1891 
629 
T 
Business. 
THE OHIO WOOL INDUSTRY. 
CAN IT BE SAFELY INCREASED ? 
The R. N.-Y. recently sent the following questions to 
one or more of Its subscribers in each of the counties in 
Ohio. We took names at random from our lists. We did 
not know how any of them would answer; we did not de¬ 
sire to make up any special argument for any side. We 
assumed that the men addressed were representative men 
and farmers of Ohio, it seemed fairly safe to assume that 
their views would be typical of those of most of the farm¬ 
ers about them. We print herewith some of the replies 
giving all sides a hearing. We can only say that a major¬ 
ity of these correspondents believe that the President of 
the Ohio Wool Growers is right in his statements regard¬ 
ing an increase in the number of sheep for Ohio. 
1. We understand that the President of the Ohio Wool 
Growers’ Association states that there is room for an im¬ 
mediate increase of 1,000,000 sheep in Ohio. Do you be¬ 
lieve it ? 
2. What reasons have you for your views ? 
3. What class of sheep are most needed In Ohio? 
4. What are your reasons for the present condition of the 
wool market? 
Ohio Should Have More Sheep. 
1. I heartily concur with the President of the Ohio Wool 
Growers’ Association when he says: “There is room for an 
Immediate Increase of 1,000,000 sheep in Ohio.” 
2. My reasons are, that we. the people of the United 
States, should produce enough of every product of our 
country, which can be grown or manufactured for our own 
consumption. Statistics show that the people of the 
United States consume annually 600,000,000 pounds of 
wool on the unwashed basis, of which the 44,000,000 
sheep in the country produce about 264,000,000 pounds, and 
the remainder—about 336,000,000 pounds—is imported from 
foreign countries in the form of wool and woolen goods. 
We need 56,000,000 more sheep in this country to supply 
the needed amount of wool. If we had in this country all 
the sheep needed, Ohio should have an addition of a million. 
Ohio had 4,061,897 sheep on January 1, 1891. We ought to 
have 6,000,000, thereby increasing the wealth of the State 
and giving employment to the laborers. 
3. The sheep most needed in Ohio are Merinos to supply 
the place of Australian wool, which should be kept out 
by an increased tariff. We also need the mutton breeds 
with long and medium wools, in order that the people of 
country and town may be supplied with the best and most 
healthful meat which any country can produce. 
4. There is no reason (or justice either) for the present 
condition of the wool market. It ought not to exist; it is 
an injustice imposed for political gain. The United States 
can supply every pound of wool and every pound of mut¬ 
ton necessary for the consump ion for our people. The 
reason why we do not have the proper number of sheep 
is that Australia and South America each have 15,000,000 
sheep, besides millions in other countries where labor is so 
cheap and pasture so abundant upon the vast prairies, that 
foreign flock owners can produce wool and sell it in this 
country at a less price than our wool growers can, and 
thus the greater part of our wool is imported. [In South 
America, the number of sheep in the Argentine Republic 
alone, according to the latest trustworthy estimate, is up¬ 
wards of 75,000,000; and about 78,000,000 are credited to 
the various Australian colonies.— Eds.] 
If we had a protective tariff which required foreigners to 
pay for the privilege of importing foreign wool the full 
difference between the cost of producing it here and 
abroad, including the cost of shipping it here, the foreign 
wools would be shut out and our wool growers would be 
able to increase their flocks and supply all the needed 
staple. The wool growers of Ohio are ready and waiting 
to increase their flocks, and to produce the qualities of 
wool most needed, as soon as sufficient protection is given 
to enable them to compete with growers in other countries. 
Logan County, Ohio. G. A. H. 
We Need a Higher Tariff. 
In my opinion if the sheep and wool business had con¬ 
tinued as profitable as it was some years ago there is no 
doubt Ohio would have a million more sheep than we now 
have, and we could very easily maintain so many in addi¬ 
tion to our present number. Foot rot, lamb cholera and 
paper skin are the greatest drawbacks to the sheep busi¬ 
ness. The present depression in the wool market is, in my 
judgment, wholly due to the fact that the wool growers 
of America are compelled to compete with the wool 
growers in other countries on cheap lands where the win¬ 
ters are mild and labor is cheap. Were the wool growing 
and manufacturing interests of this country protected by 
a high protective tariff as they should be, it would stimu¬ 
late the industry of sheep breeding, wool growing and 
woolen manufacturing so that all the wool and woolen 
goods consumed in the United States would be produced 
there, and at the same time employment would be given 
to thousands of honest workmen at fair wages, and thus 
such prosperity would fall to all classes as this country 
has never witnessed, and to a great extent an end would 
be put to the strife now existing between capital and labor. 
Harrison County, Ohio. j. c. j. 
Do Foreign Wools Compete With Ours? 
If the President of the Ohio Wool Growers’ Association 
states that there is room for an immediate increase of a 
million sheep in Ohio, he makes a statement which, so far 
as I can see, has no relevancy to any question that concerns 
the people of this country or any part of them. Least of 
all is it pertinent to this transcendent question, whether or 
not the millions of the poor of this country shall be com¬ 
pelled by law to pay a double price for the woolen clothing 
they need in order that the members of the Ohio Wool 
Growers’ Association m^y reap larger profits than they 
HE RURAL NEW-YORKE 
could legitimately make; for what the consumers of 
woolen goods want is not Ohio wool, but wool; and their 
right to buy the goods they need in the cheapest market is 
fundamental and inalienable. This right the President of 
the Ohio Wool Growers’ Association seems altogether to 
ignore. And I submit that no man who ignores that right 
is able to teach us anything that is worth learning, or to 
throw the smallest light upon any question of duty. 
But there is another reason for treating it as naught. 
It means nothing. It contains three propositions in one, 
with nothing to show which one of the three is meant. It 
may mean that there is room for a million more sheep in 
Ohio (1) under the present tariff; (2) under a still higher 
tariff; (3) under the regime of justice and freedom. As to 
the first proposition, it may be pertinent to say that the 
wool growers of Ohio seem to be extremely dissatisfied 
with what the McKinley Law has done for them ; there Is 
much grumbling over the ,'ow price of wool; if we take their 
word, the industry does not pay even with the present 
number of sheep. Then the question arises, what increase 
of the present duty is needed to make room for a million 
more ? I leave that for those who believe that certain 
classes ought to be permitted by law to Increase their 
wealth by levying tribute upon their fellow citizens. 
What breed of sheep is most needed in Ohio ? In my 
opinion the breed of the shepherds is j ust now a much more 
important question to Ohio than the breed of the sheep. 
And now as to the causes of the present condition of 
the wool market: I venture to suggest two, which, 
while they may not account for the whole of the phenome¬ 
non, nevertheless seem to be real causes. First, if, as 
seems to be the case, foreign wools will an i home wools 
will not make the goods demanded by the market, (and 
here the influence of fashion steps in) then the two are not 
competing products, the protective tariff ceases to pro¬ 
tect, and while it is a burden to the home consumer, it 
puts no money in the pocket of the home producer. 
Second, the profits of wool growing must share the fate of 
farm profits in general. Competition will not permit 
producers of wool to make permanently larger profits than 
the producers of other staples of agriculture. As soon as 
sheep begin to pay better than wheat, corn, cattle pork, 
etc, everybody breeds sheep, the profits are reduced, and the 
equilibrium is restored. That the production of wool 
does not, like that of wheat, corn, cattle and pork, reach 
the limit of the home demand, simply proves that other 
uses of land are more profitable than keeping sheep. If 
this reasoning is correct, it follows that the wool tariff can 
never be of any permanent advantage to the wool growers 
of Ohio as long as this country produces a surplus of the 
staples of agriculture, which compete in foreign markets 
with the farm products of the world. It may raise the 
price of foreign wools, it may raise the price of domestic 
wools; but it increases the cost of production in the same 
or a greater ratio, and the hoped-for profits vanish. 
The question, what are the causes of depression in wool, 
resolves Itself, therefore, into the larger question, why 
does not farming In general pay better; which seems to 
be beyond the scope of these inquiries. 
I cannot, however, being somewhat of a Yankee, resist 
the temptation to ask a question or two in my turn. 
Messrs. McKinley and Sherman are now telling the farm¬ 
ers of Ohio (and, of course, of the country) that we are pro¬ 
tected by the duties on wheat, corn, hay, pork, etc., and 
this affirmation seems to be implied in the very act of 
levying duties on farm products. What motive, except 
the protection of agriculture, could have prompted these 
duties ? Now, what I wish to know is, in what shape, by 
what mode, through the operation of what laws, economic 
or otherwise, our share of the swag reaches us. Does the 
tariff compel European consumers of our products to pay 
us higher prices ? Does it increase the cost of bread to 
the poor of this country ? I think these questions deserve 
more attention from farmers than they have yet received. 
Licking County, Ohio. A. F. H. 
“ I Lean Strongly Towards Free Wool.” 
I do not believe the statement of the President of the 
Ohio Wool Growers’ Association. There may be room for 
many more sheep in some districts, but if they are to be 
kept as I saw them in the counties of Clarke, Madison, 
Franklin and elsewhere, none at all are needed. While 
Ohio has a great many flocks of really fine sheep of almost 
all breeds, she has thousands of scrubs. What is most 
needed in southern and central Ohio is to breed so as to 
raise the standard of the sheep both for wool and mutton 
to a higher grade. I asked the man who handles most 
of the wool of this part of this county if there was any 
improvement in the grade of the wool now over a few 
years back; he said : “ Yes, there is a great deal.” While 
I believe this, there is still room for improvement both in 
the breeding and care. There seems to be plenty of room 
for mutton sheep, as I sold my lambs July 15th for five 
cents per pound. The butchers say that the best stock 
that they kill are high-grade Shropshires—my sheep. My 
best lamb when 140 days old weighed 108 pounds. Another 
reason why I don’t believe the above statement Is that I 
can go into Cincinnati or Dayton, O. stockyards and buy 
hundreds of sheep at from 2% to four cents per pound, 
while the best will bring five to six cents, and I believe 
the case would be worse If sheep were more numerous, 
while I know they would sell for more if the quality was 
such as the market demands. Ohio has many large cities 
and towns and would consume a great amount of mutton 
if It could be had at all times. I would recommend as a 
paying breed of sheep for Ohio, either Shropshire or Ox¬ 
ford Down, as their grade of wool sells best, and I think 
that all will agree as to the excellence of their mutton. I 
do not believe that, for ordinary farmers, It is absolutely 
necessary to have purebred sheep of either grade or kind 
to get the best results; but I would always advise people 
to breed up well, and to keep the best every time and buy 
a high-grade or purebred buck. While I advise all this I 
believe that a herd of sheep will be more hardy if there is 
R. 
a little native blood in the flock; but then there is no need 
of enough of it to get the sheep down to shearing four or 
five pounds of wool per head, or so that the lambs when 
six months old will weigh only 50 to 75 pounds, which is 
generally the case with inbred or very common sheep. As 
to the present prices for wool, as I lean strongly towards 
free wool, I believe that if all wools were allowed to come 
in free, and the tariff were raised on all kinds of fine cloth, 
less shoddy would be worked in by our manufacturers and 
more wool would be used ; a better grade of woolen goods 
would be made and there would be a greater call for our 
grade of wool, viz., medium clothing. If it were constitu¬ 
tional to pass a law to prohibit the working of shoddy in 
any form it would be a blessing to the human family. 
Miami County, Ohio. D. R. 
A Higher Tariff or Less Dirt and Better Wool. 
Yes, there is room for 1,000,000 more sheep In Ohio or 
their equivalent in some other kind of stock. My reason 
for this belief is that there is a surplus of pasture and 
other feed. I believe one-fourth of this year’s crop of 
hay in this county will be shipped out of the State. We 
need a class of sheep that will shear eight or nine pounds 
of merchantable wool with a carcass that will weigh not 
less than 100 pounds. The present depressed condition of 
the wool market is due to competition with foreign wools. 
The Australian wool is sent to our markets in much 
better condition than Ohio wool. As a rule, the present 
method of washing is simply a farce. The grower that 
would like to take pride In washing and putting his wool 
in first-class condition is discouraged because he is com¬ 
pelled to take the same price his careless neighbor receives, 
much on the same plan on which our butter is sold In the 
country stores, all grades being sold for the price the lowest 
brings. There are two remedies—a higher tariff or to 
send less twine and dirt and more first-class wool to market. 
Croton, Licking Co., O. E. A. T. 
Keep the Tariff, Breeding does the Rest. 
The statement made by the President of the Ohio Wool 
Growers’ Association regarding the practicability of in¬ 
creasing the number of sheep in this State, meets my ap¬ 
probation. I believe the effect of the present tariff law 
will be to maintain prices for wool at a point at which the 
Intelligent wool-grower can make his business profitable. 
There are many farms in this State on which grain is 
raised and sold, whose owners would be far better off in a 
few years if they would turn their attention to wool¬ 
growing instead. There are quite a large number of farms 
in my neighborhood of which this can be said. Too much 
deception in marketing wool, too much breeding for heavy 
fleeces, too little attention to the constitution and the 
size of the carcass have prevailed here. All these points 
are getting better understood owing to this controversy 
about the tariff and the market, so that with the tariff 
as it is, American producers, If they make use of their 
opportunities, need have no fear of Australian wool. 
Wool and mutton growing must be combined as far a 3 
possible. In Washington County, this State, the fleece 
was considered of paramount importance, consequently 
the carcass received but little attention. The result was 
that many flocks so deteriorated as to become unprofitable. 
There are not more than half as many sheep in the county 
now as 10 years ago. The number should be doubled, and 
both the land and the owners would be better off. 
In the condition of the wool will be found the main 
reason why Australian wool has the advantage now. There 
may he a conspiracy among the Eastern manufacturers 
and importers, but it will not stand long if domestic fleeces 
are grown and marketed properly. Several years ago 
when the talk about putting wool on the free list was first 
heard, a prominent commission man in Philadelphia told 
me that it was first started by the big importers of New 
York city. Of course, it would be to their Interest to im¬ 
port most of the wool instead of paying higher prices for 
the home-raised product. c. c. E. 
Warren Co., O. 
Ohio HUI-sldes that Need Sheep. 
1. So far as my observation extends, I am inclined to 
think the President of the Ohio Wool Growers’ Association 
is right. 2. My reasons for this belief are based on the fact 
that there are thousands of acres of land In eastern and 
southeastern Ohio that are now being cultivated to the 
exclusion of sheep, that are much better adapted for graz¬ 
ing. The steep hill-sides and woodlands would afford ex¬ 
cellent pasture for sheep and cattle, while the valleys 
would easily produce the grain, hay and fodder needed for 
their sustenance in winter. A year ago last June I took 
the census in this township, and I was surprised to find so 
few sheep kept by what we call the hill farmers. I believe I 
would be entirely safe in making the assertion that Tus¬ 
carawas County alone could take 100,000 more sheep and 
not be overstocked. Why it Is that so many farmers will 
attempt to raise grain on the steep hill-sides, when it is 
almost necessary to use a pair of climbers to secure a foot¬ 
hold, I cannot understand. 
3. In regard to the grades of sheep needed for such farm¬ 
ers, I must confess that I am not an authority; but am in¬ 
clined to think that the medium grades, whose fleece is 
neither very fine nor very coarse, and which are large 
enough to be utilized for mutton, would be the best. 
4. In regard to the present condition of the wool mar¬ 
ket, I do not understand the cause of It, unless the foreign 
wool men and our own manufacturers have combined 
to “ bear ” the market. The Democratic theory taught last 
autumn on the political stump, that the McKinley tariff 
would increase the cost of wool and woolen goods so much 
that poor people would be compelled to wear cotton goods 
all winter, has not materialized, for it is a fact that woolen 
goods are cheaper than ever. The Republicans prophesied 
that wool would increase in price, and hence both parties 
are exemplifying the truth of the old Dutchman’s say¬ 
ing : “ You can’t sometimes always tell.” j. d. c. 
Tuscarawas County, Ohio. 
