The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-22
WOOL-GROWERs AND ANGELS.
A Montana Man Prefers to BE One of
the Former This Year.

Helena (Mont) Independent
Il would rather be Montana wool-grOW-
er with a big band of sheep than an angel
| this year"
The speaker was an Eastern buyer who
| left Helena last night for home after six
weeks sojourn in this State.
I've been up in the northern part or Mon
tana several weeks" he continued, and l
have come to the conclusion that the Mon
tana, sheepmen are having things pretty
much their own way. I'm going TO stop at
Billings on my way out, but l think have
done all the business / can out here this
year. In fact, quit buying some time ago.
THE Montana wool-grower will not tell
you he is making money; he prefers to keep
still and so, perhaps. keep others from gong
into the business and encroaching upon his
range. 1t is true that the sheepmen did not
make money last year or the year before,
but those were not normal years. Neither Is
this, you might say but it is the 6 n raj
opinion of the men in the business that the
future of the industry in this State was
never more promising than right now. The
money. l know of one Montana grower
who sold more than 100000 ponds of wool in
Boston a few days ago, and received be-
tween 16 and II cents pound for 1t there.
This wool w9s in the original bag and was
not graded. The price he received would
average more than 1872 cents pounu
which means from 1874 to 1872 cents a pound
here for the whole of the ungraded clip.
Now. am not guessing at these hgures,
but absolutely know them to be true. That
is probably the best price received for any
large clip from Montana sold this year, but
While that Isl also true, we all KNOW Indl Lne
average prices paid this year were good.
Wool is going up right along, so that the
Spectator can buy to-day with every pros
pect or ma king good profit little later
on. Spectators are doing that right along
Holders of wool will not let go if they can
help it, for everything points to steady
upward tendency in the market. There is
reason for il which every man who has
studied the situation must know. Like the
wheat crop, there is shortage in the total
clip of the world. with this difference-there
is a shortage in America as well as in other
parts of the world while with wheat the
shortage only extends to other countries.
We have only two-thirdS of the sheep in
this country that we had in 1892. This is q
big shrinkage, let me tell you. Now. We
never in the past produced more than one
half of the wool used in this country while
this year we will produce considerably, less
than two-ffths of the wool that our manu-
factories will work up during the next
twelve months. This means that wool will
continue to be In demand and now is a bet
ter time for spectators TO buy than later,
for the price is sure to go up.
Il will add that wool is not the only
source of profit TO the grower this year.
The man to whom | referred a moment ago
as selling more than 100000 pounds of wool
recently asked a buyer 50 for choice young
ewes. and the strange part of it was that
the buyer did not faint dead away. He
even expressed a desire to see the sheep,
and offered to take them at $3.50, but the
owner fatty refused TO part with them for
less than So. He told the buyer that he
didn't care 10 sell, anyway. and ] guess the
buyer came to the conclusion that he didn't
want TO buy.
THAT shows that there is big demand
for ewes | have personally known of
number of sales being made at $3.50 and
when sheep are changing hands at that
kind of price the owner certainly has noth-
ing to complain Of
Things surely look o. X. for the wool
men just now"