t 
386 
PAEIS UNIVEESAL 
only at the beginning of this century that the first fiock of 
f 
eight sheep was introduced. Now they number fifty millions. 
The climate has been particularly favorable; the wool is fine, 
strong, ductile and of easy torsion, serving well and chiefly 
for combing, as you will see by the samples I have placed on 
exhibition in the State Agricultural Eooms. On the LaPlata, 
the development of sheep-husbandry has been even more 
marked than in Australia. 
According to recent German estimates, the present annual 
product in the wool-producing countries is as follows: 
Pounds. Pounds. 
Great Britain. 260,000,000 
German States. 200,000,000 
European Russia. 125,000,000 
France. 123,000,000 
Spain, Italy and Portugal. 179,000,000 
Total European product. 827,000,000 
Australia, South Africa and South America. 157,000,000 
Northern Africa. 49,000,000 
United States. 95,000,000 
British American Provinces. 12,000,000 
Asiatic countries. 470,000,000 
Total in the entire world. 1,610,000,000 
The exhibitions of wool made by France, Prussia, Saxony, 
Austria and Australia were especially worthy of notice—the 
display made by Saxony, for completeness, uniformly fine 
quality of samples, and the exceeding neatness with which 
they were put up for exhibition, surpassing all the other 
countries. 
Silk culture has suffered of late very seriously from certain 
diseases affecting the worm and destroying them by millions. 
At present Japan appears to be the only country that has es¬ 
caped. Seed worms are accordingly imported from there at 
high prices, into the silk-producing countries of Europe. Ef¬ 
forts are also being made to procure valuable silk-worms of 
other kinds that do not feed upon the mulberry—with what 
result remains to be seen. 
The value of raw silk annually produced by the different 
countries and continental divisions of the world is about as fol¬ 
lows: 
