THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



259 



supply is a main cause. Yet, with these enormous aids, 

 the prices of wool, when not checked by adverse extra- 

 neous influence, ever gravitate to an extreme range — 

 such, in fact, as effectually to limit the consumption. 



The commercial treaty with France is calculated to 

 give additional stimulus to the exports of woollen 

 fabrics, and to develope more particularly the re- 

 sources of the carpet and worsted trade. There will 

 thus be a great outlet in China for^ English woollens : 

 so that while there is at present positive scai'city of 

 most current descriptions of wool, there is a great fear 

 of a further deficiency in supply of the raw material. 



Looking to the continent for any probable additional 

 supplies of wool, we find that Russia, with all her large 

 flocks, can spare us but little, and there is a decrease 

 rather than an Increase in our imports thence. Ger- 

 many wants all she produces. The imports of wool 

 and woollen yarn in Prussia have been doubling each 

 five years, and the number of sheep decreasing. Franco 

 is now a large consumer of foreign wools, in addition to 

 her own home supply and the production of Algeria. 

 Four or five years ago her foreign imports of wool were 

 upwards of 83,000,000 lbs., and she supplies woollens 

 to the value of £1,000,000 yearly to Switzerland. 

 The consumption of foreign wools in Belgium has been 

 largely on the increase. From the continent we have 

 little, therefore, to expect in the way of increasedsupplies. 

 Looking back at the last five years, we find that there 

 has been a considerable decrease in our import of 

 German wools, a small increase from Spain and 

 Portugal, a decrease from Iceland and Russia, and 

 stationary supplies from South America generally. 



The imports of wool into Liverpool in the last eleven 

 years show a remarkable progression, and yet the sup- 

 plies are quite insufficient to meet the wants of the 

 manufacturers. In 1850 only 63,774 bales of foreign and 

 colonial wool were received at Liverpool; in 1855 the 

 supply had increased to 113,098 bales ; and in 1860 it 

 reached 200,382 bales. This forms a large proportion 

 of the entire imports of the kingdom, which in 1860 

 were 485,356 bales. 



It is true that our aggregate imports of foreign wool 

 have gone on increasing ; but so have our exports of 

 wool and woollen manufactures. Last year our exports 

 of home-grown wool were enormous, exceeding 

 28,000,000 lbs., besides the same amount of colonial 

 wool re-exported. 



THE SOURCKS OP SUPPLY OF FOREIGN WOOLS HAVE BEEN 

 AS FOLLOWS, IN BALES :— 



Countries. 



Germany 



Auatialia 



Cape 



Spanish 



Portugal 



Peruvian and Alpaca. . . 

 East Indian and China. 



Russian 



Mediterranean ports .. , 



Buenos Ayres 



Sundries 



Goats' wool 



Totalbales 291,1611 843,686} 487,580 



1850. 



80,491 

 138,699 



19,899 

 2,105 

 9,361 



39.731 

 9,701 

 9.758 



13,432 

 3,841 

 3.041 



13,139 



1855. 



12,710 



163.182 



38.292 



213 



4,522 

 42.070 

 43.1G7 



l.OOB 

 12,066 



6.338 



5,986 

 14,154 



1860. 



14,600 



184,000 



56,356 



4.183 

 24.503 

 69,075 

 62,651 

 21,445 

 18,162 



5,058 

 15,650 

 11.897 



Unless we receive additional supplies from India, and 

 our southern colonies, we know not where more wool 

 is to come from. The production of Victoria can 

 (Scarcely be more pushed at present. Tasmania, 

 New South Wales, and Western Australia will hardly 

 bo able to send forward more wool as yet ; nor 

 can New Zealand do much, imless with additional 

 labour. Increased supplies might be obtained ere long 

 from the new colony of Queen's-land, in the 

 north, if labourers for sheep-tending were available, 

 as there ate yet boundless plains of pastoral land un- 

 appifopriated. In British Kaff"raria, and the more 

 northern districts of Southern Africa, there is ample 

 scope for increased wool-production, although there 

 are difficulties in bringing it forward for shipment. 

 Tl'.e wool-production of the Cape Colony has already 

 doubled every five years. From India we have been 

 drawing large supplies of low coarse wools, and 

 there is an increased field for material of a peculiar 

 class, fitted at least for some purposes. But, as Messrs. 

 Littledale, of Liverpool, well observe : " Our present 

 customers are evidently taking all that wo have the raw 

 materials to make ; and as the high prices of 1853, 

 1857, 1859, and 1860 have palpably failed to influence 

 anything like a proportionate increase of supply, the 

 present scarcity must for all practical purposes be con- 

 sidered absolute; e7-go, all business in woollen and 

 worsted goods to new customers must necessarily be so 

 much abstracted from all the old ones ! This is a most 

 unwelcome conclusion to arrive at. To men of the 

 world, having the word progression eternally on their 

 lips, it sounds incredible ; but who can gainsay it ? 

 Better ask. Where can we look for help ? What we 

 want is viorc wool, for which we can give a good 

 price — fifty per cent, above what was considered pro- 

 fitable to grow it ten years ago ! We might point to 

 Canada as especially capable of assisting our growth of 

 English, to South Africa for an increase of fine colonial, 

 and to India for a larger supply of low wools ; but if 

 the stimulus for excessive price has proved insufficient 

 to effect the desired purpose, we are at a loss for a 

 stronger inducement." 



The unusually severe weather experienced during 

 the winter and spring of 1860 caused a great falling- 

 off" in the production of home-grown fleeces, and con- 

 sequently led to an increased inquiry for all foreign 

 wools that could in any way be adapted as substitutes. 

 As this deficiency is a very important item of our 

 supply, and is likely to be again experienced this sea- 

 son, it becomes a serious question how the demand is 

 to be met, supposing consumption to progress at the 

 present rate. Messrs. Ronald, the wool-brokers, 

 one of our own correspondents, state the posi- 

 tion of our market seems at present to be this : 

 "There is an increase in the imports of wool, ac- 

 cording to the official trade returns, of 10 per cent., 

 from which must be deducted an increase in the export 

 of wool of 9 per cent., thus leaving a surplus of 1 per 

 cent. only. Against this, however, there appears an in- 

 crease in the exports of manufactured woollen goods 

 and yarns of 8 per cent., which, added to the defin 



