Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-08
WOOL GROWERS MEET.

| The ConyeninS OF the wool grower
AT ogden. this week is Il meeting o
much significance.
Wool IL. or should be. the basis o
the clothing of the people. This coun
try has unusual facilities for tho pro
duction OF WOOL and 1t would seen
natural to believe that we should pro
duce mos; OF the wool required by tho
home market.
Unfortunately. this Is not the case
! The domestic product falls far short
| OF the home consumption. And various
theories have been advanced TO account
a smaller value OF wool per capita than
do most OF the far more thickly set
tied countries OF Europe.
Undoubtedly too much reliance has
been placed by the average wool grow
or upon tho bounty OF nature-upon the
range and the open, unoccupiod lands
as a means of pasturoge and even OF
winter feeding. With the continued
settlement of many o. the areas for
merly open. this resource OF sheep
men grows less extensive each year
The result must be. In the end that
free ranges will be reuuced to the
position OF q mere incidental advnnt-
age, and pastures will have to be own
ed for his own use by every flock
master. But IL does not always pay
to pasture or to feed With hay anc
other crops. an inferior breed OF sheep
When winter feeding and private sum
mer pasturing become the rule.it would
seem that only the best producing
breeds OF animals will pay. although
the inferior kinds also yield much more
OF clip when regularly fed In winter
and safely pastured In summer than
when the flock is exposed on tho wido
public domain in such a winter. for
instance, as the present one
The method of wool production most
commonly employed In this country,
that is, by simple reliance on the pub
lie lands for pasturage, while 1t has
often yielded extraordinary gains for d
series of years has too frequently been
subject to corrcspondingly heavy losses
in bad years. and so the industry has
lacked that element OF certainty for
small investors which 1t might other
wise have possessed.
We note with approval the move
ments made by the leaders in this in
dustry to overcome the disadvantages
that follow the restriction of the range
by taklng up land for pasturage. and
of many others to Improve the strains
composing the flocks up to something
like the European standards.
A peculiar result OF the Limitation of
our homo supply OF wool comes to
our attention in one OF today's ex-
changes relating to the substitution of
cotton for wooden underclothing.
Leslie's Weekly discusses the question
whether wool. cotton, or linen should
be worn next 10 the skin. and decides
in favor of cotton The opinion OF
medical men, 1t says. has radically
in recent years. and now |
many, II not most, doctors favor cotton |
or linen next the skin" It says:
Wool absorbs perspIration and re-
tains 1t: 1t nbsorbs 1t with difficulty at
first. but surrenders 1t to the surround |
ing air with even greater difficulty. |
Cotton, on the other hand. asks only |
an opportunity to dry. which II does |
as rapidly as possible. The best plan
In cold weather Is to wear cotton or
linen next the skin, with wool outer
clothing The wool excludes moisture
and cold, while the cotton absorbs the |
quickly and dries oven
more quickly This II does without
chilling the body If the latter have an
outer covering of wool. In this climate
where houses and offices are generally |
ovcrheated In winter, and the transit
ton from indoors to outdoors is at
tended by far greater change In tenn
than In mllder climates where
the houses are not kept rs hot as they |
are in America. 1t Is better to wear
cotton or linen undcrclothes and to
rely upon heavy outer garments to
resist the cold air
This may be true, though opposed to
past practice. but had wool been plenti-
full. the question would not perhaps
be true as to undercIothing, we trust
that the wool growers will so increase
their output as 10 meet the demand of
the people for woolen clothing and SO
dlsplace the cotton and shoddy now so
largely worn in place of wool In the
fabric of outer clothing
We welcome the representatives of
Jhis great industry to the hospitality of
Dur State. and wish them every success
in advancing its legitimate interests.