The Caledonian

The Farmer.

SIXTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT THE STATE HOUSE.

A gentleman, name not known, said he would suggest a few questions as to the most profitable among us—there are Spanish, Merino and Saxony, find of sheep. There are new South Downs good for wool. The Irish smutty faced and white faced good for mutton—which is the most profitable?

Best, but if mutton is wanted, tho large, long wooled test to get wool, the Merinos and Saxonies are best.

Mr. Fitch, of Sheffield, replied, that if the object is to be chosen. The Saxony is from the Merino. The object aimed at in Saxony was fineness of fleece. At present prices, the Merino is more profitable than the Saxony, taking weight of fleece and constitution both into the account. They produce almost twice as much. Saxonies will give a fleece of 2 1-4 lbs. which will bring 50 cents. A flock of 40 Merinos, in Connecticut, with which he is acquainted, gave 200 lbs. of wool 5 lbs. each, worth from 38 to 40 cents; the same flock gave 40 lambs. The sheep have every attention and are well kept. Has himself taken 6 lbs. of wool from two Merino bucks. The Merino is more hardy than the Saxony—bears the winter better and requires less attention at the time of lambing. At birth the Merino lambs are clothed—while the Saxony are almost naked.

Fineness of wool is generally an indication of degeneracy—and fineness of hair on the human head indicates the same.

The fineness of Saxony wool has been produced breeding in-and-in. This course brings degeneracy. These sheep require a close house and much care. The Merino will do well with much less attention. Thinks sheep manure good; and when properly littered they will make more manure from quantity of food than cattle. They manure fields more when feeding upon them.

Mr. Tidd, of New Braintree, asked whether Mr. Fitch had been speaking of pure Merinos.

Mr. Fitch. Yes. The Merino will give as much mutton as any other sheep of the same weight. The expense of keeping is in proportion to size: the wool is in proportion to surface. The solid contents of cylinders are as the cubes of their diameters: the surface is as the square. So that if the sheep are of equal length and round, the small one will have the most surface in proportion to weight. Let the diameter of one sheep be 2, and of another 3. The square of 2 is 4: its cube is 8. The square is 9—its cube is 27. The surfaces in those cases are 4 to 9—while the bulk weight, or solid contents is as 8 to 27,—showing that there is obviously good ground for Mr. F's conclusion, that a large amount of sheep surface of wool ground can be maintained at the same expense on small sheep than on large ones.—Reporter.

Wool on large sheep is generally looser than on small ones. The small have the most wool in proportion to size. Merino and native cross give good stock of fine constitution, better than Merino and Saxony cross.

Mr. Plunkett, said his experience is not much, but he thinks that sheep should be suited to the land. Small ones are best for hills and short pastures, large ones for rich pastures and meadows. He can make about as many pounds of fine wool, as of coarse, on the same quantity of feed. The raising of sheep has not been a very good business lately, owing to the low price of wool: but, perhaps, it has been as good as most other branches of farming. A cause of the low prices and of need of better protection, may be found in the following statistics.

The growth of wool in the United States is probably not less than forty millions of pounds. It may be assumed that one half of this amount is worked up in our manufacturing establishments.

The importance of this branch of agricultural industry, is not only great, considered of itself, but its effect on the other branches of agricultural labor. If the farmers are driven from the wool growing business, by low prices of wool, then the dairy and beef growing business will become depressed from over production of those great staples.

It is well known to the farming interests, that at the present time, the price of wool is very much depressed, and that our wool growers are generally desirous of getting out of that kind of farming; and it might be useful to enquire into all the causes that have tended to this depression.

By the compromise of the tariff question in '32, all foreign wool costing at the place from whence imported, less than eight cents a pound, was admitted free of duty. In the year ending Sept. 1832, 5,452,838 lbs.; out of this amount were exported 1,227,956 lbs. leaving less than three millions of lbs. in this country.

The importation of wool has gradually increased since '32. In the year ending Sept. 30th, 1839, of which 6,968,375 lbs. were imported free of duty.

Only 9,800 lbs. were exported during the same year.

Mr. P. has not been able to ascertain the importation of wool in the years of 1840 and '41. We may, however from known facts about the importation of wool, calculate the amount imported in the last year to exceed ten millions pounds; an amount equal to about one half of what is raised by our farmers in this country to be sold to the manufacturers.

Here we have a principal cause of the great depression of the price of wool at this time.

Frauds are practiced in the importation of foreign wool, which defraud the government of revenue and press a large agricultural interest. This is done by mixing, in the foreign country, dirty and coarse wool with better qualities, and even dirt is mixed with the wool, so that the compound is worth less than eight cents, also by importing it on the skin in a filthy state.

This wool, much of it, is as good as the lower grades of our own fleece wool, and all of it takes the place of just such an amount of American raised wool.

It may be said justly, that the price of wool is as high as manufacturers can afford to pay, with the present price of cloths. Still the farming interest ought not to be sacrificed to the manufacturing interest—the one ought to be as much protected as the other. This is a subject which calls for the immediate action of Congress to correct the evil.—N. E. Farmer.