which may be brought to us on the skin. 
But we think charity begins at home. So 
long as there is no conceivable necessity for 
it—so long as Buenos Ayres must get rid of 
her surplus sheep at any rate,—we do not 
propose to mulct our own growers to pay the 
shot. 
And even after Buenos Ayres shall have 
reduced her sheep to a profitable number, it 
would doubtless be very convenient to her 
to have a provision left in our tariff whereby 
she could annually ship at rates of duty non* 
protective to us, the skins with the wool on, 
of all the old, refuse and Imperfect sheep 
which growers annually cull out of their 
flocks to give place to younger and belter 
ones. This would doubtless profitably in¬ 
clude annually say ten per cent, of the whole 
number; and where the flock was full, so 
that there was no desire to increase the num¬ 
ber, it would include a much larger per 
centage. 
Paying for the surplus sheep of the Cape 
of Good Hope, and other British colonies, 
who export skin wool here, would also be a 
kindly act to foreign growers. (Sheep are 
said to be now worth, in those colonies, 
about five shillings a head.) In short, by 
admitting skin wool at thirty per cent, ad 
valorem, we can play the good Samaritan to 
all countries which raise a surplus of cloth¬ 
ing or combing wools; and we can do it at 
the expense of our own growers, and not other¬ 
wise. 
If.John Bull was not slow in taking the 
hint, he would send us all the skins with 
wool on, ol the fatted sheep which he kills 
during the portion of the year when the wool 
is long enough for combing. lie would 
make an excellent thing of it, because lie 
now sends us a considerable amount of 
combing wool in the fleece, paying full 
duties on it. Other countries, too, might do 
the same, in respect to both combing and 
clothing wool, 
Sadly as it may impeach our standing as a 
philanthropist, wo must stand our ground, 
and reiterate our belief that charity begins 
at home. Our growers have suffered as 
much, proportionally, as the growers of 
other countries. And, in our poor judg¬ 
ment, they are much better entitled to aid 
ancl sympathy in our national legislation 
than the people of other countries. 
Treasury (or acting Secretary Richardson 
for him) has again reversed a decision of the 
New York Appraiser, which, under the same 
provision, placed “ Castel Branco ” and 
“ Oporto ” wools in class one. The Secre¬ 
tary, in the latter case, acted on the judg¬ 
ment of experts of the customs in several 
different cities, who were of opinion that the 
classification of these wools is under class 
three, by the terms of the law which pro¬ 
vide for carpet wools and other similar wools. 
We do not believe the decision of the 
Treasury Department was correct in either 
of the above cases. That of Mr. McCul¬ 
loch was based on a fallacious and unten¬ 
able theory of the law, (the “ blood theory,”) 
conceived in the fertile brains of a bitter op¬ 
ponent of protection. That of the present 
Secretary is based on sound ground, but in 
our opinion on the inaccurate opinions of 
experts. 
We do not propose to discuss either of 
these decisions now, or the impartiality and 
disinterestedness of the experts who are 
called upon in such cases for their opinions. 
We may do so hereafter. But we cite the 
above cases to show how the law is under¬ 
stood, and how the closing provision of class 
one is understood and applied, in the Custom 
Houses, when not overruled by higher official 
authority. With these exceptions, wo be¬ 
lieve no wools which should bo placed in 
classes one or two are intentionally placed 
in class three, in the New York and Boston 
Custom Houses. 
Custom Houses that none but “ pure Merino 
cloth wool” is classed in class one, on what 
authority or proof does the assertion rest? 
There is not a man conversant with the facts 
who does not know there is not a shadow of 
truth in it. On two different years commit¬ 
tees of wool growers have visited the Cus¬ 
tom-houses at New York and Boston, and 
carefully examined all the samples of in¬ 
voices of wool, including two years’ imports, 
and found that according to their best judg¬ 
ment and belief the classification had been 
faithfully executed according to law. These 
committees comprised A. M. Garland of 
Ill., Hon. E. Hammond and Hon. J. W. 
Colburne of Vt., Gen. 8. D. Harris and 
IIou. Norton S. Townsiif.nd of 0., Bi r- 
DETT TjOOMIS of Conn., W. W. ClIKNEKV, 
and L. Wetherell of Mass., Wm. Cham¬ 
berlain, J. W. WrNG ancl II. 8 . Randall 
of N. Y., and perhaps some others whose 
names do not now occur to us. 
4. “Merino combing wools” (any long 
stapled Merino wool may be combed) are 
grown throughout Germany, France, etc. 
They are combed for the manufacture of va¬ 
rious fabrics, which rccpiire finer aiul shorter 
staples than those known as “ combing 
wools ” in commerce. They, being of Merino 
blood, arc ranked as clothing wools, and pay 
duties in class one, according to the terms of 
the law. Not a pound of them ever was or 
could be “ legally classed under class three 
—paying only carpet wool dutiesand the 
interpretation which we give to the law in 
this particular, is that which is adopted 
ancl practically administered in the Custom 
Houses. 
5. It is not true that “class two (combing 
wools) is confined to the wool of four Eng¬ 
lish breeds.” As may be seen from the law 
above cited, it expressly includes “ other like 
combing wools of English blood.” But it 
by no means follows that the combing 
wools of other countries “ are put iuto class 
three, and put upon our market as carpet 
wools." It was found difficult by the framers 
of the wool tariff to make a satisfactory mid 
safe enumeration of combing wools other 
than English in this class, as they were Un¬ 
less familiarly known than the latter in our 
markets. It was accordingly esteemed more 
prudent not to attempt such an enumera¬ 
tion, but to cover them all by the last clause 
in class one, which makes that class include 
all wools not described or designated in classes 
taco and Ihree. Neither German, French nor 
any other combing wools are “described or 
designated ” in class three, and therefore these 
must go into data one, under the above clause, 
the duties in which are the same as in the 
second class. And this is not only the theory 
of the law in this respect, but it is so admin¬ 
istered in the Custom Houses. Combing 
wool from other countries pays the same 
duties as combing wool from England. The 
practical effect of the law would have been 
precisely the same, had there been no class 
made for combing wools, or had they not 
even been mentioned in the Act. Indeed, 
had no class but carpet wools been described 
or designated, and the provision made that 
all other wools should pay the same duties 
as those now paid in classes one and two, 
’ still the practical effect would have been the 
same. But a more systematic classification, 
one better corresponding with what may he 
termed the natural divisions of wool, was 
preferred. 
0. Donskoi wool Is ft long, white, bright, 
wool—often looking on the surface of the 
fleece and to persons unacquainted with 
wool, like English long-wool—but it is both 
usbanbrn 
OTStttliltt 
NOTES AND EXTRACTS 
H. S. RANDALL, LL. D., EDITOR, 
Of Cortland Village, Cortl.nd Coostv, New York 
Longevity ot Ohio Home*. 
The Turf, Field and Farm has the fol¬ 
lowing:—“Horses seem to live to a great 
age in Licking Co., Ohio. Longevity must 
be one of the inherent qualities of blood 
there, or the farmers take better care of their 
equine stock than they do in most places. 
It will be remembered that about a year ago 
a stallion died in that county at the remark¬ 
able age of fifty-two years. A correspond¬ 
ent now writes us that Mr. Samuel Mutiuck- 
spaw, living near Newark, a few days ago 
lost his favorite family horse, who died at 
the respectable ago of thirty-five years. A nd 
we are informed that, there are living at this 
time, in Licking county, some eight or ten 
horses whose respective age3 range from 
twenty-five to thirty two years. Our corres¬ 
pondent, writes: ‘ Mr. Blanchard, of Gran¬ 
ville, has a pair of bays of his own raising, 
whose ages are twenty-nine and thirty-one 
years. The old trotting mare, Bellringer, 
said to bo twenty-seven, is owned in New ¬ 
ark, and Mr. Lynch has a mare twenty-eight 
years old, who is the mother of twenty-one 
colts, all horse colls but two.’ These ani¬ 
mals are said to be descended from superior 
stock, and it is argued that an infusion of 
blood promotes longevity. Licking county 
may take the palm for old horses in the 
State of Ohio, but longevity is not peculiar 
to her. Mr. Backman now has on his es¬ 
tate, Stony Ford, a number of mares that 
run from twenty-five to thirty-three years in 
point of age. They are mares of good breed¬ 
ing, and a majority of them still enjoy the 
delights of the harem and live to replenish 
the earth.” 
Curb amt Splint. 
C. Nichols asks what can he done for 
Curb and Splint in horses three and four 
years old- whether the curb grows or not, 
and whether, when the colts are foaled so, it, 
will hurt them much ; and if curbed after- 
wards, whether it is worse for the animal. 
Wo cannot answer these questions fully. 
We should prefer that an animal bo not 
naturally curbed. Rest and the application 
of cold water to allay inflammation often 
cures the animal recently injured. If the curb 
is natural the colts should not bo worked 
young. Tincture of arnica is good to in¬ 
corporate with the water in washing the ani¬ 
mal. We do not know that splint can he 
removed from an animal; but Veterinary 
surgeons sometimes remove lameness caused 
by it, we do not know how. 
Crump* in llornc*. 
Refer rind to the statement of a corres¬ 
pondent,, that lie has a colt subject to lame¬ 
ness in the hind legs,—sometimes in one and 
sometimes in another, H. D. Jones, Lincoln, 
Neb., writes the Rural that he has a four- 
yoar-old mule effected the same way, and 
lias several other horses and mules similarly 
affected. lie believes the lameness is caused 
by cramps, resulting from rapid growth. 
He has never observed it in fully grown ani¬ 
mals. His remedy is a thorough rubbing 
with a bunch of hay, warm water or some 
other hot fluid. Ho asks if any one can give 
a lasting remedy. 
A Jluru Hellene* to Own Ilcr Ooit. 
ONE of my mares, last spring, refused to 
own her young colt, and was remarkably 
vicious, kicking and biting whenever the 
colt would attempt to suck. After three 
week’s experience of tying up one of her 
fore feet close to her body, "while the colt 
sucked," she ceased to give milk ; so I had. 
a peL to raise by hand. 1 expect her to bring 
another colt this coming spring, and wish to 
know how l shall manage her under similar 
circumstance. Any information through 
your column will be thankfully received by 
a subscriber.— l. n. g. 
Oil Meal for Horne*. 
A Massachusetts correspondent asks the 
Rural what kind of oil meal K. W. Stew¬ 
art means in his formula, for feeding horses. 
We suppose he means flax-seed oil meal— 
the residual of flax-seed after the oil has 
been extracted. We cannot tell our corres¬ 
pondent where oil and pea meal can be 
obtained. 
HOW THE WOOL TARIFF IS AD¬ 
MINISTERED. 
in Class 2 as combing wools, they are legally 
classed under Class a, paying only carpet wool 
duties? , . 
5. Is It true that Class 3 (combing wools) is 
limited and confined to the wool of four English 
breeds, so that the combing wools of other 
blood, nr other countries, are put into Class 3, 
and are put. upon our market as “carpet,” 
wools? ... 
G. Is ir true that Donskot wool, designated in 
the tariff as carpet wool, is as good a wool in 
every sense for other manufactures than car¬ 
pet^ as the English wools designated In Cluss2? 
7. la It true that Class 3 in irho tnrttT, practi¬ 
cally umounts to this, thutil Includes all wools 
not specially designated In Classes 1 and 2, and 
that therefore all the wools of the world may 
come into our markets with throe cents a pound 
duty, except pure Merino and four kinds of 
English combing wool? 
Answer. 
Wc saw no occasion to answer the article 
on the wool tariff originally forwarded to us 
by our correspondent. It betrayed so utter 
aud so obvious ignorance of the whole sub¬ 
ject, that we believed it could mislead no 
one possessing the slightest knowledge of the 
facts. Indeed, so broadly apparent was the 
inconsistency betweon the law as cited in 
the article itself, aud the deductions drawn 
from it by the writer, that we believed it re¬ 
quired no previous information on the sub¬ 
ject to enable any man of ordinary intelli¬ 
gence to detect its gross misstatements and 
transparent, fallacies at every step. The 
above questions present the chief assertions 
of Ihe article, and our correspondent, asks ns 
categorically whether they are true or not. 
We still think it mostly a waste of time to 
reply to them; hut we will not, on a subject 
of so much interest and importance to wool 
growers, refuse to answer questions appar¬ 
ently put in good faith by a grower in behalf 
of himself aud li is neighbors. 
First, let us see what is the exact language 
used in the classification of wools, in the ex¬ 
isting wool tariff. It is as follows: 
Class 1.—Clothino Wool. 
That is to sav, Merino, Mostizn, Mata, or Metis 
wools, or other wools of Merino blood, immediate 
or remote; down clothing wools, and wools of 
lllceehar&oter with any of the preceding, includ¬ 
ing snob as have been heretofore usually Im¬ 
ported into the United States from Buenos 
Ayres. Now Zealand, Australia, Cape of Good 
Hope, Russia, Great Britain, Canada, and else¬ 
where, and also including all wools not herein¬ 
after described or designated in classes two and 
three. 
Class 2.—Combing wools. 
That is to say. Leicester, Cots wold, Lincoln¬ 
shire, down combing wools, or other like oomb- 
ing wools of English blood, and usually known 
by the terms herein used: and also all hair of 
the alpaca, goat, and other like animals. 
STATISTICS OF THE WOOL TRADE 
OF NEW YORK. 
COMPILED BY JAMES LYNCn, NEW YORK. 
Foreign Imports 
IS66 
1S65 
1868 
1867 
1869 
BALKS, 
BALES, 
From 
Rnenos Avrea... 
.Montevideo. 
Rio Grande. 
Chili. 
Capo Gonrt Hope 
Australia. 
England........ 
Fnmoe. 
Russia. 
Smyrna. 
Turkey. 
Syria. 
Antwerp. 
Bombay...... 
Re-exported 
Total Foreign, ’fit) 
unm 
a,ms, am 
17.904,779 
.>1,066,18(1 
.0,266>10 
SOUTHERN BEE REGION, 
Foreign Wool Imported h ’ ailed States. 
Mr. M. Quinby expresses the opinion in 
the Rural of the 20th, that “ The zone em¬ 
braced between 40 and 44", north latitude, 
13 better adapted to bee culture than locali¬ 
ties further South.” Not to question this 
opinion in a general way, I think there is an 
exception. There is a wonderful region, of 
limited extent, in the. Southern States, which 
must always ho excepted when we Northern 
people make our broad, and often erroneous, 
statements about the South. During the 
three summer months of 1809, the writer 
traveled ancl tarried through Southwest Vir¬ 
ginia, Western North Carolina, and East 
Tennessee, between 35" and 37", north lati¬ 
tude, and I doubt if Mr. Quinby himself 
ever saw a better country for bees. The 
heat of a Southern latitude is tempered by 
the exceeding altitude of this region, and the 
climate is delightfully cool and invigorating, 
82" above Zero being the warmest weather I 
experienced. At an altitude of from 2,000 to 
3,000 feet above the ocean, there is no dan¬ 
ger of men, nor women, nor bees becoming 
especially “ indolent and enervated,” and the 
quality of the honey produced is nowhere 
surpassed. 
These mountains arc covered with an end¬ 
less variety of thrifty, hard wood trees, while 
there are honey-producing plants in abund¬ 
ance, and white clover crowds itself into 
every open space. Nearly every one keeps 
bees, although in the rudest hive9, and under 
management which prevailed in Vermont 
thirty years ago. It is literally “ a land flow¬ 
ing with milk and honey,” however scant a 
supply there may bo of luxuries, for T found 
upon every table, however humble, not only, 
iu true Southern style, “sweet milk, sour 
milk aud butter-milk,” but also honey in 
abundance. 
There is a plenty of bee food, along work¬ 
ing season, a climate neither loo hot nor too 
cold, and pure, clear water, and I concluded 
that in “ the good time coming,’’ which cer¬ 
tainly awaits the South, this rough and for¬ 
bidding, but grand and delightful mountain 
country, is to be not only the best dairy and 
fruit region, but also the best honey-produc¬ 
ing region in the United States. C. C. a. 
1807 
1865, 
1869., 1868 
Lbs. | libs. 
17.904,779 j 36.066,176 
12.245 A80 20,027,958 
uw.hooi in,ooo 
W)0,850 007,160 
:H),H7O,.KH0 60,8(12,284 
New York 
Boston... 
PhiUid’a. 
BultlmTe 
Coastwise Arrival*, 
1868 
1866 
1869 
1S67 
1865 
BALKS, 
From 
San Francisco.... 
Do. via Asptnwal! 
Texas. 
New Orleans. 
Savannah . 
Sundry Sou thorn. 
Interior by KR .) 
Camil & River :• 
Steamers..) 
“ In transit.. 
Total Arrival* la New York, in 1869, 
Foreign. 
California.. 
Texas. 
Now Orleans. 
Savannah 
Sundry Southern 
From Interior ... 
21,CIO,till IbB. 
12,119,0011 “ 
2 , 210,100 *» 
1,MU,200 " 
160.800 “ 
161,700 “ 
10,457.400 “ 
47,7117 Bales 
24,658 “ 
1360- 
1868 
1867, 
1886 
1865 
1004 
Import* ot" Sherp Skins with Wool on Into 
New York, 1869. 
From Buenos Ayres.... 
“ Cape Good Hope. 
“ Europe.. 
Total. 
6,123 bales, 
1,428 ♦* 
1,290 “ 
TARIFF ON WOOL SKINS, 
A niGHLY respected Eastern manufac¬ 
turer, in attempting to dissuade us from urg¬ 
ing the amendment offered by the Committee 
of Ways and Means in Congress, imposing 
the same duties on wool on the skin as in 
the fleece, claims, among other things, that 
the killing of sheep in Buenos Ayres “ will 
operate as a practical protection to American 
growers by diminishing the future supply of 
competing wool.” 
If our wool tariff stands and the proposed 
amendment is made, Buenos Ayres will have 
an immense surplus of sheep which must he 
destroyed at the loss of their owners. It 
would 1)0 very kind in us doubtless towards 
the Buenos Ayreati growers to step in and 
take that loss off their shoulders, and place 
it in a great measure on the shoulders of our 
growers, by allowing washed skin wool to 
enter our ports at about seventeen cents per 
pound, gold, less duty than washed fleece 
wool—in other words, taking off all protective 
duties on any amount of competing wool 
Cure for Curb.—Please inform “An Old Sub¬ 
scriber” that the folio wing is a sure cure for 
the worst curb- Get a little mandrake root in 
the woods or of the druggist, boil the stroqgth 
out of It, remove the dress, add some lard or 
Other soft grease to the liquid, boll slowly until 
the water Is boiled out, and It is ready for use. 
Apply a little of the ointment to the curb every 
day for three days; then wash with Qnstile-sonp 
to remove the yellow matter from the hair that 
exudes from the curb. Let it r0$». twenty-four 
hours and repeat until the curb ts removed. This 
will remove the worst curbs, old or young, with¬ 
out injuring the log—not even removing the 
hair.—E. G. 8., (MfWatomk- Kan. 
To illrtko Bee* ContciRcd. -Will some experi¬ 
enced apiarian Inform ino through the llntAi, 
the best method of inducing very large swarms 
to stay and work In a non-Kwanrung, very large- 
sized box-hive say 10 by 18 inches by 30 inches 
high—without frames '! what kind of entrance- 
holes should tbc hive have in front?—D. J. 
ItLiioY, Armstrong Co., Pa. 
Information Wanted. — i have an excellent 
horse rlint has been lame tor three years in l lie 
right fore foot or leg. It seems to ho near the 
hoof, or, I may say, in the coffin Joint. There ts 
no swelling or deformity, except the hoof is 
slightly Inclined to oneslde. Ho works on (lie 
farm without showing any signs of lameness; 
but on the road he is very lame, ft anyone will 
give any Information and a cure, lliey will con¬ 
fer a favor on an old subscriber aud— Farmer, 
Plymouth , O. 
Bee Keepers’ Convention.—We call attention 
to the announcement elsewhere of a Bee Keep- 
el’s’ Convention iu Albany, March 10. 
