202 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



wodl consuniod within our hortlei's. Tho nalnr:il luhiptabiiity of many parts of the 

 country for shocp raising su<j:f,'c>sts that we should, in every way possible, so adjust our 

 farming oi)erations, and our eomniereial and eeonoinic eonditions, that the farms in 

 the I'niteii Stales can produce at least all of tlie wool needed for home consumption, 

 and that at a fair i)rolit. From statistics furnished in the Wool Hook for 1H{)5. issued 

 by the National Association of Wool Manufacturers, we b'arn tluit 4r):{.()48,4r>() ]»ounds 

 of wooi were consunu-d in the Initi-d States during the year 18!)4. The wool produced 

 in the I'nited States during the previous year, which would naturally contribute to 

 such eonsumjition. amounted to .■}48.5.S8,138 pounds. This shows that we produce little 

 more than three -fourths of the wool consumed. Since it is a well known fact that the 

 per capita consumption of wool in the Dnited States has steadily increased from 4.49 

 l)ounds in 1S4(I to '.).()7 pound.-< in IS'.tO, it is clear that wcm)1 growers have a ])rosperous 

 future before them, if only they will give more careful attention to growing, preparing 

 for market, and to developing markets for their home grown products. 



An advaiu'c in prices of wools tends to stimulate the industry. More wool is grown, 

 but the manufacturer is obliged to pay liigher prices for the raw material. It is 

 ditKcult for clothiers to get a corresponding high price for manufactured goods so 

 that the iisual result is that manufacturers substitute, where possible. ))art cotton. 

 The consumer gets his clothing just as cheap, but does not get all-wool goods. We 

 have urged sheep growers in the United States to grow all the wool consumed in the 

 United States. We would go still farther and call attention to the vast undeveloped 

 markets for manufactured products. When we remember that of the inhabitants of 

 the world there are 250,000,000 who do not wear clothes, with 100,000,000 more 

 who wear only about one-half as many as they should, we can see great opportunities 

 ahead in the way of markets for manufactured goods. Perhaps woolen goods would 

 not be suitable, — then let garments manufactured from cotton and other fibres be used, 

 leaving a clearer field for the wool producer who must now compete in a measure 

 with producers of vegetable fibres grown at a minimum of cost. 



By referring to the table below it will be seen that the average weight of fleece 

 for Michigan in 1894-1895 was fi.Ol pounds, a trifle over a pound per head below the 

 iverage for the United States. 



There is no good reason why the average weight of fleece for Michigan should not be 

 as great as the average for the l"iiited States. If Michigan does not come up to the 

 standard it is more the fault of the farmers and sheep breeders than of any lack of 

 favorable conditions, either of climate or locality. 



The table below will be interesting to Michigan Avool growers. 



Table showing number of sheep, number of pounds of wool, and average wool ])er 

 sheep in Michigan from 1878 to 1898: 



*Table cotfipiled from Vols. 1 to 20, inclusioe, of Farm Statistics of Michigan. 



No. of 

 sheep. 



No. pounds 

 of wool. 



Average 

 per head. 



I 



187K-79 1 1,(;70,7<K) 



187!»-R() i 1 ,8'28,r)K0 



1880-81 I 1 , 9(55,9.52 



1881-82 ! 2.137,2,32 



1882-83 i 2,240,y()5 



1883-&4 1 2,374,555 



1884-85 2,453,897 



188.5-8fi : 2,305,085 



188()-87 ! 2,128,049 



1887-88 2,088.492 



1888-89 1 2,039,974 



1889-90 1 ,945, .'582 



1890-91 1 1,947,258 



1891-92 I 1,937,849 



1892-93 1 2,014,030 



1893-94 ' 2,0(18,0fi3 



1894-95 i 2,040,(i98 



1895-9R , 1,752,414 



1896-97 •• • ■ I 1,333,127 



1897-98 1,260,295 



8,666,467 



9,582,034 



10,724,107 



11,577,455 



12,737,:U3 



13, .375, 803 

 13,827,542 

 13,;{44,.596 

 12, :;(!?, 799 

 12,589,289 



12,451,103 

 11,983,765 

 ll-,7.32,395 

 12,2.34,4,35 

 12,641,745 



12,692,920 



12,267,007 



10,814,366 



8,, 392, 742 



8,207,594 



5.19 

 5.23 

 6.45 

 5.42 

 5. 68 



6.63 

 6.63 

 5.64 

 5.81 

 6.03 



6.10 

 6.16 

 6.20 

 6.31 



6.27 



6.14 

 6.01 

 6.17 

 6. 30 

 6.61 



* From Farm Statistics 1898-99, just received, we learn that the number of sheep in the State is 

 1,366,353, yielding a total of 9,053,918 pounds of wool or an average of 7 pounds per head. 



