1906. J ESSENTIALS IN FUTURE SHEEP BREEDING. 51 



ers. The sheep developed a stronger constitution, they bred 

 more wrinkles in them in order that they might have more 

 surface and so get more wool, and in order to get weight they 

 bred for size. Shearing festivals were held all over New York 

 and I believe in New England. The weight of the fleece 

 came to be the dominant factor in shearing. It was the 

 weight of the fleece that counted, and it kept going up and 

 up ; instead of getting an old-fashioned fleece we began to get 

 fleeces which weighed anywhere from ten, fifteen, twenty, to 

 twenty-five pounds each, and occasionally some one would 

 sheaf a fleece weighing thirty pounds or thereabouts. Then 

 what happened ? When the manufacturer took that fleece and 

 scoured it down to about six pounds, he did not feel as though 

 he could stand the racket. There is where the trouble com- 

 menced, friends. The manufacturer could not afford to pay 

 for twenty-five pounds and then have it only come out after 

 it was scoured weighing about five or six pounds at the ex- 

 treme. What did he do? Sometimes a slight thing will change 

 the fashion. At that time there had been brought into the 

 United States with the coarse wools that we have been speak- 

 ing about some of the medium wools, such as the Southdowns, 

 and a few of the other Downs, the Leicesters, a long-wooled 

 breed, had been brought over. Under the stimulus of the prices 

 which had been obtained for wool they had been brought over. 

 Now this manufacturer, he says to himself, I wonder if I 

 cannot put in a little of that other wool and thereby reduce my 

 cost? Everybody at that time, Mr. President, wore a broad- 

 cloth coat. I know they did in New York, and I suppose they 

 did in New England. As a matter of fact, most everyone wore 

 broadcloth previous to 1871-2-3 for a dress suit; yes. and the 

 ladies wore merinos very largely. This manufacturer began to 

 wonder if he could not get out of the hole that he was being 

 driven into b}' introducing a little Southdown wool, and some 

 of the other medium wools that he could get. Then what 

 happened? Why, he purchased that wool, used it in his prod- 

 uct, the trade liked the class of goods that he turned out, liked 

 it because they wore pretty well, and the broadcloth suit was 

 changed for what was called tweeds and cheviots, and things 

 of that class, until today we have got to have a fellow that goes 

 pretty well dressed up if he has a broadcloth suit. Then what 

 took place? As the fashion changed over came the South- 



