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1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMER. 



ur 



agent at Lyons, that a gentleman near that place, 

 who is an extensive cultiyator of this plant, plows 

 over his peppermint field in the autumn, leaving all 

 the roots in the ground, and the next season the 

 plants start early, giving a fine, luxuriant growth, 

 almost free from grass and weeds. This process 

 can be repeated year after year, and it is thought 

 will supersede all other methods of cultivation. 



Wool— Prospective Demand and 

 Prices. 



The panic in gold and exchange, says the New 

 York "Economist," under date of March 80th, has 

 had a very depressing effect upon our wool mark- 

 et the past week, and prices have materially de- 

 clined. Domestic fleece is now offered at 85@95c, 

 with no buyers, and pulled wools at 80@90c, with 

 the same result. Foreign wools are very heavy, 

 and it is difficult to effect any sales, at no matter 

 what concession. Buyers seem to have lost all 

 faith in the staple, and have refused to purchase, 

 except to supply more urgent wants. The unset- 

 tled condition of finances, and matters generally 

 has caused a cessation of operations, both on the 

 part of buyers and holders. Some weak holders 

 greatly frightened, have been ready to sell at al- 

 most any price, and buyers have been equally fear- 

 ful of buying. "We find, however, in our peram- 

 bulations, men who appear to be as strong believ- 

 ers in the staple as ever, and many, too, that re- 

 fuse to make any concession in their views. It is 

 probably the case, however, that " the wish is fa- 

 ther to the thought," and we incline to the opinion 

 that wool, like other merchandise, will have to de- 

 cline in price somewhat before the market can be- 

 come active again. With a decline of 20 per cent_ 

 in gold, and with nearly a corresponding iecline in 

 all descriptions of merchandise and raw materials, 

 it is no more reasonable to expect that wool will 

 not be an exception. There must yet be an active 

 demand for wool, but we think it will be impossi- 

 ble to start the trade, without starting on a lower 

 scale of prices. After the market is once started 

 again, the immense wants of the army and the 

 country wUl vmdoubtedly cause a second advance, 

 and we will probably see as high prices in the end 

 as any that have been paid since the first of Jan- 

 uary. The wants of the country remain as they 

 were before the gold panic, but now, with a panic 

 in gold and nearly all descriptions of merchandise 

 we must reverse all our former ideas, take a new 

 start, and finally we will probably succeed as well 

 as if the gold panic had been delayed until after 

 the first of July. Wool is yet to form the chief 

 material for supplying clothing to the civilian trade 



and to the army, just as we stated in previous re- 

 ports. In all liklihood the conscription will be 

 enforced, which will oblige the Government t« call 

 for large amounts of clothing in addition to that 

 already on hand, and to make this clothing every 

 intelligent man believes that with the supply of 

 wool now on the market such an active demand 

 will be experienced that the material will have to 

 advance. Nevertheless, as we have stated above, 

 we believe the trade will have to commence by es- 

 tablishing a lower scale of prices, and afterwards 

 work up the price as the demand increases. The 

 sales include 30,000 pounds fleece at 86@100c per 

 pound, the latter for a very small lot, the most be 

 ing sold at 86@95c ; 10,000 poxinds pulled at 90@ 

 95c. 



The French Merino Sheep. 



The Rambouillet flock of sheep was formed ia 

 1'786, by Louis XVI, with the finest Merino speci- 

 mens, chosen in the most renowned sheep-folds of 

 Spain — in other words, among the Leonese breeds, 

 principally that of Cavegne and Negrete. The an- 

 imals comprising the flock were originally small, 

 as are also the JMerinoes of Saxony, which are 

 drawn from the same sources. But under the 

 mode of treatment followed at the Bambouillet 

 sheep-fold, the flock, while preserving an absolute 

 purity, and propagating itself without the least 

 mesalliance, has acquired a shape which renders its 

 specimens the largest among the unmixed Merino 

 breeds. The animals have remained thick and 

 short, but they have great size and abundant wooL 

 It appears to be generally understood that the sheep 

 with "cravats" and very marked dew-laps are the 

 greatest bearers of wool, but they are also the 

 most difficult to fatten. 



Tbub Benevolence. — The true spirit of be^ 

 nevolence is as truly manifested in our treat* 

 ment of the brute creation as in founding chari- 

 ties and the relief of the poor and distressed. A 

 beautiful illustration of true benevolence was 

 exhibited upon one of our streets a day or two 

 since. A young colt belonging to one of the 

 teams manifested distress for the want of water, 

 and sought in vain for a place to quench its 

 thirst. A man noticiBg it, and having no 

 pail, took off his hat, pumped it full of water 

 and gave it to the thirsty colt. He continued to 

 fill his hat until the colt was perfectly satisfied. 



— A man is apt to think that his personal 

 freedom involves the right to make his fellow- 

 men do just as he pleases 



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