Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-09-27

demanding wool. In the consumption of wool the
United States is far and away In advance OF
either of the other great nations for although
somewhat behind the United Kingdom in the
quantity required for her factories, all that is
manufactured here is retained for clothing and
other uses of our people. and, In addition, vast
quantities of wooden fabrics imported from
abroad. A large percentage of the wool con-
sumed in the factories of other countries
ufactured for export and sold for beyond
their borders giving the United States pre-emi-
nence wool-consuming nation
The Mercado Central de Frutos. located at
Buenos Aires. is the largest wool market in the
world This port and Bahia Blanca, the great
southern Argentina port handles practically all
the wool grown in the republic. At shearfng sea-
wool arrives ships and trains.
In 1878 the worlds sheep population some
thing like 4OOOOO,OOO sheep whereas today the
number is approximately 63O.OOOOOO, of which
Argentina has about onesfxth, being exceeded in
numbers only by Australia which has S3,OO0.0O0
TO Argentinas S0OOO.OOO. The United States has
something like 100000 sheep. Asiatic Russia
3OOOO.OO0 and Great Britain and Ireland about
% 100000. South America, all told, has more
than 10O,0OOOOO sheep, of which two-th1rds are
Argentina. There ten sheep to every man.
and child, average Of SO sheep per
family.
country, and here, where millions of acres of
grazing land adapted to sheep raising found
exists of the finest natural sheep-raisng sec
lions close to centers of mutton and wool con-
sumption to be found in the world. The part
Canada will play in answering the worlds de-
mand for woolens is certain be important in
the near future, for farmers have caught the in
spration resulting from steady prices and
heavy demand for meats and woods.
Our department of agriculture recently gave
out statement which reveals the real situation
in facts and figures. This statement TO the
effect that the production of wool in the United
States in 1915 2SS.777 900 pounds, COM
pared with 900. 1872 600 pounds in 1914 and $780,
10000 in 1913 In other words while
to have lost little in production against 1892
we dropped off 100000 pounds in these two
years.
Promotion OF increased production of sheep
doubtedly is great economic problem. One of
the paramount features regarding the present
shortage in clothing is due to the universal lack
of proper grading and caring for the wool from
farm to factory. Although the United States
ranks of the leading woolproducing coun-
tries of the world, thousands of pounds of good
cause of the farmers slackness In grading and
preparing his clip for the market. The present
educational program of the bureau of animal hus-
bandry tends remove this loss
This means that the amount of wool imported
annually by American manufacturers is equal to
more than one-half of the homegrown clip. For
eign wool growers, Australians in particular,
maintain a uniformly high grade standard in the
handling of their wools This care in preparation
for market has served to give that country a wool
backed by reputation that readily insures 1T full
value at the time of selling to the manufacturer.
Our modern agriculture needs sheep, more
sheep. We need sheep to meet modern practical
conditions. Farmers positively do nothing
better than enter sheep breeding with a strain,
say. like the Shropshire, which have gained the
reputation of being adapted to any sheep-raising
region of the cont'ne" and being the farmers
sheep, a rent payfng sheep, tenants sheep,
money-making sheep. wool-producing. mutton
carrying understanding and hardy sheep" This
breed is not only an economical feeder but, like
other improved breeds good soil conveyors. They
adapted to the most intensive system OF agri-
culture
seIf-Defense.