94 



TABLE OP WOOL PRICES. 



July 1. 



Tariff iCnd 



time of 



taking 



effect. Year. Quarter ending 



July, >. ....._...., 



October, 



1856. January, ;. 



April, - : 



July, _ 



October, .__ 



1857. January, 



April, 



July, 



October,-.., 



1858. January,., 



April........ 



July, 



October, 



1859. January,.^ i - 



April, J 



July, 



October, 



1860. January,.- 



April........... 



July, 



October, 



1861. January, 45 



April 1. r April, ........ 



t:.„^-^ July, 



October, . ■ 



I. 



From the beginning of 182 7, from which the above prices 

 present the averages of each quarter, to the close of 1861, a 

 period of 35 years, the average price of fine ivool was 50 3-10 

 cents; of medium, 42 8-10 cents; of coarse, 35;^ cents. Fine 

 wool averaged 15 per centum higher than medium, and 

 medium 14 per centum higher than coarse. 



The wools classed in the table as fine, included Saxon, 

 grade Sason, and choice lightish-fleece American Merino ; 

 the medium included American Merino and grade down, say- 

 to half blood; the coarse included wools one -fourth blood 

 Merino and below. Each of these classes, of course, 

 embraced wools of various qualities and prices. 



The lessons to be derived from this table are most 

 valuable to the wool grower. How very striking, for 

 example, is the fact that during thirty- eight years — and with 

 all the disturbing causes to the wool market which have been 

 alluded to — there has not been a single year in which the 

 average prices for the wools marked medium in the table 

 would not now pay the actual cost of producing our heavy 

 fleeced American Merino wools; and that there have not 

 been more than half a dozen years, when those prices would 

 not be decently remunerative ! Of the production of how 

 many other of our great staples of industry can as much 

 be said? 



