212 
WOOL RAISING IN THE UNITED STATES. 
is merely nominal, and her market, therefore, is as 
open to America as to her own colonies. Her con¬ 
sumption of wool is enormous, and we cannot anti¬ 
cipate its being glutted for years to come. Why, 
then, have our southern farmers been raising an im¬ 
mense over-production of cotton, by which they have 
sunk the price to one-third of its value, but a few 
years since ? Or, why do our western agriculturists 
continue their everlasting round of wheat and corn, 
pork and beef, when they cannot, by this common¬ 
place farming, procure any adequate return for the 
capital and labor bestowed ? There is in this almost 
universal practice, a bold, forward push into the re¬ 
ions of stupidity, that would do no discredit to the 
eroes of the motley coat, or that ancient order dis¬ 
tinguished by the insignia of the cap and bells. This 
system has run many of onr states and their citizens 
into bankruptcy and repudiation, and what is perhaps 
a greater blundei’, into nullification and treason ; 
while all the metaphysical, fine strung, 40 bale 
theories, so satisfactory to their discoverers and pro¬ 
mulgators, have failed entirely in extricating them, 
but are rapidly carrying them deeper and deeper into 
the abyss. If our southern and western farmers 
would go as far out of their way to cosset a sheep as 
John Randolph did to kick one, they would, ere this, 
have been out of pecuniary difficulty, both public 
and private. 
In the British colonies, wool raising is almost en¬ 
tirely, as in the operations of the planting states of 
our Union, a commercial enterprise; and, like the 
operations of tobacco, cotton, rice, and sugar raising, 
can, wherever grass land is sufficiently cheap, be ad¬ 
vantageously and indefinitely extended by a single pro¬ 
prietor. Proper shelter, abundance of the right kind 
of feed, with competent shepherds and well-trained 
dogs, in proportion to the extent of the flock, are all 
that are requisite to success. As long since as 1837, 
an English gentleman connected with a concern in 
New South Wales, informed me, that their establish¬ 
ment numbered over 150,000 sheep. An equal num¬ 
ber could, with more profit, be kept by a single pro¬ 
prietor in our own country. 
Some will properly enough inquire, whether there 
is not the same danger of over-production in wool 
growing, as in the staples above mentioned ? The 
question can only be answered conditionally; that 
land and labor enough in this country could be turned 
to this object, to produce a glut in the world's mar¬ 
ket; yet that such would be the result, if a largely 
increased attention were directed to this pursuit, is far 
from probable. Numerous reasons might be assigned 
to fortify this opinion, but it is sufficient to mention 
two or three. 
1. The diversion of any considerable employment 
and capital from present agricultural pursuits, would 
inevitably tend to improve those pursuits to a degree, 
which would withhold any curtailment of them, be¬ 
yond a wise and salutary limit. This would operate 
as one important preventive to over-production, and 
restrain the improvident loading of one end of the 
balance. 
2. Whenever wool reaches a certain minimum 
price, the pelt, carcass and tallow, are worth more 
for the shambles, than the animal is for his fleece; 
and it may be worth the inquiry, whether, on suffi¬ 
ciently cheap and well adapted pastures, sheep may 
not be a very profitable production for this object 
alone. It is certain that our western farmers have, 
for some years, found their advantage in slaughtering 
many thousands annually for this purpose. It would 
perhaps not be an extravagant estimate, to put the 
number thus slaughtered in New York and Ohio 
alone, at over 200,000 during the past season, and 
that, too, while wool is comparatively high, and with 
every prospect of continuing so. 30,000 have been 
thus disposed of in Buffalo and Cleveland, a single 
point in each of the above states. 
This business has been reduced to a perfect system 
in the colonies above named. Mr. Lloyd, of a steam 
melting establishment at Port Phillip, says : “ We 
have given the result of tallow that may be depended 
on, our most anxious study, and have arrived at the 
following conclusions, which we are certain will be 
found correct. First, that a sheep of the ordinary 
Merino breed weighing 55 lbs., is just in nice condi¬ 
tion for the shambles, and will produce at the melting 
establishment, 20 lbs. tallow, and for every pound 
over 55, four-fifths will be tallow. Second, young 
sheep, say two-toothed, will not produce as much as 
four-toothed and upwards, of same weight.’* The 
following results were obtained from six flocks of dif 
ferent average weight. 
Those averaging 44 lbs. produced 15* lbs. tallow each 
“ 47 ‘ f 16| 
“ 48 u 17* “ 
“ 52 “ 19 “ 
“ 54 “ 19* “ 
“ 65 “ • 27* “ 
The above tallow was worth 28s. per cwt., which 
brought the average value of the lowest flock to 
| 3s. 2d., or 75 cents each, while the best reached the 
very handsome price of 6s. 10d., or about $1.60 each, 
besides the pelt, which is usually worth 35 to flOcts, 
in addition. In this country, the hams are extracted 
and cured like dried beef or venison, and find a 
ready sale. 
3. The growth of wool in the United States will 
have a tendency to augment our woollen manufacto¬ 
ries, one of the most lucrative and reliable sources of 
wealth which any intelligent nation can secure for 
itself. This will draw off largely from wool produc¬ 
ing to a wool consuming population. We should 
then have the product of our fields in another form, 
to constitute another element in our commerce; for 
our woollen fabrics, like our cotton, wooden clocks , 
&c., &e., will find many a profitable market where 
the raw material would not pay the cost of freight. 
We should thus secure the profit on the agricultural 
production, and probably four or five times as much 
national profit in addition, on the manufacture; or in 
the proportion to the labor and capital expended in 
manufacturing, as compared with the labor and 
capital of growing the raw material. 
Europe has, for two centuries, been drawing the 
life-blood from us, and nothing but the plethora of an 
active, well fed, healthy youth, like brother Jonathan, 
would have sustained himself under the infliction, and 
kept full veins in his system. They have worked 
with the long end of the lever, and we, simple souls, 
have always been content with the short one. In 
sharing the common plunder, they have invariably 
said to us, “ you may have the owl, and we witl 
take the turkey, or we will take the turkey and you 
may have the owl.” We declared ourselves of age 
nearly 70 years ago, but have not yet come to years 
