VOL. XXIII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, OCT, 6   1888.
NO. 40
WOOL AND WOOLENS.
Some Important Statistics of Growth.
In a recent report, Government Statisti-
nin J. K. Dodge, of theJNatlonal Department of Agriculture, offers some import-
tnt figures respecting the  wool industry:
The first table gives the number and
value of sheep and production of wool in
the United States from 1870 to 1887, from
records of estimates of the statistician of
the Department of Agriculture. 'It shows
in increase in the number of sheep from
1S70 to 1883 of about 60 per cent, and of
irool product about 88 Jper cent, due to development in breeding. The second table
is the also familiar one of the Bureau of
Statistics of the Treasury Department.
ihowing the imports and exports of wools
it the ports of the United States from 1870
to 1887. It shows an increase in importations from 49,230,196 pounds, valued at
(6,743.350 in 1870, to 70,575,478 pounds, val-
uedat§10,946,331,in 1883 ;129,084,958 pounds,
valued at ?16,746,081, in 1886, and 114,038,-
*S0 pounds, valued at 816,424,479, in 1887.
Mr. Dodge says:
"These imports are in very small part
tlothirjg or combing wools, so that the
mills producing cloth of all kinds use very
little foreign wool. These imports are
sai-ly carpet, wools. The carpet manu-
icturing being very important, making
CI hnt two or three per cent of the carpets
wed ic the United States."
9 also gives a table of  imports of  raw
wool by grades:
Clothing wools. Combing wools.
ftare. Pounds,     Value. Pounds.      Value.
'* .. -21,175,2.8      {4,807,036 4,414,263      (1,017,311
;ss 11,475,889        2,202,824 2,780,751 660,604
'* 40,968,837        6,651,260 7,196,554        1,608,764
--17,96 J.982       3,431,567 10,721,753        2,528,560
Total»9I,583,636 {17,153,237 25415,291 {5,824,539
A.V. 22,895.919 4,218,322 6,278,823 1,456,060
Carpet and
Other similar wools. Totals.
i«n. Pounds. Value Pounds. Value
'm .56,761,170 { 6,559,702 78,!50,R51 {12,384,709
j®- -56,3-9,530 5,947,495 70,596,170 8,879,923
;* 81,917,887 8,436,0)7 129,034,958 16,746.081
'* 85,352,205 10,«64,>52 114,038,030 16,424,479
Totals 275 370,832   {31,4)7,666    392.069,809        {54,435,192
Av. 68,812,721      7.864,417      98,017,452 13,608,793
'For a more comprehensive view of the
importation of wool, a statement is made
°7 decades, for 60 years, going back near-
J to the period of entire exclusion of wool
torn. Great Britain during the war of 1812,
'ad covering all of the history of our man-
"fectnres after their second birth orro-
^T&1 from destruction by an avalanche of
^Port.tions after that war. For 30 years
'"'Ports were small, because the volume
01 manufacture was then very small.
• W IMPORTATION   OP RAW   WOOL,   1822 TO
1887.
P«iod:
'--a.
iai-w
!*!-«0
1*1-70.
:*1-S).
1*1-1
T *• Dodge continues; "There are no
4om reliable sources of information as to
Nestle production of wool between 1820
W 84°" Namber8 ot sheep were small
l^^aally increasing. From 1840 to
^ 'here are no annual estimates for this
Of..parlaon, buta study of the numbers
lor ^P and weight of fleece affords data
*hionPr°Xllnate estimates for this period,
con"  are given by decades as follows, in
ducti60"00 Wlth the latter records of Pro"
wOOL RESOURCES BY DECADE, AVERAGE   PER ANNUM.
POUQdS.
Annual
Average
Aggregate,
average,
Imports,
^3-           pounds.
pounds.
per capita.
    16,936,307
1,881,812
0.2
■    62.565,275
6,286,578
0.4
'- - 139,764,502
13,976,459
0.7
 -— 230,106,287
23,010,620
09
50,161,113
1.4
. 640.916,638
64,091,554
1.5
79,205,585
1.4
f-Wloda.
Nl-*)..
_                                                  Per capita.
"Oducts. Imports.   Total supply, supply.
*>,f00,000 13,970,459         59,976,459       3.0
- .,        ^'W.OCO 23,010,629         80,010,629       3_t
l5l.!o~-j°O.COO,O0O 50,161,113 200,161,113       5.4
:^-67      ^•ZB'000 64,091,664 256,316 664.    .6.8.
 289''|28,W1 79,205,585 368,633,156       6.6
'*M0
'*i-:0:
This presents," says Mr. Dodge, "the
striking fact, never before determined
with any precision, or even definitely
mentioned, that the woolen manufacture
has not merely kept pace with population,
but has more than doubled its allowance
per capita. And this brings us to the fact
that the consumption of manufactured
wools, including domestic manufacture
and goods imported, has nearly doubled
in this half century of progress in manufactures. A great impetus was given to
the use of woolens as clothing by the experience of the soldiers of the recent war.
Including the imported goods, the consumption then was not more than 4%
pounds, while now it approximates 8
pounds. Then about two-thirds of the
small requirement was manufactured at
home; now about four-fifths. Then one-
half the same quota of wool was of domestic production; now two-thirds, or, exclusive of carpet wools not then required
or used, three-fourths.
The value of net importation of manufacture of wool from 1830 to 1887, inclusive, by decades is as follows.
Average
Annual   value per
Ten years ending— Aggregate,   average,    capita.
1830 {82,900,616        {8,290,064 .75
1810  138,507,716 13.950,772 .91
1850 130,058,518 13,015.852 .6r>
1860  313,332.730 31,333.273        1.16
1870 : 330,465,214 33,046,521 .94
1880 ; 395,376,936 39,537,694 .90
7 years ending 1886 277,402,170 39'628,891 .72.
Totals 1,669,(43,899 24,911,103
It isfseen and will surprise many to see
that the per capita of importations of woolens has been constantly declining since
1860. The importations also are mainly
fine cloths and dress goods, which people
of fashion will buy at any price, simply
because they are foreign. Fine broadcloths
are as yet not manufactured extensively,
if at all, and therefore constitute a prominent part of the importation of cloth goods.
■  »
THE WORLD'S WHEAT CROP.
Summary of the Situation by an Old
Observer.
Mr. J. W. Harris, of London, who is an
old and careful observer of the world's
productions, contributes the following to
a foreign publication on the 12th of September:
The largest wheat consuming countries
are Franc?, Great Britain, Germany. Au-
stro-Hungary, Italy and Switzerland,
Spain and Portugal.Belgium and Holland,
Sweden and Denmark. The crops of these
countries vary,from an average in the case
of Spain, to 25 percent deficient;! n the case
of France and Italy, and probably nearly
as much in Great Britain,North Germany,
Belgium and Holland.
The "Vienna Congress of Statisticians has
estimated the total deficitof Europe at 15}_
per cent. In the present calculation we
will eliminate Russia, Roumania, and
Turkey, where the crops are undoubtedly
good, and we will oonfine ourselves to the
above list. x
We will calculate the average deficiency
at 15 per cent on the'Jnumber of quarters
produced last year in these countries
List year's crop exceeded an average in
nearly all of them. The quantity produced by these countries in an average
year is about 111,000,000 quarters, and on
ihat basis the extra requirements of this
year, over and above what was consumed
last year, would be 16,500,000 quartets.even
if the wheat were of equally good quality
to that of last year. It will not, however,
be fair to make any such calculation. The
whf at grown this year is very inferior to
tlat'grownlast year, and it will make at
least 5 per cent less flour, and consequently less bread. We therefore, arrive at a
deficiency of 22,000,000 quarters of bread-
making material in the European countries above stated.   Against this is an ex
tra stock of 3,000,000 quarters, which re-
daces the absolute deficiency to about 19,-
000,000 quarters.
It now remains for us to try and find
out where we may expect an extra supply
of sufficient importance to balance this
most serious deficiency.
The chief exporting countries of the
world are the United States and Canada,
Russia and Roumania, India, Australasia, ' the Argentine|Republic and Chili.
We take themintheirorder of importance.
The United States has a smaller crop than
last year, and the quality is not so good.
It is not likely that she will be able to export in wheat and flour (even taking the
Pacific States into due account) within 5,
000,000 quarters of what she has done during the past 12 months,
Russia and Roumania may possibly ex
port 3,000,000 quarters more than last
year. Although the Russian crop is not
equal to last year, yet the stock of fully
3,000,000 quarters old wheat still remains,
and may add to that extent to her export,
while Roumania is credited with an excellent crop.
India may be able to spare 1,500,000 quar
tirs more than last season if prospects for
the next harvest remain satisfactory.
Australasia may exceed last year's exports
by 2,000,000 quarters. The crops harvested
last January were good, and the prospects
of another harvest which will be in time
to contribute something towards the year's
requirements in Europe are thus far satis
factory.
Canada may export 1,500,000 quarters
more than last year, while the Argentine
Republic and Chili have smaller crops,
and will not contribute their usual quantity.
To recapitulate, therefore, we may expect an excess of supply over laBt year's
from
Quarters.
Russia and Koumanla 3,000 0C0
India „ 1.500,000
Australasia 2,000,000
Canada  l,5CO,O0O
therefore tell the other way, namely, that
an increased consumption of wheat was
likely to be caused by this  circumstance.
Together 8.O00.C00
And from the United States a decrease ot.—.. 5,000,000
Leaving on balance 3,000,000
to supply 19,000,000 quarters of extra requirements. Thus there will be an actual
deficiency of 16,000,000 quarters.
This result is based on a presumed de
ficiency in the crop's flour-making properties equivalent to 30 per cent in the before-named European countries, a result
which means that prices may advance
enormously. We will therefore presume
that the calculation thus far has been erroneous. We will suppose that the importing countries have stock from the last
crop left over amounting in the aggregate
to 5,000,000 quarters beyond a normal
quantity, and that their crops are within
15 per cent in flour-making material of
what they were last year. On this basis
we should have extra requirements of 16,
500,000 quarters, or, deducting the 5,000,000
quarters held over, of 11,500,000 quarters
On the other side of the account, we will
again suppose that the United States shows
a deficient export of only 3,000,000 quarters,
against the surpluses before mentioned of
3,000,000 quarters from Russia and Ron
mania,l,500,000 quarters from India, 2,000,
000 quarters from Australasia,and 1,000,000
quarters from Canada—in all 8,000.000
quarters; again we find the result sufii
ciently alarming. We have on balance
extra supplies of 5,000,000 quarters and ex
tra wants of 11,500,000 quarters.
It may, however, be argued that in such
countries as Germany, where a considerable portion of the population are willing
to eat rye bread as a substitute for wheaten,
they will in this manner economize, the
consumption of wheat; but this is ren
dered impossible by the fact that the rye
orop:in that country is more deficient than
the wheat crop, and the argument  would
Marketing: Hints.
It is not always possible, however, to
take marketing lessons, and such help as
can be given without practical demonstration shall be given here.
Fine, well-fed beef may be known by
yellowish-white fat—very firm, and of a
fine-grained bright-red lean. Very good
beef is sometimes not very fat. That is to
say, an excellent steak may only have a
half-inch band of fat round it,or even less,
instead of tho inch that the butcher is
proud to po nt out; but this narrow band
must be fat, and not gristle. Sometimes
meat, instead of being covered with fat, is
covered with a quarter of an inch of gristle;
at others there will be the gristle, but it
will have an outside layer of fat. These
indications do not always show bad meat,
only that it is second class. This is the
case when the grain of the meat is good,
and the kidney-fat firm and good. Where
the gristle is found in conjunction with a
dull red, or, as we may borrow a term
from art to describe it accurately, a darkish terra-cotta red, the meat is to be
avoided altogether.
To return to fine meat—the color differs
in different parts. The leg, neck and
coarser parts are, as a rule, darker than
prime parts. The sirloin is a rosy red,
the rib a shade darker, mottled with white
fat, and without a vein running through
it. The round is of a bright juicy-looking red on the upper or tender side—
(which is really the inside of the leg and
less exposed in the animal to use and
weather), the lower side—"the vein"—as
butchers call it, is paler and dryer. In a
really fine round of beef, the blood will
ooze from the grain as it is cut. The best
cuts from such a round, if the ox has been
killed long enough, surpass any other
Bteak in flavor and will be quite as tender.
The best steaks are those which are cut
before the broad band of fat is reached,
but excellent ones are cut three or feur
inches after this, then the round begins
to decrease in size, the meat gets darker,
the grain of it coarser and suitable for a
In mode beef stews, etc , but not for steaks.
—Catherine Owen, in The Home-Maker.
FEUIT HOUSE.
A subscriber asks for a plan for building a fruit house. Such a plan would depend upon the amount of fruit to be stored.
If only a small amount of fruit is to be
kept a small and inexpensive house would
be suiTicient. If it is intended to store
large quantities for the spring market the
owner might be justified in constructing
not only a larger but more elaborate
building. The main thing to consider In
a fruit Btorage room is dry cool air. The
walls of the house should be double to
prevent freezing in severe weather, and
ventilators should be provided to be
opened during the milder days. A thermometer should be kept in the room, and
the temperature be kept as nearly even as
possible, by means of the ventilator. We
have kept our apples, for three winters
past, in the garret, and recommend this
plan over that of keoping them in an ordinary cellar. Cellars are generally too
damp. The girret is dry and cool, and
when kept dark and the fruit covered
with old carpets or quilts, but little injury is done if it is frozen. Thawing out
in the dark makes it mellow and juloy,
but does not cause it to decay. Read editor! ii, Art of Farming, on storing apples
in this number.
Before putting away the plows for winter coat them with a mixture of lard and
rosin, in the proportion of three parts to
one. This application will keep the rust
away.