154 



GENESEE FARMER. 



June. 



Wool Depots — Their Importance to the Growers 

 of Wool. 



Some interesting facts relative to the origin and 

 objects of Wool Depots are given in the annexed 

 extracts from the report of a discussion at one of 

 the legislative agricultural meetings, in Albany, 

 last winter. Wool depots must prove highly 

 beneficial to a large class of farmers, and we are 

 happy to learn that they are being established 

 throughout the country. Mr. H. Blanchard, 

 the projecter and successful conductor of a Depot 

 at Kinderhook, N. Y., is entitled to much credit 

 for his exertions in behalf of the wool growing 

 interest — as the pioneer of the enterprise. 

 Extracts from llemarks of H. Blanchard, of Kinderhook :— 



Origin and Arrangemmt of the Depot.— From facts that 

 were ascertained by Hon. J. I'. Beekman, (then President 

 of the N. Y. Stale Agricultural Society,) at the State Fair 

 held in Poughkeepsie, in 1844, he became convinced that 

 the growers of Dutchess county, by reason of the superior 

 facilities alTorded them for the sale of their line wools, were 

 procuring from six to eight cents per pound more than many 

 wool growers in other sections of the Stale who produced 

 the same quality of wool. The large quantity of iine wool 

 grown in thnt county, offered great inducements for manu 

 facturers and purchasers of line wool to make that a place 1 

 of resort to obtain their supplies, and thus a fair competition 

 was awakened, which resulted in a just appreciation of the 

 relative value of their wools, and remunerating prices to 

 the fine wool grower. Soon after Ur. i?.'s return, the evils 

 consequent upon the system of selling woids in our county, 

 as well as elsewhere, became a mtter of discussion be- 

 tween him and other wool growers in our vicinity and my- 

 self. The result of which was a request from them that I 

 would open what we now term a "wool Depot." The prin- 

 ciples involved in the depot system are not new, it being 

 conducted upon those of a commission business ; but it is 

 only the details and application of tlieso prniciples to wool 

 when received direct from the trroivor, thai had never before 

 in this country been applied in the .same discriminating 

 manner, and with as little expense as by this system. In 

 the clas.silicat,ion and arrangement of the tlecces, facilities 

 are given to the manufacturer to purchase in an intelligent 

 manner the style and quality best adapted to his goods, 

 while at the same time the grower's interest is protected by 

 the different grades being offered for sale to such, and such 

 only, as require them. 



Upon the delivery of the wool at the depot, each lot is 

 weighed and a receipt given to the owner for the amoinit. 

 The fleeces are then carefully examined and classed accor- 

 ding to their quality ; each class or sort is weighed and a 

 record made af the weight. It is then examined with refer- 

 ence to its condition. If any portion of the clip is found to 

 be unwashed, or partially washed, or to contain filih, tags, 

 or other substance inside of the fleece, except well washed 

 wool, a aiscount is made upon the weight of such lleeces. 

 A record is made of this discount, and it is charged over to 

 the owner and allowed to the manufacturer or purchaser. 

 The fleeces, when thus classed, compose a sort of equal 

 value, in quality and condition. When there is any thing 

 in the style or condition of the wool which renders it of 

 more than ordinary value, or if the owner wishes, it is kept 

 separate from other flocks after being sorted. The various 

 sorts are known by the following designations : Extra, Prime 

 1, No. I, Prime 2, No. 2, No, 3 Ue Laine, No. 3, No. 4 De 

 Laine, No. 4, No. 5. 



There are few flocks, however carefully bred, which wil' 

 not embrace I lire ' or four of the before mentioned classes 

 — many six or ev. n eight of them. Hence the wool grow- 

 er under the old system, when disposing of his wool to a 

 manufacturer using the lower grades, must expect that such 

 a price only will be offered for his whole clip as the lower 

 grades are worth ; and the fine wo jl manufacturer wil! not 

 bee me a pure' aser unless a large proporlion of the clip is 

 of a quality suited to his purpose. It will readily be seen 

 that these difficulties may be obviated by a judicious classi- 

 fication of the fleeces. — The following statement will show 

 the relative value of the different sorts, and the uses in part 



j to which the; are apjdied. The prices here mentioned are 



taken from the highest range of the present year : — No. 5, 



vyhich is tlie coarsest grade and used for m iking coarse sat- 



(linetts, baises and the coarser kinds of heavy goods, 29 



I cents ; No. 4, used for low flannel, sattiuetis and J cloths, 



1 32 cents ; No. 4 De Laine, used for medium kind of worsted 



I goods, 33 cents , No. 3, used for flannels, medium cassimers 



.and sattinetts, and low priced broadcloths, 3.3 cents ; N>. 3 



I Do Laino, used for mousselin De Lair.es and other combing 



I purposes, 31) cents ; No. 2. adapted to tine fiincy cassimeres 



j and medium broadcloths, 39 cents ; Prime 2, 41 cents ; No. 



1, 44 cents ; I'riine I, 46 cents ; Extra, from 52 lo 6.5 cents. 



j— These high grades are used for the finer qualities of 



j cassimeres and broadcloths. The difference bei ween the 



I Nos. 3 and 4, and the De Laine or combing qualiiies of the 



: same Nos., consists in lenglh and strength of staple, and 



: not in quality of the ribre — the diflerence between Nos. 1 



[and 2, and Prime 1 and 2, in the Prime numliers being 



from high blooded flocks in which the finer jiortions of 



the fleece run farther down upon the skirts, thus giving 



more fine wool in the staplers scale than from low grade 



flocks. The extra No. embraces a wider range than either 



of the other sorts, and is designated by low, medirim, and 



high extra, that it may be adapted to merino, a cross with 



merino and Saxony, and liigii blooded Saxony flocks. 'I'lie 



quantity of equi.sitely tine wool received at the depot has 



j l)een so small compared with what may be termed fine 



I wool, that 1 have not yet thought it advisable to make 



j classes higher than an extra, the average value of which 1 



j deem to be 60 cents ; although a few fleeces may be found 



, in that sort worth 75 or even 85 cents. The classification 



I will be extended if circumstances seem to require it. As a 



furiher i'lustraiion of the relative value of wool we may 



take the standard of ]>rices applied by some of the large 



I manufacturers of fine wool to their sorts after the fleeces 



j have been paried on the staplers bench. Two examples 



will be given, with the name and price of each sort : — Super, 



I 80 cts ; Extra, 65 cts , Prime, 52 cts ; No. 1. 44 cts ; No. 



I 2, 38 cts , No. 3, 33 cts ; No. 4, 28 cts ; No. 5, 25 cts ; 



I Listing 20 to 22 cents. Extra, 90 cts ; Picklock. 75 , No. 



j 1, 63 ; No. 2, 53 ; No. 3, 45 ; No. 4, 38 ; No. 5, 32 ; No. 



6, 27 ; No. 7, 23 ; and Listing 20 cents. 



I have invariably found it the case that the fine wool 

 ! manufacturer attaches a much higher value to the fine 

 qualiiies in his sorts than a manuficturer of medium wools 

 would to the same quality of wool ; also that the manufac- 

 turer of low and medium qualities, attaches a higher value 

 to the low qualities, than the fine wool manufacturer does 

 to wool of the same grade. Few if any of the manufacturers 

 of low or medium goods reach a point in the staplers scale 

 above 50 cents. Tiiey usually make a less number of sorts, 

 and estimate about five cents difference between each. 



It needs no argument to show that the manufacturer of 

 superfine broadcloths, cassimeres, sattinetts, flannels or 

 worsted goods, can at the Depot select such wools as are 

 exactly suited to his peculiar style of goods, wilhoul being 

 under the necessity of purchasing a single fleece he does 

 not want ; and that with such fociliiies, it is for his interest 

 to pay a fair market price according to ihe relative value of 

 the style or quality he wishes to work : and furthermore 

 that he is not paying for filth concealed inside of the fleece 

 instead of wool. 



It is for the interest of the wool grower, as well as the 

 manufictuser, that they should be brought together with 

 the least possible expense, and in a manner that the im- 

 provementes or frauds of the one should not escape the 

 notice of the other. I have the opinion of several manufac- 

 turers—who certainly ought to be competent judges of the 

 fact — that full five cents per pound intervenes when wool 

 finds its way from the grower lo them through the ordinary 

 channels of trade. Under the depot system, the charges 

 at present for receiving, sorting and selling, are one cent 

 per pound. This covers all the expense except insurance, 

 which is one-quarier of one per cent for each three months 

 the wool remains in the depot unsold. 



Those who have been the friends and supporters of this 

 enterprise, by annually depositing their clips, find that it 

 affords an exc(dlenl opportunity in having it examined by a 

 competent judge, and its defects or meriis pointed out, and 

 by comparing it side by side with other clips, to learn the 

 true character of their wool. Those who have n»i had 

 long experience in wool growing will readily admit tliat 

 this is necessary in order to form a correct opinion of the 

 various styles grown. Again : the depot form-- a kind of 

 an E.c-liange, at which place, during the season for leuosi 



