204 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



accurate accounts for the whole kingdom ; but 

 from information, on which we can sufficiently 

 rely for all practical purposes, the following 

 month, up to the fifth of June, will show a still 

 greater relative increase. The imports to the 

 5th of June maj' be thus stated : 



Thus exhibiting an increase, even over the large 

 imports of last year, of 5,000,000 lbs. 



In looking, however, at this large increase, we 

 are led to believe, after some'what minute in- 

 vestigation, in the absence of any actual and au- 

 thoritative account, that the largest portion of 

 the increase is of Colonial Wools, and that in 

 consequence of the shipments being much ear- 

 lier than usual. There is no doubt we shall 

 again, in the present year, receive an additional 

 quantity from the Colonies, equal to their steady 

 increase, but not in anything like the proportion 

 ■which has already arrived, compared with last 

 year. As far as our investigation goes, we are 

 induced to believe that the import of European 

 Wools in the present year has rather diminish- 

 ed than increased. While, therefore, we un- 

 questionably have a smaller stock of home gi*own 

 Wools, we have a larger one of those of foreign 

 growth, though the latter may merely be in an- 

 ticipation of shipments which arrived at a later 

 period last year. 



The re-shipment of Foreign Wools has also 

 been on a smaller scale even than last year. 



The whole of the quantity imported has been 

 retained for consumption, except the trivial 

 quantity of 275,325 lbs. 



But the export of English Wools, however, 

 shovs's a considerable increase in comparison 

 with ibrmer years. 



EXPORTS OF ENGLISH WOOL FROM JANUARY 5 TO 

 MAY 5. 



1843. 1844. 1845. 



£92,966 £55,126 £1.52,491 



So that, at an average o{15d. per lb., the quan- 

 tity of English Wool exported to the 5th of 

 May was equal to 1,639,856 lbs. 



In fomiing an estimate of the supply of the 

 future portion of the year, we will first advert 

 to the circumstances which we think likely to 

 affect the supply of home-grown Wools. There 

 seems now to be no doubt entertained by any 

 one that the clip of the present year will be 

 considerably less than an average quantity. — 

 The long and severe winter, and the great scar- 

 city of fodder, no doubt operated to induce the 

 farmers to send an unusually large quantity ol 

 slieep to market, so that the number yielding 

 fleeces will be much fewer at this clip than in re- 

 cent years. Moreover, there is no doubt that the 

 same causes have operated in making the avci-- 

 age weight of each fleece less than usual. In 

 some parts of the country, especially in some of 

 the counties south of London, this deficiency 

 has been carefully estimated at o?ie-Jifth ; but, 

 taking the average of the whole county, and 

 from both cau.ses, the lowest estimate of defi- 

 ciency is from one-figldli to one-tenth. 



From inquiries which we have instituted, we 

 much fear that similar causes will operate in 

 every part of Europe to produce lighter fleeces, 

 and, in all the popular districts, a considerable 

 dimunition of their number. We catmot doubt 

 the dimunition of the whole clip on the Conti- 

 nent will be at least equal to that in this coun- 

 try. We are, therefore, brought undeniably to 

 (408) 



these conclusions:— First, that not only in Eng- 

 land, but also throughout the Continent, the 

 stocks of old Wool were more closely worked 

 up at the commencement of the present clip than 

 in recent years ; second, tlnat the produce of the 

 clip must be considerably less throughout Eu- 

 rope than in average years ; and, third, tliat up 

 to the present time the report of Colonial Wool 

 shows a great increase on any former year ; but 

 it remains to be seen what portion of that in- 

 crease is actually greater production, and what 

 part merely earlier arrivals. These are all the 

 accertained facts as to the present and future 

 supply. 



As far as regards the existing rate of con- 

 .sumption, we apprehend there can be no differ- 

 ence of opinion that it is in every department of 

 trade greater than at any former period, and 

 likely to continue so in every branch, unless the 

 spinners at Bradford should"be induced to less- 

 en their produce, on account of the prices they 

 obtain being barely remunerative. With regard 

 to the consumption of the last three years, there 

 is an important feature which every close ob- 

 server connected with the trade must have 

 seen, namely, that the consumption of each of 

 tliese has been greater than the actual growth 

 and import, and has been made up by the grad- 

 ual use of the stocks which accumulated from 

 1839 to 1842; and it is certainly within the 

 truth, if we say that the consumption of the three 

 years — Midsummer 1842 to this time — has been 

 equal to four years' growtli ; and that the pres- 

 ent year, into which we are now entering, is 

 the first in which we have to rely simply on the 

 produce of the year for the supply of the year. 



As far as regards our export trade of woolen 

 manufactures, the present year, so far, exhibits 

 a farther increase even upon last year, as shown 

 by the following table : 



WOOLEN YARN AND MANtTFACTTJRES EXPORTED 

 FRO.^I JAN. 5 TO MAY 5. 



1843. 1844. 1845. 



Yam £125,774 £210,439 £2T3,930 



Manufactures 1802,782 2,351,884 2,483,916 



Total £1,928,556 £2,562,323 £2,757,846 



The present year is still in excess of last year, 

 notwithstanding the large falling off to India, 

 the United States, and some other important 

 markets. We know of no good reason to ap- 

 prehend any falling oft' during the rest of the 

 year in this branch of the trade. 



W^ith regard to the home consumption, we 

 have the best groundn for anticipating, not only 

 a continuance of the late demand, but a consid- 

 erable increase during the Autumn and Win- 

 ter. There is no doubt the laboring population 

 are now in a better state than they have been 

 for a long time ; and, as the railway projects 

 come into activity during the Autumn and Win- 

 ter, the quantity of employment will, with 

 other branches, be gi'eater than for many years 

 past. We cannot, therefore, but anticipate a 

 great increase in the home consumption of 

 Wools, in common with all other goods and 

 produce during the next year. 



The considerations and facts which we have 

 now adduced, as likely to aftect the price of 

 Wool, are strong in favor of its future prospects, 

 inasmuch as stocks on hand are comparatively 

 light, and the whole European supply will be 

 considerably deficient, while the general con- 

 sumption is likely not only to be sustained, but 

 even increased, if not cheked by too .sudden a 

 rise in price, which would be very prejudicial 

 to all parties. [English Famiers' Magazine. 



