and eleven per centum per pound—the ave¬ 
rage cost of Mestiza wools in New York 
would be thirty cents per pound in gold. 
These duties are levied on Mestiza wools in 
the crease, the duties on washed being double. 
It takes four pounds of Mestiza wool in the 
grease to make as much cloth as two and 
oue-eixth pounds of our line wool iu the 
average condition in which it is now mar¬ 
keted. A pound of our line wool well washed 
is equal to two pounds of Mestiza wool in 
the grease, and accordingly is protected 
against the competition of the latter by the 
amount of duty levied on it, which (continu¬ 
ing to estimate first cost at thirteen cents) is 
twenty-two and eighty-six one hundredths 
cents in gold. This sounds like a very large 
protection on a pound of well washed wool. 
But a general scrutiny of the facts will show 
that it. was necessary to prevent woo! grow¬ 
ing from being swept away in the principal 
wool growing States of the Union; and wc 
think it can be demonstrated that on a broad 
view and in the long run the preservation of 
that branch of industry is better for the in¬ 
terests of the consumer. 
The tarilf has not yet put the fine wool in¬ 
dustry of the country on a basis of prosperity, 
but it has saved it in both its great branches— 
production and manufacture—from utter un- 
niliilation; atul it honestly administered it will 
lead to ultimate success 
SUPERFINE SHEEP DECREASING 
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. 
Rouens that weighed over sixteen and a 
half pounds. Tkoktmkleh says “ the three 
prize pairs at the Birmingham show of 1860 
weighed respectively nineteen, eighteen ancl 
a half and seventeen and a quarter pounds.” 
Wo believe this weight has never been ex¬ 
ceeded in England by pure bred birds. 
Wright says "the Rouen ducks will weigh 
eight or nine pounds each.” Mrs. Anncm- 
Noxsays, in “ The Heuwifc,” “ the weight of 
first-class drakes is about eight pounds, some¬ 
times nine pounds; when heavier, some de¬ 
fect of plumage or bill is abvays found. 
Weight of firat-clasa ducks, seven pounds." 
Surely, friend B., the “devil" has put a 
wrong statement in your mouth,—the prin¬ 
ter's devil wc moan. 
Fourth, we object to the statement that 
“ Hie Rouen stands at the head of the list of 
ducks in England.” Every writer whom we 
have consulted places them thus:—Aylosbu* 
rys, Rouens, &c., &c. They also place the 
Aylesburys as having attained the heaviest 
weight. But I think it is conceded that the 
Rouens arc the most easily reared and the 
greatest layers; two very important points. 
With me the Aylesburys have been the 
most prolific, both in eggs and young, and 
have ulsq attained the greatest, weight. And 
as for beauty, 1 do not think a Hock of pure 
while Aylesburys can be equaled. Each 
variety lias its friends who claim that theirs is 
best. But I imagine it is with ducks as with 
everything else. One variety will thrive in 
a locality where perhaps another will lan¬ 
guish ; and vice versa. 
We have known persons who having tried 
the Rouens for two or three years gave them 
up and restocked their yards with Ayles¬ 
bury s, giving as a mason that they could not, 
raise the young birds; and wc have had the 
same report, from others who had replaced 
Aylesburys with ltouena, thus proving that 
there is sometimes as much in the location 
as in the breed.— it. 
A little treatment of this kind not only 
benefits the health of the fowl, but shortens 
the period of moulting fully one-third. In 
addition to that, the growth of feathers is 
stronger and heavier, and the fowls arc thus 
better able to stand the cold of winter. The 
appearance of the fowl is also vastly better, 
the. feathers am lustrous, and appear as it 
oiled; the bird takes on fat at once, and 
meets the cold weather with a vigorous 
health and strength which otherwise he 
might not have— it. 
usbaitbrn 
The Bulletin of the National Association 
of Wool Manufacturers, iu the July number, 
continues its translations of the Reports on 
Wools at the Baris Exposition in 1867. We 
extract a few quotations anil facts from 
them. After stat ing that, with the exception 
of the flocks of Nttz, France can bo said 
no longer to have flocks of superfine sheep, 
the reporter observes: 
“This, which might at first be regarded as a 
railing otr. is in reality, nu immense progress. 
We have seen how great a compensation our 
growers have obtained by renouncing efforts for 
extreme fineness. For one which they have 
sacrificed for fineness, thoy have gained four in 
the weight of fleece mid six in the Mesh. Such 
rosulbt ought to console ijk perfectly for the dis¬ 
dain manifested for unr wools by the foreign 
growers, wilh whom the superfine sheep is not a 
simple moans of profit, but of l'aucy culture.” 
Silesia “ is now in possession of the great 
cst. number of superfine electoral sheep to 
be found in the entire world the surround¬ 
ing countries, Saxony, Pomerania, Mecklen¬ 
burg, and Eastern and Western Prussia, 
“ have generally renounced the elect orals 
and replaced them by the Negretti’s.” Su¬ 
perfine sheep can be grown with most profit, 
or with the least, loss, in Hungary, including 
Croatia and Transylvania. “The ancient 
Polish provinces preserve still a certain num¬ 
ber of flocks of the electoral race. In the 
center and middle of Russia the Negretti 
prevail, but so modified by local conditions 
that they have lost a little of their fineness 
and gained in weight of flcccos." Spain 
“ has not. sutl’efud its Merinos to degenerate,” 
but “it has remained stationary, while other 
countries have advanced.” “ The considera¬ 
ble increase of production, (in Australian 
wools,) which lias almost doubled within six 
or seven years, lias much injured the quali¬ 
ties of these wools." The wools of the Cape 
of Good Hope arc “less fine” limn the Aus¬ 
tralian, “ but they are of a very weak and 
soft nature, and short in staple.” They are, 
however, improving. “ The wools of the 
province of Buenos Ayres are fine and soft, 
but are generally wanting in nerve.” “ The 
wools of the Banda Oriental are more 
nervous, but loss soft and regular.” “ The 
production generally is not so fine as in ” 
Buenos Ayres. 
II. S. RANDALL, LL. D., EDITOR 
Of Conn.Ajrn Village, Cortland County, N'stv York. 
SOUTH AMERICAN WOOLS. 
Effects ol‘ United States Wool Tariff 
We find in the Bulletin of the National 
Association of Wool Manufacturers some 
interesting statistics in regard t.<> the enor¬ 
mous increase of South American fine wools. 
They are taken from M. A cuke's note on 
the wools of La Plata, included in M. Moll’s 
Report at the Paris Exposition iu 1867. 
Exportation of Buenos Ayres. 
A CHAPTER ON PIGEONS. 
There are many varieties of pigeons, or 
ilovos, as they are commonly called, reared 
iu this country; and what the controlling 
breed is— i. <?., the breed to raise with profit 
to the breeder—we are at a loss to determine. 
Wo Americans, or rather Yankees, as our 
trans-atlnntic cousins are pleased to term 
us, are noted the world over tor turning our 
attention to rearing and breeding whatsoever 
we can, to turn to the most money profit; 
therefore it seems to us strange that some 
enterprising Yankee does not get, up a work 
upon the most approved breed of pigeons. It 
is said that all our domestic pigeons, save 
the Carrier, Pouter and Tumbler, are similar 
in habits. 
The Turtle Dove. 
The European turtle dove is much sought 
after ancl highly prized and revered for its 
constancy. Our Carolina turtle dove is 
somewhat similar to Lhc European in its 
markings, but, lacks the greatly prized and 
sweet, plaintive song-note of the former. The 
constancy and affection of this bird for its 
mate has been deservedly celebrated in all 
ages. And undoubtedly the pteuns so lav¬ 
ishly sung iu their praise by our popular 
poets were well deserved. This species ot 
pigeon is said to be easily reared, and are 
roally a very beautiful bird to have around 
the homestead. 
The ltiua Dove. 
The Ring Dove, or Cushat, W1L6ON says, 
is the largest of our native pigeons. It is 
very common in England, and largely bred 
there for market purposes, its large size add¬ 
ing groutIy to ils value. They are a hardy 
bird, reared wilh very little trouble to the 
breeder. Rural readers who are in the 
habit of attending our State Fairs have un¬ 
doubtedly noticed them on exhibition at 
these animal gatherings. The body is cov¬ 
ered with feathers of a beautiful variegated 
bluish color; a black ringlet round the neck, 
edged with while, which gives the bird the 
name of Ring Dove. 
The I’usn©inter Pigeon. 
This bird is a native of America, (com¬ 
monly called the Wild Pigeon,) and yver- 
spietv!s the country in countless • myriads 
during the breeding season. It is said pig- 
Obsorvuttons. 
944 
ii< V i Increase In 8 years, 380 per cent 
1833. 
1810. ... 
1850. 
1354-1855 
1855- 1856 
1856- 1857, 
!&3M*58 
! - ’ ■ 1 
1 ■-•>!'- 1 -r. 1 ' 
l SOO I V,1 
1881-1882. 
1862-1883. 
iVkUSsu 
i«b-ii»v 
HW-WW. 
33,373 *• 1 “ 20 “ “ 
37.835 “ 1 '* M “ “ 
;U,255 Year of the European Crisis. 
411,070! Increase in 2 years, 11 per cent. 
3S.1W'Year of Epidemic. 
60.832 Increase upon anterior y'r., 53 per ct 
63.81HI ** .. 5>{ “ 
78.6W| *■ " “ - 21 “ 
91,837 Year of Epidemic. 16 “ 
l3o,.%3 Increase. ILS “ 
144,1ST - " 
The bales weigh oil tin tirorage 100 kilograms. 
Exportation ol Monte Video. 
Yoars. No. of Bales. 
J800. 5,508 
ISO!. 7,553 
1862. 11.383 
1303. 14.010 
1861. 18,604 
1865. 31.704 
16(10. 40,377 
The bnlos weigh on an average 450 kilograms. 
A kilogram is two pounds five drams and 
a half. The relative increase of production 
of I/a Plata (Mestiza,) and some other wools 
which compete with United States wools in 
our markets is thus given, in scoured wool: 
more surely and 
speedily than any other means which can be 
devised. The good time is a long while in 
coming—hut it will come, when the chronic 
evils and derangements, which admitted of 
no speedy cure, are gradually removed. Re¬ 
construction lias proved no slower in this 
than in other mailers of still greater im¬ 
portance, where stronger hopes of an early 
success were universally entertained. 
Weight In Weight increase in 
1659. In 1866. seven y'r». 
Country of 
Production. 
SCOURING WOOL 
Mr. S., of Rhinebeek, N. Y., takes us to 
task for recommending wool growers to 
scour their clips of wool, which he assumes 
is for the advantage ot manufacturers and 
not for the advantage of the grower. How 
carelessly some men read 1 We have never 
dreamed of making any such recommenda¬ 
tion But we have proposed it as a test for 
t he advantage of breeders, in deciding upon 
the merits of particular breeding animals. 
If two rams produce lleeces weighing 
twenty-five pounds each in the yolk—and 
one of those fleeces will yield eight pounds 
and the other but six pounds of scoured 
wool—the owner wants to know that fact. 
He wants to breed from the best animal, 
though another may appear ns good. Let 
us suppose that the ficeco containing the 
least amount, will sell for as much as the. 
other,—and let us further suppose (what is 
not supposable) that the same apparent 
equality, but real inequality in amount of 
wool, should be exhibited by the descend¬ 
ants of each ram respectively. Would any 
honorable, nay, decent, breeder continue to 
use the inferior animal because his inferiority 
and the inferiority of his get were not ap¬ 
parent to purchasers ? Are wc engaged in 
a game of cheat with the manufacturers ? Or 
are we seeking to make honest and valuable 
improvements in our stock, for our own 
benefit and for the benefit of those who buy 
that stock or its products of us ? And what 
more vital point for improvement is there in 
line wool sheep, supposing them already to 
be healthy uud hardy, than hi their propor¬ 
tion of wool to carcass? The scouring test, 
so far as we have recommended its applica¬ 
tion, lias been intended especially aiul al¬ 
most exclusively for the benefit of breeders. 
It enables them to decide on the relative 
value of their own choice breeding sheep, 
and their relative standing with the choice 
breeding sheep of their neighbors, in a point 
of prime importance; and let us ask Mr. S., 
or anybody else, what the breeders of the 
country liaveiMf by the public scouring tests 
so frequent within the past few years? Have 
they let the manufacturer into any secret to 
the grower’s injury ? Have they disclosed 
any fact which he would not necessarily dis¬ 
cover hi himself fitting wools for use by the 
process of scouring ? Are there any facts in 
the premises which the credit of American 
Merinos requires to be suppressed ? 
On the contrary, scouring tests have in a 
most marked degree redounded to their 
credit. They prove that our best Merinos 
produce at least one hundred per cent, more 
clean wool than their Spanish ancestors. 
They have put down the senseless cry of old 
fogy breeders, that there had been no im¬ 
provement in the weights of A merit an Meri¬ 
no fleeces, except as made by extra feed, and 
consisting principally of “grease.” And 
they have silenced the miserable pretence of 
the little sharp class of wool buyers, that 
where there is so much “ grease ” there can¬ 
not be much wool. 
It is undeniable that English wool shrinks 
far less in cleansing than American Merino 
wool. But the scouring tests have fully es¬ 
tablished a much more significant fact, viz.: 
that in the proportion of weight of scoured 
wool to weight of carcass, (and therefore to 
amount of food consumed,) our Merinos beat 
every English breed “ out of sight P 
A presumed proportional produotton fur u new sep¬ 
tennial period would lead them to— 
138,250,000 lbs. for Australia. 
4ii,250,0i0 " for »lie Cape of Good Hope. 
217,300,000 41 lor La Plata. 
Thus, calling a pound of scoured wool 
only three pounds of wool iu the yolk, a 
proportionate increase for the seven years 
following 1807, would carry the production 
of La Plata or Mestiza wools to 052,600,000, 
or considerably more than half a billion of 
pounds ! Those wools can be produced in 
quantities sufficient to glut the markets of 
the whole world, and give the growers a fair 
profit, at an average price at the place of 
export of thirteen cents per pound. Even 
under the vast stimulus given to demand by 
our war, the annual average price at place 
of export never exceeded fifteen cents one 
mill per pound. The reasons why the sep¬ 
tennial increase of production above men¬ 
tioned will not take place, and why our mar¬ 
kets are not already glutted are thus stated 
by M. Aubee : 
“Tim La Plata wools arc tint, little liked in 
England, doubtless ill eousoqueneo ot the* na¬ 
tional Rcntiniout for whluh the English nr© dis- 
ttntrulftbed. They give tit© preference to the 
wool®of Australia and the Cape ot Good Hope. 
A circumstance very unfortunate for t he produ¬ 
cers or wool of ilie Lti Plata, sine© there results 
from ii u great diminution in thoselhinr price of 
their wools, has contributed to the gin*i devel¬ 
opment, of the markets ol Anvers and Havre.* 
The Government of the United States, which 
has been forced to roour to protective pleasures, 
whilst Europe Is renouncing them, has imposed 
quasi prohibitive duties upon wools upon their 
entry into the Union. The manufactures of 
that great couutry consumed largely tfie wools 
of Lit Plum, which naturally must have tlowed 
back upon Europe." 
This shows the recognition of the import¬ 
ant results of the present United States wool 
tariff by those foreigners who were best ac¬ 
quainted with the subject. 
How rapidly the import of La Plata or 
Mestiza wools into the United States was 
increasing- under former tariff’s, -will appear 
from the following table giving the amount, 
value, ancl average juice per pound imported 
from Buenos Ayres from 1855 to 1865 in¬ 
clusive : 
FOWLS — MOULTING, 
Now that the season of moulting is at 
hand, it may not be amiss to give a few hints 
as to the treatment of fowls during this pe¬ 
riod. All writers agroe that au abundance 
of hearty, stimulating food is beneficial, but 
few go so far us to say it is positively necessary. 
I take the latter ground. Perhaps many 
readers have never considered the great 
drain upon the system of the fowl during 
this change of covering. Not only do Lhc 
regular fiesh-forming, life-giving processes of 
nature have to be fulfilled, but nu entire 
new coat of feathers has also to be manu¬ 
factured. These feathers consist not of flesh 
and blood alone, but of component parts of 
animal and mineral substances. These sub¬ 
stances are assimilated from the food, and 
unless birds can obtain such food as contain 
the necessary qualities, the work drags, is 
prolonged, and the poor fowl droops and 
grows thinner in the vain endeavor to fulfill 
nature’s requirements without the proper 
means to work will), I doubt if one person 
in ten—yes, twenty—has ever given this a 
thought; and yet it. is of the inmost import¬ 
ance to thorough and complete success in 
raising first-class stock. 
The moulting season is the most critical 
period of the year for old fowls; and yet in 
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, there is 
less care taken then than in the spring, when 
everything is in their favor. The idea seems 
to be, that now the young stock is out of 
harm’s way, they can all shift lor themselves; 
and until cold weather sets in, they are left 
to yd fat (?) on what they can find lying 
around loose. 
Not only is an abundance of warming, nu¬ 
tritious food needed, but a tonic of some kind 
should also be given. Stale bread, sopped 
in old ale, given two or three times a week, 
is always beneficial; but perhaps one of the 
best things to use is the “ Douglas Mixture ” 
an English remedy. We take the recipe 
from “ Wright’s Practical Poultry Keeper.” 
It is as follows:—One-half pound sulphate of 
iron (green vitriol,) one ounce sulphuric acid, 
two gallons water. Put a teaspoonful of 
this mixture to each pint of water in the 
drinking fountain, and keep it by them during 
ihe whole time of moulting. 
WRIGHT says:—“A little hemp seed should 
also be given everyday at this season, at 
least to all fowls of value; and with these 
aids, and a little pepper ou their food, with 
perhaps a little extra meat, or even a little 
ale during the few weeks the process lasts, 
there wifi rarely be any loss.” 
“ With hardy kinds and good shelter such 
precautions are scarcely necessary, hut they 
cost little, and have their effect also on the 
early re-commencemeiit of laying.” 
A very simple tonic that we have used the 
past year is gin and molasses, in proportions 
of three parts gin to one of molasses. A 
tablespoouful is a dose for an adult fowl. I 
prefer giving it before feeding in the morn¬ 
ing ; whore the fowls do not appear to have 
an unusually hard time, twice or three times 
a week is sufficient. But where the fowls 
are in close confinement they must have iron 
in some shape. 
American In-Uiiitc Wool Expoxilion. — In 
answer to several inquiries, we would my that 
the Exposition ol' the Amstloou Institute clones 
on the thirtieth flay ol’ October next. Wo have 
already staled that it la held In tho if rent, struc¬ 
ture on Third Avenue, between Sixty-third und 
Sixty-foui llli streets. New York City. 
The Exposition of Wool Industry i , hut one 
feature of this great exhibition of our country's 
inventive genius, handicraft and productive in¬ 
dustry; and. usawholo, it undoubtedly consti¬ 
tutes one of tlie finest and most extensive dis¬ 
plays of this kind which can be found iu tho 
world. 
ROUEN DUCKS, 
In the Rural of Sept. 4th J. Brace 
atates several “facts" in regard to Rouen 
ducks which are very new to mo9t, if not all, 
poultry fanciers. First, that “ there are sev¬ 
eral colors of the Rouen ducks, the color 
most sought for being the dark or slate-col¬ 
ored variety." 
I Avaa not aware until reading this that 
more than one style of coloring was admis¬ 
sible in Rouens. True, there may be lighter 
or darker shades of that color, but accord¬ 
ing to both English and American standards 
there is no “ slate color ’’ admissible in them. 
Second, that “ they take their name from 
the town of Rouen in France.” Tjegetmeier 
says:—“ I have been a breeder of this duck 
many years, and take much interest in their 
history, but could never discover that Rouen 
was especially famous for this breed of-birils. 
On the contrary, from inquiries made of 
poultry fanciers and others who have visited 
that locality, I have found that these birds 
were not reared there as a domestic fowl, 
nor did they abound in a wild state in that 
district. 
“ As to the application of the term, it Is 
most probable that it is merely a corruption 
of the word roan, or * gray duck,’ and the 
animal is not without some claim to the cog¬ 
nomen. As to the origin of the breed, there 
can be little doubt that it has been bred from 
the Mallard, enlarged and improved by care 
and good feeding, and corresponds precisely 
with it in every respect iu the details and 
markings of the plumage. The markings 
found also in the wild species are considered 
as the criteria of perfection by poultry fan¬ 
ciers and judges, in the present day, which 
proves much more than any facts I might 
advance.” 
Third, Mr. B. says:—“We saw, a few 
years since some beautiful specimens of this 
bird in Oneida county. They were nearly as 
largo as our common gray geese, and were 
bred to weigh as high as thirty-four pounds 
the pair.” 
Thirty-four pounds the pair! Seventeen 
pounds each ! ! Jerusalem !!! I can’t an¬ 
swer that. I haye never 6een a pair of 
Year. 
Dolls. 
5,366,909 
5.W2j«9 
5,768,51:* 
Not returned 
but esliinatud, 
t'mm value iv- 
627,718 
588,403 
094,736 
940,407 
1.274,172 
1,220,311 
1,787,331 
gts&x) 
2,577,705 
8.018,431 
2,223,643 
Estimated 
at 13.0 
turned, to ain't 
for the 4 years 
to •10,207,300 
5.TS8S®* 
17.401,208 
Poultry Economy.—Mrs. AkbujCHNOT says:— 
“Poultry, if penned up, witb ouly an occasional 
run. live iu complete dependence on tho food 
given, which must always be regulated by cir¬ 
cumstances. It must be boro© in mind that 
high feeding is conducive to laying, and tlio 
eggs will always pay for tho grain consumed, if 
the j/atrip average price is taken. On a largo 
settle the pursuit resolves itself into n system. 
The market must bo studied for tho purchase of 
grain and for the sale of your produce. To 
show a good balance sheet your household 
must be supplied during the dearest as well os 
tho cheapest seasons Of t ho year. Your spring 
chickens must come from your own yards; your 
eggs nt two shillings a dozen from your own 
Jaying-houses. Thus you live in plenty—nay, in 
extravagance, had you to purchase all you sup¬ 
ply yourself with,—and you enjoy the blessing 
of Independence." 
120.9H3.6B8 I 16.404,470 
During the saute period the value of wools 
imported from the British Possessions in 
Africa (Cape Wools) was $0,277,852, and the 
average cost at place of export 19.12 cents 
per pound. 
The average duty paid on La Plata or 
Mestiza wools under the tariff of 1864 was a 
trifle under five cents per pound. Calling it 
five eents, the cost per pound of laying down 
those wools in New York in ordinary years 
would be ns follows in gold: 
4 
Average cost of wool, per pound. j;i nii 
I oit charges and export duty, per pound.!;”.!; 2,uo 
Expense of transportation, &c., 27'-: per cent. 
per pound. " 1 i v 
Duty, per pound...s'.OO 
Total .-."Slw 
It instead of the above duties we add those 
imposed by the present tariff—viz., ten cents 
-The ports at which this wool enters for the man¬ 
ufactures of Belgium nod France, 
Hotmn Ducks—I am In want of some of the 
Genuine Rouen Ducks. Can you inform mo 
where to got them; alao Aylesburys. I want 
tho Ixwt In the country or none.— Jno. C. Ste¬ 
phenson, Buffalo, TV, Y. 
See advertising columns for answer. 
s<ai 
