866 



SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



The last annual report of the St. Louis Merchants' Exchange gives 

 the following regarding the business for 1891 : 



Eeceipts of wool for the year were the largest on record, and tlie sbipments exceeded 

 by only two years, li'SS and 1890. As tlie numbers of sbeep decrease nearly one 

 million head in the country at large, the receipts were very gratifying to the trade; 

 and prove the growing importance of this as a central distributing market. The 

 wool industry of the country was disappointing, owing to excessive importations of 

 Australian wool, but our market never at any time of the year exhibited as manifest 

 signs of depression as did the markets in the consumptive districts. Prejudices 

 which have existed in the Territories against this market are rapidly dissipating, and 

 this is growing as a distributing market for western wools. The stocks on hand at 

 the first of this year (1892) were 7,130,000 pounds, and since then quite a number of 

 notably heavy transactions have been consummated. Those engaged in the wool 

 trade seem confident that all the stocks on hand and stocks to come during the sea- 

 son will be absorbed. 



lU'ceipta of pdlrici^ and furs, 



y^'ar. Bundles. 



1885 17,474 



1884 15.459 



1883 15,591 



1882 18,089 



1881 16,115 



1880 12,037 



Year. Bundles. 



1879 10,683 



1878 10,439 



1877 12,368 



1876 14,508 



1875 16,587 



DISA8TK0US DOG DEPREDATIONS. 



A report of the Missouri sheep industry would be incomplete with- 

 out a discussion of the greatest hindrance to sheep husbandry ever 

 known in the State, viz, the disa.strous depredations of dogs. This 

 worthless animal has been a consiant menace to the business, and has 

 done more toward retarding the growth of the industry and decimat- 

 ing the flocks than all other sources combined. A Wisconsin flock- 

 master has well said that the sheep industry in thickly settled States 

 is profitable in proportion to the quantity and quality of the dogs kept 

 in the community. And the intelligence of a community is rated ac- 

 cording to the conspicuous absence of dogs. 



