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Sheep -Wool. 



The late severe winters, the high price of 

 motton, and the verj great inducements 

 which farmers have had latterly to go into 

 the raising of wheat, have probably lessened 

 th« number of sheep in this conutry, and 

 the result will be that oar wool growers 

 will obtain very high prices for their wool 

 the present season. It is doubted whether 

 the clip in Illinois the present year, will 

 equal that of the last- 

 In the article we copy below from a New 

 York paper, it is said that the coarse wool- 

 ed sheep in New York, are taking the 

 place of the fine wooled, and that there 

 coarse wooled sheep are grown for mutton. 

 In our own State we do not think this is 

 the case. Fine wooled sheep make excel- 

 lent mutton, but the coarser wooled are 

 selected and killed and the fine preserved. 

 In Illinois, fine wooled sheep pay much bet- 

 ter than the coarse; and we do not know of 

 any persons, who made themselves acquaint- 

 ed with the business of growing sheep, and 

 who have steadily continued in the business, 

 who have not been well rewarded for their 

 labor. We are sure that this is the fact so 

 far as our knowledge extends. Wool grow- 

 ing in Illinois is a profitable employment, 

 and the finer wooled sheep pay th© best. 



Wool. 



We notice that there is more than the usual 

 excitement in regard to the probable price of 

 this year's clip of Wool. The opinion is gener- 

 ally prevalent among the farmers that the price 

 will be seriously affected by the operation of 

 the new tariff, which makes all wool free that 

 costs twenty cents or under at the port of em- 

 barcation. If invoices are honestly made, this 

 alteration will not materially affect the finer 

 wools that have heretofore formed ihe bulk of 

 the production in the United States. The com- 

 peting wools are the Austvalian and part of the 

 South American, which correspond to our 

 merinoes. These wools are now comparatively 

 higher in London than in New York; so much 

 80, indeed, that it will be an object for manu- 

 facturers to purchase our wool at prices in ad- 

 vance of last year. 



The change which has been going on in the 

 farming of the older States since 1840 has been 

 more marked in sheep husbandry than any 

 other branch. From 1840 to 1850, the total 

 increase in the number of sheep was not far 

 from five millions, while the decrease was 

 about three millions, leaving the actual in- 

 crease at only some two millions in the ten 



years, whereas by the natural law of increase 

 the entire stock should have been at least doub- 

 led. The decrease was in the older States, 

 most of it in New-England and New- York, and 

 almost entirely in fine-wooled sheep. In the 

 State of New-York alone, since 1840, the de- 

 crease exceeds four millions, and there were cot 

 as many sheep in this State in 1855 as in 1821. 

 Since 1850 there has been no pensibie increase 

 in any State, while there has been during the 

 last throe years a decrease in Ohio and Michi- 

 gan. But the lowest point has probably been 

 reached in the olde r States. The fine-wooled 

 sheep have been exterminated, and the coarse- 

 wooled mutton sheep are new fast taking their 

 place. We may henceforth look for a gradual 

 increase in numbers, and a large increase in 

 the amount of meat brought to market. It is 

 this kind of wool that will be most affected in 

 price by the introduction of free wool. The 

 quantity, however, at present is not large and 

 cannot be materially affected this year, nor un- 

 til foreign wool markets show a decline .from 

 present prices. 



The clip of this year will not be equal to that 

 of the last, eo that no surplus can be accumula- 

 ted and held over to bear down prices, nor is 

 there now any surplus for dealers or manufac- 

 turers to fall back upon. The only means they 

 have to frighten the farmers into low pricep, 

 will be to make them believe that large stocks 

 of foreign wool are to be brought in at low pri- 

 ces under the new tariff. We hope no farmer 

 will be duped by any such story, for, if told, it 

 will be a sheer fabrication. The present price 

 of wool in all the foreign wool markets renders 

 the whole thing morally impossible. 



The price of the finer grades of wool has ad- 

 vanced from 10 to 12 per cent, in all the German 

 markets over the last year's prices. The H-er- 

 man wools are so high that the English find it 

 difficult to get a supply there, and are thrown 

 upon the better grades of colonial, and have 

 thereby enhanced the value of hH grades of 

 Cape and Australian wools, as well as the bet- 

 ter grades of South America. If it were not 

 for the unsatisfactory condition of the hiarket 

 for Woolen goods, tho pric? of wool, owing to 

 the decreased production, would rule higher in 

 this market than for many years pa =^" . So pre- 

 carious and unsatisfactory has b^en the market 

 for some two or three years thai the manufac- 

 tuiiiig has not Increased; for while our own 

 clip has not increased, the importations of wool 

 for the past year have fallen off nearly five mil- 

 lions of pounds as compared with the three past 

 years. 



There is no good reason why the farmers 

 should dispose of their wool at any less price 

 than they obtained last year. The rates 

 at which it would be safe to sell, should be, 

 for 



Saxony _60®75c I Finegrades 38 @ 45c 



Merino 42 @ 65c 1 Low do & com'n 32 @ 38c 



It must be understood however, that these 

 wool 



prices are only for wool m 

 clean, Tell out un, and light. 



prime condition. 



The Santa F6 mail to 

 •Arrived at St. Louis. 



the last of April has 



