The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-05
WOOL GROWERS CONTENT
FRESH ACTIVITY IN THEIR BUSINESS
DURING THE LAST YEAR.
Consumption of sTuttOn-CattIe Breed
ers crganfze-SOme Interesting
Facts ON Beet Raising.

The Indiana Wool Growers ASSOCIATION
began its twenty-third annual convention
in the horticultural room of the Statehouse
yesterday afternoon. The attendance was
extremely good the room being packed.
The members of the society are not much
on oratory but they are very much in earn
est, and their discussion on the fine points
of shearing the lambs and inducing them
to thrive, while somewhat too technical for
most people, had an absorbing interest for
those in the business.
The early part of the session was taken
up with the report of Secretary j. w. Rode
and minor matters. T. c. Phelps, the presi-
dent of the society, covered the subjects of
general interest in his annual address,
which was, in part, as follows:
1.-The sheep and wool industry has not
been so profitable the last year as we would
Ike to see it, but it has been quite an i'm
provement on the previous year. AithouSn
we have had times of depression, mas not
the sheep industry been as profitable as
any other line on the farm? The raiser OF
sheep IN Indiana, especially mutton sheep,
as q rule, makes less complaint OF depreS-
sion in prices than any other person en-
gagged in general farming or stock raising
Prices at times have been very low and dis
couraging, but there has not been time
when well-cared for flock would not yield
wool enough to pay for its keeping, thus
leaving the lambs as clear pront, with the
selling them at q fair advance on their cost
Indiana is not what is termed Wool-groW-
ing state but it is q sheep-raising state
There is common tendency 10 look upon
flock culture as mainly a business OF wool
growing in fact the state organization OF
sfeep owners In Indiana calls itself wool
growers association, thus implicitly ignor-
ing the fact that sheep are good Tor some
other purpose than producing WOOL Inc
effect of this tendency has been to divert at
tention from the sheep a factor in meat
production, and this in face of the fact that
pound OF mutton can be produced as eco
nomicaly and sold for as much money as
can be had for either u pound of beef or
pork.
Restricting estimates of profit from
sheep to the quantity and selling value OF
wool is seriously misleading, inasmuch as 1t
excludes very important factor from the
calculation, and this fact must be kept In
mind when laying the foundation OF mock.
So it seems to me that we are doing bust
ness under the wrong name; 1t should be
sheep breeders association or sheep raisers'
society instead Of Wool Growers Associa-
tion But, as to the future, there has been
10 time in the history of our association
when we had a better right to be encour-
aged than right now although there is not
so many in the country as d year ago, the
wholesale slaughter going on during the
last few years has been checked, the doubt
and uncertainty of the passage of a tariff
measure is now over, and we have a tariff
bill, although not entirely satisfactory to
all, but in the main, believe, most wool
growers are satisfied. In the last year fresh
activity has arisen in the business situa-
ton, and with it q demand for more sheep.
Farmers are buying sheep that have never
before kept sheep; more mutton is being
consumed every year; SO, as l said before.
if there ever was a time when we had good
cause to be encouraged and hold up our
heads, it is right now
The remaining papers of the afternoon
We're as follows: Methods of a Breeding
Association by Mortimer lowering, of La
fayette; What is the Wool Market De-
handing at the Present Time" by w. II.
Keim, of Ladoga; What is the Special In
tiuence of Food on the Carcass by Prof.
c. S. Plumb, of Purdue University; Rape
for Sheep Pasture in Indiana" by Marion
Williams, of Muncie, and Handling Lamb
Wethers for Market" by Henry Leaning,
of Romney. These papers were largely
technical The society will meet this MORN
ing to finish it's programme. The members
are debating the subject whether to restrict
settlement of this question, officers will be
cIpafad