\' 



1861. 



THE ILLIInOIS FAEMEE. 



Importation and Production of Wool in 

 GRreat Britain— The Long Wools vs. the 

 Short, Fine Wools. 



* The following paper was read before a late 

 meeting of the Council of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, by James Caird, Esq., M. P. : 



There has been an immense increase in the im- 

 portation of foreign and colonial wool during the 

 last twenty years ; yet the price of British wool 

 has not onlj undergone no diminution, but its 

 production continues to be one of the mostprofi- 

 table branches of our Hgricultural industry. The 

 total importations have increased from 45,000,000 

 pounds, 1842, to 133,000,000 pounds, in 1859; 

 of which our own colonies and possessions fur^ 

 nished 82,000,000 pounds. (I am giving you the 

 last statistical account that we have, furnished to 

 April, 1859.) From Germany and Spain there 

 has been in that period a diminution of over 

 4,000,000 pounds ; but from other European 

 countries, chiefly from Russia, the low countries, 

 Denmark and Portugal, there has been an in- 

 crease of 20,000,000 pounds From our own col- 

 nies and possessions the increase during that 

 time has been as follows, in round numbers — from 

 Australia the increase has been during twenty 

 years from 13,000,000 pounds to 54,000,000 

 pounds ; from South Africa thn increase has been 

 from 1,000,000 p,.unds to 14,000,000 pounds ; 

 from the East Indies it has risen from 4,000,000 

 pounds to 14,000,000 pounds in the year, that is 

 between 1842 and 1859. 



These figures show an increase so enormous 

 that we cannot •ut be amazed that the price of 

 home grown wool continues, in the face of such 

 imports, to be remunerative. But if we attempt 

 to estiaiate the total produce of the United King- 

 dom, the results wid appear still more remarka- 

 ble. The number of sheep in the three king- 

 doms may be taken at 30,000,000. The total 

 produce of wool may be estimated at 120,000,000 

 pounds. In 1842 the home-grown wool could 

 not have exceeded 100,000,000 pounds. A com- 

 parative statement of the supply will stand thus: 

 In 1842, both the home and foreign supply 

 amounted to 145,000,000 pounds , in 1859, the 

 home and foreign supply amounted to 253,000,000 

 pounds ; making a total increase of 108,000,000 

 pounds, which shows an increased supply in the 

 growth of one of our great staples of manufac- 

 ture to the extent of nearly seventy-fiveper cent., 

 and this not followed by any diminution of price 

 to the home producer. This has been caused 

 partly by the increasing prosperity of the woollen 

 manufacturers at home, but partly also by their 

 increase abroad. France alone took from us, in 

 1859, 6,000,000 pounds of British wool, and up- 

 wards of 12,000,000 pounds of colonial wool. — 

 She took the larger portion of Irish wool, and 

 France and other foreign countries relieved our 

 market on the whole, in 1869, of 28,000,000 

 pounds of wool, which was equal to three-fourths 

 of the whole produce of Scotland and Ireland. 



The practical point to which I am aoxious to 

 direct your attention is the change that has 

 taken place in the relative prices of different 

 kinds of wool, and the importance of a knowledge 



of this to the British farmer. The opmpetition 

 to which we are chiefly exposed lies in the short- 

 er and finer qualities of wool. From Australia, 

 the East Indies, South Africa, and South Ameri- 

 ca, we received, in 1859, upwards of two-third* 

 of our imported wool. And the whole of that 

 region, which will most probably continue to in- 

 crease most rapidly in its produce of wool, is 

 suitable to the production of the lu^'trous long 

 wools which are now in great demand. The Brit- 

 ish islands produce this kind of wo 1 in the gteat- 

 est quactity. A small portion comes from the 

 north of Europe and Ireland ; hut hitherto we 

 have held in our hands almost a moropoly of this 

 supply, and arii Jfature has given us this advant- 

 age, we ought 16 make the most of it The short 

 fine wo Is vf this country, such as the Down and 

 Cheviot, formerly sold at double the price of Lin- 

 coln or long combing wool. When the Coloi ial 

 wool trade had no existence, in 1811, Cheviot 

 wools were worth 28. 6d. per pound, when the 

 Lincoln brought no more than Is. per pount. — 

 But in proportion as the market has be^un to be 

 supplied with fine Australian wool, the relative 

 values of the two have greatly altered. In July, 

 1851, the Lincolns had reached within 2d. per 

 pound of half-bred Cheviots, and in 1856, within 

 Id. per lb., and in May, 1861, the Lincoln long 

 wool was the dearer of th« two. The chango in 

 price as between the Down and Lincoln wools has 

 been equally great. The two Kinds of wool are 

 used in the manufacture of d ffereut classes of 

 goods. Coburgs are made from Australian, me- 

 rino, Down, and other fine short wools, of which 

 there is a constantly increasii!g supply. Orleans 

 and alpacas are made from the lustrous long 

 wools, for which there is a constantly increasing 

 demand, and a limited area of supply Is short, 

 in fiiiC wools there is no lustre whatever; in 

 the long wool lustre is a most important quality. 

 Alpaca and mohair are introduced to a slight ex- 

 tent to produce lustre in the cloth; but as the 

 suf ply of that description of wool is only two 

 per cent, of the whole import, it will be obvious 

 how little that will affect the price of home-made 

 lustrous wot Is. There is a great and increa.-ing 

 demand for Orleans and mixed alpacas, and of 

 lustrous goods in which the object is not merely 

 fineness to the touch, but a lustrous appearance. 

 Besides the British demand, there is au increas- 

 ing French demand both for that kind of wool 

 and for the goods manufactured frum it. The 

 French manufacturers already take the most of 

 the long lustrous wool of Ireland. 



The practical conclusion to which I arrive is, 

 that the British wool-grower should develop as 

 much as possible that kind of wool which is least 

 subject to foreign and colonial competition, and 

 for the production of which he fortunately pos- 

 sesses both the most suitable soil and climate, 

 and the supply of which can be best increased 

 by goood farming, liberal feeding, and with a 

 large trame of mutton, as well as heavy fleece o£ 

 wool. For this purpose the best cross probably 

 that can at present be adopted on suitable soils 

 would be by using the improved Lincoiu or Lei- 

 cester ram, in which the desirable qualities of 

 length, lustre, strength, and finei.e£a ol wool 

 seem to be best combined. 



