Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-11-05
WOOL PRODUCTION.
Cooperation Of Wool Growers In Hand
ling the Clip Urged as a Means
Increasing Profits.

IC VbhI bkONNA uuN QhONl INV
present system no way OF ascertanins
whether or not the manufacturer 10
satisfied with his product. In conse
quence, improper methods OF prepar'
ing the wool for shipment cost him
from one to three cents q pound. for
the manufacturer is frequently put to
an extra expense. against which, OF
course. he protects himself by lower.
ing the price to the grower. The
grower does not often sell direct to
the manufacturer, does not thoroughly
understand the various processes
through which the wool passes after
leaving his hands. and remains ignor-
ant, therefore. OF the need for i'm,
provement In his methods.
To remedy this condition some form
OF cooperation among wool growers in
any given region is urged in publ.
calion OF the United States Depart.
nient Of Agriculture. Bulletin 20G,
The Wool Grower and the 800!
Trade The individual alone can 90
little to improve matters, for his clip
is likely to be too small to induce the
buyers to make any alteration In wool
values. With cooperation. however.
il should be possible TO prepare the
entire clip OF any section, so that the
reputation Of its wool would be en-.
HANGED and the growers obtain tina
full market value OF their product. A
sufficient number OF wool growers
should be included in each cooperative
association to enable at least 1000 or
5000 pounds OF each OF the various
Grades to be marketed at one time.
Cooperation will do little good, how.
over, unless the individual growers
follow improved methods Of handling
the clip. An instance Of the present
low price OF American wool as com.
pared with foreign is given in the bull
letin already mentioned Two lots OF
wool of the same grade, one Of them
FROM Idaho and the other from Aus.
tralia. were purchased by a Philadel.
phia manufacturer--the American at
Is IL cents pound and the foreign
at % cents a pound, before securing.
In the American fleece the kind Of
wool that this manufacturer really
wanted amounted to 1919 per cent
OF the total; in the foreign fleece to
1886 per cent. A more accurate sys-
ten of grading had given this manu-
faciurer IL per cent more of what he
wanted from the American methods.
In consequence the foreign sheep
grower got the larger price for his
fleece. The manufacturer paid for
the imported wool % cents a pound
and for the domestic wool 10 10 cents
a pound-a difference OF IL cents.
BY the time shrnkage "off Sorts" etc,
had been deducted. however, the cost
per clean pound to the manufacturer
Of the wool he wanted was 41.32 cents
for the American fleece and 4469
cents for the imported--a difference
of only 3.37 cents. II may have cost
the foreign grower a little more to
prepare his fleece, but he more thar
recovered this In the higher price he
sold it for.
II American growerk were in
position to understand little better
the needs OF the manufacturer and
the reasons for his preference for
properly graded and packed fleeces,
they would unquestionably be much
more willing to alter their methods.
The bulletin OF the Department OF Az
culture already mentioned gives in
considerable detail much information
on these points. II also suggests Is
rules for the woo!grower, which, It is
said, no one can afford TO neglect II he
Is at all solicitious OF the reputation
OF his clip. These rules are:
/. Adhere TO a settled policy OF
breeding the type OF sheep suitable to
the locality. a
2. Sack lambs. ewes, wethcrs', and
all buck or very oily fleeces separate.
ly. IL the bucks or part OF the ewes
or wethers have wool OF widely differ.
ent kind from the remainder of the
flock. shear such separately and put
the wool In separate sacks so mark.