Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-05-22

/ With a successful lambing season be-
/ hind them and excellent conditions In
/ front of them, Montana woolgrowers
have the prospect this year of sur
/ passing their all-time record, the Sl2,-
/ 1881 wool clip of the first World
war year, 1917.
! Wool brought the near-record price
of SIS cents a pound and the clip to-
/ tailed 23,342 900 pounds 25 years ago,
but this year the number OF Montana
sheep to be shorn is more than a
million greater than it was during the
| first World war. While the current
price of wool, ranging from SO to "A
cents pound, does not approach the
price paid Is years ago, the woolgrow-
erS of the state expect to have in eX-
cess of 10000 900 more pounds of wool
| for sale this year than was sold dur
/ ing the record year.
But woolgrowers are not prone to
compare their status today with that
of 25 years ago. Great changes have
taken place in the industry in the In
tervening period. The hardy growers
have had their lean years and their
good ones.
But perhaps the most significant de-
velopment in the wool growing bust
ness in recent years has been the
sterilization of the crop.
Montana woolgrowers know that in
the future they will have good years
and bad ones, but they never expect to
have as destructive years as those they
experienced during the last decade, due
to drouth and ruinously low prices.
The wool growing business has been
developed to fine science and Mon
tana, wool growing area for nearly
three-quarters Of century, has taken
the lead in developing this science.
Montana wool, known to the trade
as territory wool, often commands a
premium over other western woods, as
do many other products of Montana
range and farm.
Montana wool today is noted for its
long staple and lighter shrink, and
Montana lambs are noted for their
more staunch carcasses and for the
distinctly succulent flavor of the meat
Montana, to begin with, is a sheep
mans paradise. 1t has the ideal COM
bination of climate, water and food
The glistening mountain streams, the
high mountain meadows, the irrigated
valleys which produce roughage and
grain in abundance for winter feeding
and the solid cold Of the winter and
the brisk, refreshing GOODNESS of the
summer all. combine to make an ideal
home for sheep.
And the sheep additionally, go quite
willingly about the business of pro-
ducing food and fiber merely through
their consumption Of grain, grass,
water and weeds.
Sheep are regarded as a sort of
are at the moment some 100000 of
these factories ranging the hills and
valleys of the Treasure state.
These 100000 perpetual motion fac
tories of raw wool and lamb chops are
now increasing their number nearly
100000 lambs and by the end of
June they will have added to their
wealth by producing a wool clip of
some 100000 or 100000 pounds.
Last year from 3,453,OOO sheep the
woolgrowers clipped 33,l4eOOO pounds
of wool which sold at an average of
"a cents a pound, for a total of SILL
27l,OOO.
Most of this years 100000 lambs
will have been fed out and marketed
by next Jan. l. A few thousand of
them will be saved to build up the
growers herds in response to the fed
eral food for victory" drive. Four per-
cent of last years lambs were held
from the market under similar re-
quest.
The woolgrowers not only have been
aiding the government during period
of stress by increasing both their pro-
duction of lambs and wool, but they
have sent many of their sons to the
fighting forces. This circumstance &C
counted for what may be a 10 to 80