
creased product followed each season, until II
reached 56,5o0,970 pounds in 1876, after
which the falling off in yield began, and II has
continued until but 32 100000 pounds was
! returned tor the past season. as will be shown
/ by the following table OF wool production in
! California:
POUNDS POUNDS.
1854....". 195, 900 1S73.-......32, 155, 769
1S2o........ 500, 900 1S74-....... 81, 53S, Isl
1e56..... /, 100000 Is 5.........43 5322 % 23
1927 1.... 1,10O,0 900 Sz6...,...... 90 > 5o.9 o
! 1S99. 2,3. 5000 1S7S..........4S, o62 ,091
! lS6O....r.. 3,055,32 1S79......46 G, ,913.36O
1861 l..... 3,12I, ,995 1SSO..........46,0 ,094, 154
1S62-..... 1890, 800 1SS 1.........4 D ,076, ,639
1868 3..... 0,26S, ,4S0 IL ..4O, ,o27 ,639
S64..-.-... Z, ,923, $40 SS3.......40 ,34S, $50
1e65....... S,949, ,931 1854 4~......3 A {, $50
1S66....., 8, 332. .047 S0-...... q, o6 / ,3S
1S6I.......-10,2 ,2SS, 500 oS6.-.....3S 500, 100
1SGS........, 4,232, ,6o7 SS7.......31, ,504, ,231
1S69.........1 10, ,413,9T0 50 ,972
1S70-.......,20,072, $50 9-...... 3 ), 100000
1oT l-........ %, ,1SS S90-.....34, 100000
24 ,435, $40 = ,00o, 900
The principal wool-producing counties are
Humboldt, Mendocino, Tehama, Butte Sacra-
mento, Calaveras, Kern, Me: ecu and Los An
| geles.
! The pioneers in this great industry on this
coast obtained their stock sheep from Mexico
| anG the character of wool they produced was
coarse and very unsatisfactory Tor the manu-
lacture OF anything but Common gooas. BuC
! W OI a line HfjtCS Oh SIstillSn
MerIno sheep nom Vermont and OHIO, and
the French Merino from France, and the con-
tlnual crossing OF these Hne-WUol producing
! sheep with our native herds the character of
wool was very materially Changed, until we
were able to produce as fine WCol in ll1S state
| as vas TO be found anywhere, and, as is shown
/ Dy the record, III sufficient quantity to attract
the atteation of the Eastern manufacturer,
who recognized in it, by leason of its fine
nDer ana lengthy staple, superior merchant
able al Gle, and il soon commanded its right
|
during tie past ten years It has not lie )t It's
place IN tins respect, as by reason OF ilatten-
| ton and Iesitcy on the part OF growers IT'S
quality has deIeri' rated, thereby Eot COM
manding the price o. hgh-grade staple ard
! Is used cnief1y for the ma 1utactIle of II lower
| grade OF &C DDS.
| This AS ecC of affairs has greatly discour-
aged the advancement of this interest in Cali
tornla; the same may be said OF Ohio woods
| that were formerly the standard staple and
ON which the market values were based in rhe
! United States. The position OF both States
has been supplanted by a superior product
from the territories of the Northwest and
Australia, which now furnish nearly all
the finer grades OF wool for the factories. IN
consequence We find stagnation in prices
iof our WOOL output, and nothing but revo-
luton In me hods VIII put Us back in our
original position. With neglect in breeding
ana 1nattentfon in packing our product,
prices will continue to be from three 10 tive
cents per pound lower than that obtained by
producers i'll other countries where SJrict at
| tention is given to this industry.
| we djJTIUut6 The present DOSlLlOn OF our
State in wool production to two causes: f.rst,
the continual inbreeaing of stock is Il
| most serious error, as the failure to keep up
an infusion of new blood greatly affects the
size and constitution of the animal, giving us q
weakly and puny individual of slow gIowtn
and totally inefficient in every way 10 yield
in quantity and character the grade OF wool
desired, 10 say nothing of the increased ler-
centage OF mortality occaSioned by their being
more easily susceptible to contagious diseases
than are those of stronger breeding; SCI ondly,
! the continual eXiStpOpp and WiIp-Sprpa O
| prevalency of that disastrous enemy to the
wool interest the ''Scab," which by reason OF
It's easy contagion, has spread havoc among
f! our sheep.
| 1t is a 7gelI-known fact that flock of sheep
| will contract this disease in passing over u
| range that had previously been visited by
! another flock that weIe inocuated with il.
So difncult is its total eeadication from a herd
that nothing but individual attention for a
| long period to each animal will accomplish
it; hence we say that this inattention has
! greatly assisted in the spread OF this disease
| with corresponding loss TO the interest in
! volVed.
What is mostly needed for the protection of
this industry in California is the passage and
! strict enforcement of a ''scstb" law similar to
that in vogue in Australia, and even in Utah
Idaho and Wyoming Territories, requiring in
| spection from time 10 time of our herds and
anges and thorough system of spot dressing
after each Shearing
Something of this kind must be done. and
at once, otherwise the sheep interest Will pass
! into oblivion where it would be to-day were it
uOb lOT LIE present. 1ll2n price OF mutton,
The results of close attention and care of
sheep are more plainly to be seen in the col
ony or settlement of some Basque French in
| Kern County. They are not citizens of the
United States nor do they own any land sim
| ply rent winter ranges from the farmers and
| in the summer they run their large herds on
! Government land in the mountains They
pay the stricIest attention to their sheep and
| Immediately act when there is the sightt st
| appearance of ''scab," thereby keeping their
hockS in best of health and condition which
. action enables them TO their sheen tNvplV
months without shearing. By this method
they save the expense of fall shearing and
grow long staple that commands the top
market price. They are at the present time
growing the finest wool that is shipped out of
California.
BY this procedure aliens are permitted to
come right in among us and in from three to
four years accumulate a fortune and return to
their native heath, and very few are even sue
cessful in mastering our language.
Another cause of the depression in this in
dustry is the attempted use of lands for other
purposes when nit only for sheep ranges.
These experiments have cost the owners con-
siderable money and LETT them with an opin-
ion that agriculture is failure. 1t is here
where fictitious values of real property has
been detrlment to an industry that could be
made profitable, but for their existence II is
a conceded fact that land valued a. over SIS
per acre is too valuable for sbeep-raising but
| we have yet thousands of acres not adarted
! for any other use than grazing, or which by
| remoteneSs from market, cannot be far1ned
with profit, but could be put 10 a most profita-
"
ter opening for investment of capital by @
steady-going, thrifty Ie)ple than that of sheep
husbandry which, with the proper care and
attention, will make better returns for the
amount invested than almost any other
branch of agriculture.
OUR WINES
insufficient capital, necessity to realize and
undue competition by introduction of inferior
grades. were the principal agens which
threatened destruction 10 our wine interests
in California for several years past and the
result of their crusade was keenly felt by
many growers. But now that the business OF
manufacturing and marketing has arrived at
a systematic basis OF procedure brought
about by consultation and cooperation the
danger seems TO lie over, and the future more
satisfactory than ever to the grower.
Then again, our annual production has fall
len off about one-half in the past three years
owing to phylloxera and other causes, so il
viii be a long time before as large a produc-
tion as that of 1887 will be forthcoming as
many growers have substituted resistant vines
for their old ones that were killed by the phyl-
loxera, and by reason OF a very small increase
In acreage.
The wine product of California for 1891 was
15, 100000 gallons, of which I, 100000 was
used for sweet wines and branuies, giving us
| 100000 gallons of dry wine for consump-
ton.
1t is estimated that there is used annually
about Is ZOO, 600 gallons OF California wine in
the United States, so that the shortage in yield
in 1891 is about 3 900, 900 gallons. With this
falling of in yield, and the growing foreign
demand for our product the future for the
grower is indeed bright, but for their own
protection a uniform price should be agreed
upon and lived up to tor the sale of our wines
which would have tendency to keep prices
up and to prevent sales OF an immature ar
ticle at a less figure, as suspicion of its gen
uineness would surely follow wines thus
handled.
We are OF the opinion that bottom prices
for both grapes aud wines have been reached
and their advance will be sure to come per-
haps slow, but steady.