The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-08
BREED OF MERINOS.
Something About These Famous
American Sheep.
THE EFFECT OF FREE WOOL.
A Virginia Democrat Says That His
State Is for Cleveland-Fevcr
In Panama.

Rochester, n. Y, are at the Rainier hotel
On their way home from Southern Cali
fornian trip. Mr.. Markham, who is one
of the best known sheep raisers in Amer
ice, was for years secretary Of the National
Wool Growers Association, and there is
probably no one with wider and more
accurate information regarding the sub
iects in which this association is inter
ested. His. special business has been
breeding the famous American Merino
sheep. which for breeding purposes are
largely exported.
Our Merinos," said he last night, "were
brought to this country from Spain be-
tween 1900 and 1915. The same Spanish
breed has been taken into France and into
Australia, and each country has produced
its peculiar style of Merino. In France,
the sheep have been bred for mutton as
well as for wool, and the result is that the
animals are considerably larger in France
than in this country. In Australia less
attention has been given to the sheep.
They have run in large herds, have bred
themselves, and consequently the fleece
has run rather thin. 1t also lacks
oil. and show a tendency to break
rather than remain compact. In
America we have bred with much
care for .heeces. That is, we have
picked ont each year the rams and ewes
with the densest, oiliest, longest aud most
wrinkled fleece, and have bred them to-
gether. As a result, we have in the Amer
lean Merino a sheep in which these quail
ties are exaggerated. Its fleece is too
dense, oily and wrinkled to make the
best wool. But by crossing this Merino
with sheep defective in these points, we
get perfect wool sheep.
"For example, in 1879 went to Japan
with 200 of our Merinos. which had been
ordered by the Japanese government.
There had been no sheep at all there until
afew years previous. when some very
poor ones were brought from China.
These animals had very poor
fleece. The average clip was a
pound and half to sheep, and the wool
was carpet wool, coarse and hairy. The
first cross of our Merino with this sheep
raised the value of the wool 300 per cent.
The clip was doubled, and the fleece was
so much finer that it brought a correspond
ingly better price in the market.
"Since the American Merino and the
Australian Merino are from the same
stock, the cross does not produce mon
grel, but very fine animal. They have
huge focks there. l know of two con-
tanning 1,000,000 head each, and flock of
100, 200 is q common thing. One wool
grower there. with flock of 100, 900, had
between LOCO and 800 ewes which he had
selected especially for breeding In 1880
the average clip from these stud ewes was
about seven pounds. We began sending him
our Merino rams and in 1888, when
visited Australia, he had so improved the
herd that his stud ewes averaged fifteen
pounds each, and the clip of the whole
herd was raised two or three pounds
head. He made hundreds of thousands of
dollars by thus crossing his herd with the
American Merino. Then, too, he is able
to sell his fine rams at prices ranging up
as high as $4,000. The fine rams sent from
this country for breeding are worth from
81 200 to 81, 900 apiece"
In speaking of the tariff, Mr.. Markham
said: "As q wool grower 1 am uncom-
promisingly opposed to free wool. be-
lieve that removal of the duty would
PROSTATE our wool growing industry.
"See what the result was when the duty
was lowered in 1887. The tariff had been
10 cents pound and 10 per cent ad valo-
rem. The ad valorem duty was taken off
and that amounted to reduction of about
cents. Well, in short time tn ere was
drop in price and great falling off in the
wool product of this country. In my
opinion the difference off cents was not
sufficient in itself to lower profits and
drive the wool growers out of the business,
but the factor of sentiment had much to
do with the case. The reduction caused
feeling of uneasiness among wool growers.
They began to fear that further steps in
the same line might be taken and that
their best plan was to get out of the bust
ness as soon as possible.
"If such result came from a reduction
of cents a pound in the tariff you can
imagine the effect of admitting wool duty
free. There would then be strong reason
something more than sentiment-to in
duce the wool grower to sell his sheep.
Prices of wool would fall for time, and
then the enormous lessening of the Ameri-
can product would force them up, prob
ably even higher than they were before.
So the men who are clamoring for wool in
order to get cheaper clothes, would in
the long run have to pay more for their
garments"