RHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 93 



opinion mainly on his own experience in manufacturing broad and other 

 sloths of fine quality. In these, the shrinkage of the wool from the fleece 

 is concededly at least half. And the firm, well finished and honestly made 

 Oriskany cloths, I have no doubt require the highest rate of shrinkage in 

 the stock. But Mr. D. concedes that a " pound of fleece wool will make a 

 yard of sheep's gray of medium quality." Now the Welsh plain, of the 

 quality of the sample, weighs 13 oz. per yard. As I have already stated, 

 " the ordinary weight of the sheep's gray is from the weight of the Welsh 

 plain to 16 oz. per yard." Thus a yard of "medium" sheep's gray out- 

 weighs a yard of the Welsh plain. If this is so, the former, of course, re- 

 quires the greatest amount of stock, the mere width making no difference 

 whatever. Mr. Dexter was led into this error, evidently, by overesti- 

 mating the weight of the Welsh plains and this arose from the smallness 

 of the sample submitted for his inspection. 



His statement of the cost of manufacturing broadcloths by the Oriskany 

 Company is entitled, I have no doubt, to the fullest reliance. In conse- 

 quence of his remarks on this topic I have changed a statement in the 

 preceding part of this letter alluded to by him, for fear it might convey an 

 erroneous idea. Where I spoke of " existing establishments declaring 

 dividends of ffteen per cent.," I have changed it, so that it now reads 

 " from ten to ffteen per cent.," these being the dividends, respectively, of 

 the Oriskany and Middlesex* Companies last year, and exhibiting ab lit 

 the range, probably, f well-managed companies. 



* Mr. Lawrence's great establishment at Lowell, which works up 1,700,000 ibs. of wool per smuttSB. 



