Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-03-15
IS GREATEST
WOOL STATE
MONTANA STILL LEADS PROCESS
SION, WITH WYOMING SECOND
AND OREGON THIRD.

According to the governments re
port of the wool industry for 1904, re
Gently issued, Montana is still the
greatest wool producing state in the
Union. The years clip IN this stale
is given at 33,043, 500 pounds, being
about 100000 pounds less than the
estimate made by the secretary of the
state bureau of agriculture. The diff
ference is probably due to the fact
that the railway companies, in max.
ing their reports to the state bureau
included shipments of Wyoming wool
from Montana stations, while the gov.
eminent secured it's figures from 9th.
er sources, after the straight Montana
clips had been segregated.
Wyoming Comes Next.
Next to Montana, in pounds of wool
produced in the year, is Wyoming.
with total of 32,1o0,O00 pounds, and
Oregon is bad third, with total OF
only 15,635,15O pounds.
The total clip Of the United States
for the year was 295,S93,929 pounds,
Montana producing over II per cent
of the entire clip of the country.
The number of sheep in Montana
at shearing time Of the past year was
5,24o 900, as compared with 4oSl,UoO
at the same time in 1903. In the
country at shearine time of last year,
there were 40,l2l.11T sheep, against
40,06S,440 at the same time in 1903.
With normal weather conditions,
the clip in Montana would have been
very much greater than that of wy
Oming but in the past year, the av
erage weight per fleece in Montana
was much below the normal of this
tate, while the Wyoming fleece weigh
ed more than usual.
Average Montana Fleece.
The average fleece in Montana in
the year was only 6.3 pounds, against
~ pounds in Wyoming, and in a ma
jority of years the figures would be re-
versed. The average weight of fleeces
in Montana for the last year was only
the same as for the entire country,
and as rule Montana feeces Will run
at least pound higher than feeces
the country over.
The woods of Montana were excep
tionally well grown and Of light
shrinkage, while those of Wyoming
were comparatively heavy. and it is
estimated that Montana woods sold at
prices about 20 per cent higher than
those paid for the Wyoming clip.
1t ia estimated that the number of
sheep ~ be sheared in Montana this
year is greater than it was last year,
and as it is probable that feeces will
be much heavier, it is estimated that
the clip of the state this year will be
fully 4OOO0,00O pounds, which should
sell for at least $S,00O,0O0.
Boston buyers are still actively in
pursuit of the man who has wool or
expects to clip it next spring. Texas
sales of fall clip have recently been
reported at cents higher than last
year. In Wyoming buyers who have
been bidding for the 1905 clip have
abandoned the field. actually because
they were unable TO find sheepmen
willing to make contracts. but OSten-
;sibly for the reason that they antici-
pated reduction OF the tariff, at least
this was the reason given for publ
cation. Sheepmen are not to be ca
jOle.d into parting with their clips on
such pretext, however. as the pres
ent wool shortage is worldwide
Many in the trade assert that most
of the recent advance in live NUT
tons has been on the pelt and taking
into consideration the advance in
wool, sheep and lambs are not sell
ing much higher than year ago.