Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-22
WHAT WE. WEAR.
By Frederic J. Haskin.
II-WOOL.

Things we wear are made Of cotton
and wool, and silk and leather. and fur
and metal. and wood and score of other
materials. but among these. so far as our
climate is concerned, one Of the most i'm
portant Is wool. This Importance arises
not from the great amount produced in
America, for this country is first in cot
ton, but not in wool. but from the fact
that in a great part Of the United States
wooden clothing is a necessity of life dur
ing the winter months. Each year the
amount of all-wool clothing grows less
in proportion to the demand. Wool is so
high in price that cotton and other ma
wool garments are now comparatively
rare
Wool raising in the United States is an
enormous industry. The number of sheep
of shearing age last year Appropriated
60 100000. and they produced 32034S. 75C
pounds Of unwashed wool, valued at $l2-
489S3S. While all Of the states supply a
certain amount Of wool, the greatest
quantity comes from west Of the Missis-
sippi river, Montana is the greatest sheep.
raising state in the country, having
reached the 5000. 600 mark, Wyoming com
ing next with 100000. New Mexico Ohio
also number their sheep by millions. The
lowest number Of sheep raised in any
state is in Delaware. which reports only
1000. and Rhode Island exceeds Della.
ware by only 800 sheep.
Sheep shearing by hand Is a trade re-
| curing high degree Of skill. The Mex
| lean shearers are considered the best, ant
| they do most of tn esheep shearing ir
in the southern states early in the spring
working north as the season advances
SO that they have the longest possible
working period. The sheep in southern
months before those in northern Mon
tana, but generally speaking May is tn,
sheep-shearing month in America.
| The domestic wool supply of the Unitet
States is greatly inadequate to the de
Domestic Supply Is ing the pas
Inadequate to Demand. SIS "a
| pounds Of raw wool were imported, at
cost of 1852, 175. It is this large i'm
portation Of raw wool which makes tn.
wool and woolens tariff such an importan
| political question.
| The shrinkage of natural or CREASED
wool in the securing process averaged 81
per cent throughout the country last year
1t varied with the quality of the fleece
produced in the different states. The WOO
| from the central and eastern states loses
much less by shrinkage than does thai
from the states in the west. In Virginia
last year the shrinkage in wool was 81
Montana reached SO per cent. AS whole
| the securing process reduced the quantity
Of domestic wool from 321. 1852. $50 pounds
| to 141, SO0. 813 pounds. which is less than
one and one-half pounds of wool for each
| inhabitant of the country.
The manufacture of wooden fabrics In
| this country is rapidly approaching an an
nual output of half billion dollars Ia
should be stated that the bulk of the So
called wooden cloth is largely composed
of cotton. The wages paid in the 1918
factories in the country amounted to $40,
than 10 per cent during the past ten
years. The wooden factories Of America
| now manufacture the finest kind Of fab
rics. and a large percentage OF the So
the English cheviots and the French cash
meres are manufactured In the United
States from either domestic or imported
wool Many of the American factories
| are equipped with special machinery su-
perior to that in use anywhere else In the
world.
Hundreds of kinds Of wooden fabrics are
put upon the market each year under
various names
Hundreds of Kinds Some are made
| from special ma
of Wooden Fabrics. terials. For ex.
ample, merino and cashmere are manu-
| featured from the wool OF the merlno
sheep. formerly q native to Spain but
now raised successfully in Germany and
some other countries. Alpaca comes from
an animal peculiar to the Andes noun
tains. It has a long, silky wool. straighter
l than that of the ordinary sheep and very
strong. Similar to alpaca Is mohair. the
product Of the angora goat. found in Asia
Minor. and successfully grown in this