156 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
PRICE OF WOOL. 
We clip the following items from exchanges, 
to show what others think on this subject. We 
have hardly formed an opinion as yet, though the 
present dullness of the New-York wool market, 
and some other considerations lead us to think 
the prices of this article will not rule very high 
the present season. The Pittsburgh Gazette 
says: 
The season for sheep-shearing is now near at 
hand, and speculations are already indulged in 
as to the probable prices of the incoming clip. 
We are not prepared to give any precise quota¬ 
tions at which the market is likely to open ; but 
we are enabled to assure our readers that prices 
will rule considerably — very considerably — 
lower than last year. 
At this time in 1853 a very large amount of 
the wool clip was engaged on the sh’eep’s back— 
speculators having bought it up thus in advance; 
this year but a little of this, if any, has been 
done. The whole clip will therefore now come 
upon the market. Last year the supply of the 
previous season was exhausted, and manufac¬ 
turers eager buyers from the start; this year 
there is considerable stock over—enough to last 
manufacturers until the new clip seeks pur¬ 
chasers. The present clip, moreover, is much 
larger than any that has preceded it, the high 
prices prevailing last year having induced farm¬ 
ers to save all the sheep they could. All these 
facts tend to a depression of prices. 
In addition to this, there has been since last 
year a material decline in the price of woolen 
fabrics, an accumulated stock of goods on hand, 
a decline of about 20 per cent, in England, and 
still tending downward, a heavy import of 
woolen manufactures, and a constantly increas¬ 
ing use of cotton along with wool, by manufac¬ 
turers. Besides all this, it is generally thought 
that the first effects of the war in Europe will 
be to precipitate large quantities of European 
woolen fabrics on the American markets, and if 
this should be the case, this, of itself, must be 
sufficient to have as depressing an effect on the 
value of the present clip as all other causes com¬ 
bined. 
The prices now prevailing in the eastern mar¬ 
kets are from 10 to 12 cents a pound less than 
this time last season, and quotations still look 
downward. Money also is scarce, and buyers, 
it may be presumed, will not take hold except 
at prices that will be perfectly safe, on a down¬ 
ward market, with a probability of European 
revulsion, and money worth from one to two 
per cent, a month. 
War and Wool.— Under this head the De¬ 
troit Democrat speculates as follows upon the 
effect of the European war on the price of 
wool: 
Those who have bought sheep since the- last 
shearing, have had to pay round prices for them; 
and there is good reason to doubt the wool mar¬ 
ket this summer. The war in Europe will pre¬ 
vent any foreign demand for the staple or its 
manufactures; and not only this (which is of 
little importance perhaps) but it is said to be 
deluging our markets with English, French and 
German woolen goods. The instability which 
war engenders, leads all men of property to in¬ 
vestments—the removal of their means beyond 
the border of its probable ravaves. This feel¬ 
ing is sending vast quantities of goods from 
the continent of Europe to peaceful America. 
One dealer in this city has received from a 
relative in Germany (we are informed) the 
large amount of two hundred thousand dollars 
worth of woolen goods. One of our heaviest 
dealers tells us that the stock of this class of 
goods now in the hands of wholesale dealers is 
very great. He thinks with the additions which 
will be made this summer, there will be a sup¬ 
ply sufficient for the next five or six years. 
These circumstances may not affect the price 
of wool and woolens; but we confess that, 
taken in connection with the growing stringency 
of the money market, it does appear to us pro- 
pable that wool will be lower for a year or two 
than it has been for the past year. 
Foreign Wool Trade.-— The New-York Tri¬ 
bune says : By late English papers, it appears 
that wool, this spring, is not likely to sell for 
quite as high a price as it did last year, and al¬ 
though we are not wool exporters, this circum¬ 
stance will be made use of to cheapen the prices 
of wool in this country. In fact, it has been 
already cheapened. Now we advise farmers not 
to be in a hurry to sell, for fear it will be lower 
in the latter part of the season, as they are al¬ 
ways told will be the case, yet it very seldom 
happens to turn out that way. We do not know 
what a farmer can do, who is in debt, but sell 
his clip for the best price he can get. But there 
is once in a great while a farmer who is not 
obliged to sell, and it will cost him nothing but 
the loss of interest to keep his wool over till 
another year. 
As to getting as much for wool this year as 
last, the farmer must not think of such a thing. 
All Germany is in a w r ar panic, and wmolen 
cloths will be sent to this country under our 
low tariff, and sold at such prices that every 
man w'ho grows a fleece for sale will feel the 
effect of war prices upon wool in Europe, and a 
tariff made for the benefit of foreigners, instead 
of American farmers. 
APPEARANCE OF CROPS. 
The Wheat Crop in Michigan.— From infor¬ 
mation received through the local papers and 
other sources, we are of opinion that the pros¬ 
pect is now fair for at least an average wheat 
crop in this State. In the early part of the 
season, in some sections, the appearance of the 
fields was forbidding, the root of the wheat 
seeming to be winter-killed; but in most in¬ 
stances these fields have recovered, and are now 
promising. With no intervening calamity be¬ 
fore harvest-time, the wheat crop of Michigan 
will be a fair one.— Detroit Press. 
The Crops. —We never saw the wheat, grass, 
and oats, says the Germantown (Pa.) Telegraph , 
look more promising in any former year than 
they do at the present time. Our accounts, 
also, from the adjoining counties, confirm this 
opinion. Fruit—apples, pears, and cherries, 
promises a full crop; and even peaches, so far 
as we have seen, or are advised, have well es¬ 
caped the rigors of the spring. 
Wheat. —A gentleman from Caledonia village, 
Livingston county, informed us yesterday that 
the wheat crops in that vicinity looked finely, 
giving promise of a large yield. The neighbor¬ 
hood is one of the best wheat districts in West¬ 
ern New-York.— Rochester Amerecan. 
New-York Citv. —The city of New-York ex¬ 
tends from the Battery to Kingsbridge, a dis¬ 
tance of thirteen and one-third miles, and the 
width is one mile and three-quarters. Of this 
area, about one-fifth is compactly built upon. 
The vacant or upper part of the city is traversed 
lengthwise by seventeen avenues, which are 
again crossed by streets numbering from one to 
two hundred and twenty-nine. These streets 
form squares, w r hich are surveyed for building 
lots of the size of twenty feet in width by one 
hundred in depth. The survey of New-York 
was commenced in 1811, by John Randall, Jr., 
under the direction of Gouverneur Morris, De 
Witt Clinton and John Rutherford, and occupied 
them ten years in its completion. The entire 
island was originally purchased of the Indians 
for twent 3 r -four dollars, and it was estimated to 
be worth, in 1852, the sum of $253,278,384.— 
N. 7. Evening Post. 
- ••• - 
‘ I fear God,” said a man of good sense; 
“ and next to Him, I fear only the man who does 
not fear Him.” 
Enough.— There is philosophy in the remark, 
that “every man has in his own life follies 
enough—in his own mind, trouble enough—in 
his performance of his duties, deficiencies 
enough—in his own fortunes, evils enough— 
without being curious after the affairs of others.” 
-> •«- 
Switch Him on.—A Rhode Island clergyman 
lately illustrated the necessity of corporeal pun¬ 
ishment for the correction of juvenile depravity 
with the remark that “ the child, w T hen once 
started in a course of evil conduct, was like a 
locomotive on the wrong track—it takes the 
switch to get it off.” 
SPECIAL NOTICE TO ALL SUBSCRIBERS. 
We find that by using such good paper, our 
volume of 832 pages will be quite large to bind, 
and especially large for those who wish to stitch 
their paper together with an index, without be¬ 
ing at the expense of binding. To obviate this, 
we have concluded to be at the expense and 
trouble of making out an extra index with No. 
26, so as to form a complete volume of the first 
26 numbers. The index for the next 26 num¬ 
bers will be given at the end of the year, or with 
No. 52. This arrangement will make it conve¬ 
nient for all, as the 52 numbers can be stitched 
or bound in two volumes with an index for each, 
or in one volume with the double index at the 
close. 
We hope all will preserve their numbers, for 
there are many single articles each of which will 
be worth the price of the volume, for future ref¬ 
erence. When the paper arrives from the post- 
office, a good plan is to see that it is properly 
folded, and then pin or sew it through the mid¬ 
dle and cut open the leaves. It is very easy to 
stitch 26 numbers together. To do this, arrange 
them in regular order, and with an awl punch 
several holes about one-fourth of an inch from 
the back, and through these run a strong thread 
two or three times with a darning-needle, and 
the work is done. We have scores of volumes 
of papers, pamphlets, and addresses, thus pre¬ 
pared, which serve all the purposes of a bound 
volume, and occupy less room in storing and 
carrying. We would, however, prefer to see 
volumes of agricultural papers neatly bound and 
laid upon the book-shelves or tables of farmers. 
They are much better and more appropriate or¬ 
naments, than gilded volumes of trashy maga¬ 
zines or novels. 
ONE WORD MORE.—AVe thank our friends 
for the liberal aid they have afforded us in ex¬ 
tending the circulation of the Agriculturist. 
Our list has increased beyond our expectation, 
and we are daily encouraged to labor with the 
utmost diligence, to make our paper worthy of 
the confidence and admiration of our largely in¬ 
creasing list of readers. Our reliance for the 
continuance and increase of our list is upon 
those who are already readers. As stated above, 
we now divide the year so as to give either one 
or two complete volumes of the 52 numbers. 
Number 27 begins the second volume, or half 
of the year. We respectfully request all our 
present subscribers to make a little exertion at 
this time, and each send us on at least one new 
name. If you cannot get your neighbors to 
send on for a jrnar, ask them to try the paper 
for six months, as in that time they will get a 
complete volume. 
To Correspondents. —We have several com¬ 
munications on hand which w r e will look over 
as soon as we have time, and some of them will 
be published. It is no trifling labor to prepare 
for the printer many communications which we 
receive. Some are written so closely that there 
is not room to put in corrections, without re¬ 
writing the whole. We cheerfully prepare ar¬ 
ticles, unless there is manifest leant of care on 
the part of the writer. If he does as well as he 
can, we make all needful changes and correc¬ 
tions. 
As most writers doubtless wish to improve 
