The Coolidge examiner., 1934-06-15

Waahsngfe=- -. C--&%U ssFNsre
NHEEP owners OF the United
- States produce about 10000.
COO pounds of wool annually.
or enough 70 supply each lBhAbltani
% this country with a wool garment
weighing nearly three pounds
The iowly sheep. from which
comes the worlds yearly WOOL sup
ply OF slightly less than three and
a third billion pounds. Is no re
spcctor OF persons or geography. A
meeting OF all the worlds wool
growers would reveal a motley gath
sring Of all creeds and colors. from
Ieclandsrs 70 South Africans. from
Canadians 20 Argentines, from 81
berians 20 Indians There also
would be present natives % many
Islands OF the seas
The sheep raising industry Is pret-
~ well conhnei 20 the temperate
rones. however. though some Hocks
grars near the Equator In high al
tIiudes. and others are found In the
Arctic. where there ls sufficient for
age.
The worlds sheep population Is
more than 5oo.oo.ooo-a quarter as
great as the human population. Aus.
tralia. although a comparative
youngsisr ln the wool industry. Is
the worlds leading wool producer.
India aud China are the outstand-
inE sheep countries OF Asia. Ar
gentina and Uruguay have the
hcayies; sheep population In South
America. The greatest cobcentra-
ton % sheep herds In Africa is along
the Mediterranean coastal zone from
Gibraltar 20 Tunlsia. and In South
Africa. Every country % Europe
raises sheep. but In Norway. Swe-
den and Finland there are few
nccks. scattered over wide areas
The United States. with upward OF
5000 90 head % sheep. Is the only
country In North America that has
taken 20 wool growing In biz way.
Where Americas Sheep Are.
About four.hf,hs OF the sheep 10
the United States craze In the noun
tAlns and on the plaieaus and plains
west OF the Mississippi river. Texas.
which has been dubbed the Cotton
State" and the Sulphur State be
cause of It's supremacy In the pro.
ductlon OF these commodities. also
has earned the right 20 be called the
wool State In 1882. its con-
tributlon 90 the United States pile
OF wool was about $1,000. 900
pounds. or about one-sixth OF the
wool produced IN this country.
Montana. whose sheep gave up more
than $1,000 600 pounds In the same
year. ranked next 10 the Lone Star
state. with Wyoming. Oregon. Utah.
California. New Mexico. Idaho. and
Ohio. each OF which produced more
than 100000 pounds. following In
the order named.
As In the case OF cotton. his
toriAns and paturalists have been
stumped By the query. when and
where was wool first usedg" Sheep
and wool are mentioned In the
Bible. and IL is known that the
Romans practlced sheep breeding.
Some OF their prize animals wore
jackets TO protect the fleece. Shortly
after the beginning OF the Christian
era an Italian took several sheep
from Italy to Spain 20 breed them
with the native merino sheep. Incl
dentally. the merino sheep produced
the finest woods. and have been bred
with many other inferior sheep to
improve the latrer's fleece.
The growth OF the wool industry
In the United States has been phe-
nomenal Two years after Capt.
John Smith and his followers land
ed on the Virginia coast the first
sheep were introduced into America
AAA1AA -OAt
years later a shipment OF the fieecy
animals from Europe was landed on
the Massachusetts, coast. Indians
appetites. predatory animals and Sc
we're winters made serious lnroads
on the colonial flocks. 50 most OF
the animals were kept inside town
walls. on islands, and on penlnsulas
fenced OF from the mainland.
Growth OF the Wool Industry.
AS cotton clothed the colonists OF
the South. wool clothed those Of the
North. Private homes then were
Americas wooden factories. The
American wool trade began when
sheep-owuIng families exchanged
their wool and surplus homespun for
other commodities With the in
crease In colonial population the de-
mand for wool cloth rose and the
federal government as well as 10
cal governments encouraged wool
growing.