22 



By this table it will be seen that in January gold was 155; in December 

 233 ; a difference of 78 cents, being an increase of 50 per cent. Wool in 

 January was 80 cents in currency, and in December 98 cents, a difference of 

 18 cents, being an increase of only 22i per cent. In tlie coin price there is an 

 actual decrease of 9 cents during the year. In January the difference between 

 the currency and coin price was 55 per cent.; in' December that difference had 

 increased to 140 per cent., occasioned not only by the increased currency 

 price, but by the decreased coin price. The chief cause of this injustice to the 

 American wool-grower is found in the heavy importations of wool in 1864. 

 Whilst the home product was from 80,000,000 to 95,000,000 pounds, the 

 imported wool was 74,903,047 pounds. But this competition will not exist 

 hereafter, for the tariff duty on v^ools, under the act of last session of Congress, 

 is rapidly decreasing the amount of these imported wools. This is seen in our 

 imports of wool from Great Britain. In eleven months of 1863 we imported 

 14,202,122 pounds; in eleven months of 1804, but 4,822,147 pounds. 



Again, under the misnamed reciprocity treaty with Canada, which ought to 

 have been entitled, A treaty to sacrifice the interests of agriculture for the 

 benefit of commerce and manufactures, wool was admitted free of duty; and so 

 large a quantity of the kind most in demand, the comhing wool, came from that 

 quarter, that among eastern manufacturers it is known by the name of Canada 

 wool. Notice has been given that this treaty will be abrogated; and although 

 it cannot be for a twelvemonth after such notice, yet the fact of its certain 

 abrogation at that time will serve to uphold the price during 1865. 



In A'iew of the fact that these Canadian combing wools will be excluded, as 

 well as from the general fact, shown in our last report, that in Europe as well 

 as in the United States, the coarser wools are now consumed in larger pro- 

 portion than the finer, as also that there is a rapid increase in the consumption 

 of miitton, we urge our wool-groAvers to a greater increase of the Cotswolds and 

 Lcicesters, and such crosses of these as yield profitable fleeces and carcasses. 



Concurring in the wish of the Economist, that it hopes to see the day when 

 every pound of wool consumed by our manufacturers will be grmon in America^ 

 we commend the following letter to our readers : 



Spring Brook Farm, 

 ISear Kaliuazoo, Michigan, January IG, 1865. 



Dear Sir : Yours of the 6th instant is before me, and having the leisure, I 

 hasten a reply, and in doing so, permit me to do so somewhat in detail. The 

 spring of 1861 found mc tired of commercial life, sickened with politics, ad- 

 vanced in years, and quite infirm from sedentary habits ; with no practical ex- 

 perience in farming, the use of agricultural implements or the habits of stock. 

 I traversed portions of Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, looking for a fium to 

 retire upon. In October I purchased in this State, and on the first day of 

 November, like the man who purchased an elephant, I found myself the owner 

 of four hundred and eighty acres of land, and " didn't know what to do with 

 it" — a fit subject for knowing ones to impose upon. 



I have since learned that the flock 1 bought with the farm, consisting of 



