VOL. XXIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JULY 20,1889.
NO. 29
WOOL MARKET.
Comparison of the Decline ln the American Orop and Increase ln the
Australian.
While the American crop of wool has
been declining, Australian has been increasing. The ratio is in ihe proportion
of a decrease of 54,000,000 ponnds in
Amorica to an increase of 75,000,000
ponnds in Australia in the same period.
Large quantities of- old Australian -wool
are being'offared by importers, on a guarantee of 75 cts. per. pound scoured, but
without buyers, while no new wool can
be brought from the London auction that
will cost less than 82 cts. scoured. It is
considered that the scoured -value of
Australian is 10 cts. per pound greater
than the best Ohio, for the reason that the
Australian fleeces are trimmed of the
skirts, leg pieces, and tags which are
found in the American fleeces.
WASHES FLEECES.
Old fine washed wool is out of market;
the new is offered at 35 ots. to 36 cts. for
XX Ohio, and at 34 cts. or 35 cts. for X
and abore, and good lots of XX. These
prices are low compared with cost in the
country, yet they do not seem to attract
buyers.
Fine washed Michigan wool and the
best New York State and Wisconsin lots,
are offered at an average of 32 cta, and
they also are slow of sale. Medium
washed fleeces seem to be rather stronger,
and a few small sales have been made at
40 cts. to 42 cts. for Medium Combing,
and 37 cis. to 38 ots. for Mediam Clothing,
or % and 14 Blood, or No. 1. Low Medium, or what is called Quarter Blood, ia
neglected, and has been for six months,
owing to the fact that the finer grade of
carpet wools are being sorted out and
nsed in place of what are known as the
common grades of American wool as ex
plained elsewhere. Thes j finer grades of
carpet wools can be scoured for less money
than the low grades of American wool in a
fleece washed oondition.
UNWASHED FLEECES.
Fine unwashed Ohio, in good condition,
free from tags, sells freely at 24 cts. to 25
ots.; New York, Michigan, Wisconsin
and Western unwashed fine in average
condition, sells at 23 cts. Choice parcels
of light % and 14 Blood unwashed, In
average condition from other sections,
can be bought at 29 cts. to 30 cts.; at these
prices it costs more when scoured than
tbe choice light open Ohio and Virginia
unwashed at 32 cts. and upwards. In this
grade of wool there appears to be but a
slight difference this year between the
value of clothing and combing. Low
Medium or Quarter Blood unwashed
wools are nominal. Same early arrivals
at 29 ots. to 30 ots., but since that they
have accumulated, in consequence of the
cheapness of the finer grades of carpet
wools whioh are now so largely used as
substitutes. Tops made of finer grades of
carpet wool? can be bought at less money
than coarse or quarter blood nnwashed
wool would oost washed.
TERRITORIAL.
Manufacturers are inquiring for sound,
strong fibre Territorial wools, something
that will yield scoured wool at lower
prices than Ohio or Michigan Fleeces.
The appearance of Territorial wools this
year is greatly improved; but the shrinkage, owing to the high condition of the
sheep, seems to be greater than last year.
The appearance of the wool would indicate improved condition. Territorial
Wools sell freely at 60 cts. sooured for
medium, and at 65 cts. sooured for fine,
but at the price in the grease at whioh
these wools are mostly held, the scoured
cost for fine would be 70 cts. and for fine
medium 65 cts., which is about 20 cts. per
pound sooured higher than the aame wool
sold for this time last year.  This is why
manufacturers are  offish, and   confine
their purchases to experimental lots.
NEVADA.
Nevada wools are held by sellers on a
basis of 70 ots. per pound scoured, as
against 55 cts. one year ago. This has
limited their sale, but as Nevada wools
when scoured strongly resemble Australian clothing, they are especially desirable
for some goods.
WYOMING AND COLOBADO.
Wyoming and Colorado wools sell at 18
cts. for average fine, 20 ots, for choioe fine,
20 cts. for average medium, and 2HXA ots.
for choioe medium, with occasional exceptional lots that bring as high as 24 cts.
Some early clips of fine Just sold 70 cts.
scoured.
MONTANA.
The popularity of Montana wools has
led manufacturers to show considerable
interest in them, and indications point to
a good demand, especially as it is generally believed the staple this year is firm
and sound. The judgment of buyers in
Montana seems to agree that the average
condition of the clip is 5 per cent heavier
in shrinkage than last year. Quotations
for the Eastern markets in the absence of
any good lots of new Montana are nominal,
but on the assumption that the condition
is the same as last year,average lots of fine
will sell at 21 cents and choioe lots of fine
in beautiful condition will sell at 23 cts.,
average lots of medium will sell at 23 ots.,
and ohoio9 medium in beautiful oondition
will bring 26 ots., with higher prices for
exceptionally showy flaeoes iu sound condition suitable for delaine purposes.
Justice, Bateman & Co.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Wxz E zxm.
Portal Oard Oonreipondens*.
D-DUU.
Hancock Co., July 12.—Wheat all cut;
hay harvest in full blast; oorn looking
well. B. W. J.
Fayette Co., July 12.—Wheat is nearly
all harvested—the orop was more than
what was expected; the long needed rains
occurred yesterday. I_. H,
Rush Co., July 12.—Wheat harvest done
—some threshed; oats ripening; corn
growing very rapidly; one inoh of rain in
40 minutes Friday evening. E. K.
Hamilton Co., Jnly 12.—Wheat all in
shock; oats damaged some by rust; corn
has a good color and is growing fast; potato crop will be good; farmers busy laying by their oorn. J. D. B.
Crawford Co., July 12.—Wheat is
stacked—none threshed; hay harvest in
progress; oats harvest commenced; the
weather ls hot; the latter part of the week
was unfavorable for hay and oats,
J. M. J.
Harbison Co., Jnly 12.—If the weather
is clear all the oats will be cat this week-
some are beginning to thresh; wheat is
turning out better than was expected;
there never was suoh a orop of berries
known. L. A. D.
Morgan Co., Jaly 12.—Wheat all out
and some of it is threshed, but the wet
weather has stopped threshing for the
present; the storms of Friday and Sunday
have blown the oats flat to the gronnd.
Mbs. H. A. S.
Wayne Co , July 12.—Weather mostly
clear and very warm—flne for hay making;
fine growing weather; much hay being
made; some timothy stands four feet high;
oats very heavy and has fallen down in
places badly. E. J. M.
Gibson Co., July 12.—Wheat is turning
out well; oorn looks fine; great damage
was done last Wednesday evening by a
most terrific rain—a fall of 1.9-10 inches
In 35 minutes; it covered a very small
scope of oountry only two or three miles
square. E. J.
Jefferson Co , Jaly 12.—The growth of
vegetation is beyond precedent; no injurious Insects; corn growing very rapidly;
second crop of olover very promising;
wheat turning well; blackberry crop enormous; peaches plenty; large apple crop;
corn clean. F. L. M.
Harrison Co., July 11.—Wheat all
hauled ln and in good condition will not
be over two-thirds of a crop, but good
quality; clover very heavy, other meadows
light; abundance of rain, and will stop
hay making and corn plowing; fruit of all
kinds plentiful. J. S. B.
Greene Co., Jnly 12.—Warm growing
weather during past week; farmers have
been threshing wheat in earnest—tnrn out
fair and grain excellent; oats harvest has
begun—crops fair; meadows muoh better
than'expected; the potato crop magnificent. W. B. S.
Henry Co, July 12.—Wheat pretty
nearly all cut, and threshing would be
going on but forthe heavy rains; the great
oats crop is ripening slowly—some of lt
blown down and will hardly straighten
up; the raspberry crop is immense; grapes
rotting some; heavy rain Friday evening.
W. D.
Switzerland Co., July 12.—Fair weather prevailed favorable to orops; copious
rain on the llth has especially benefited
corn and tobaooo; wheat harvest abont
completed—the first new wheat oflered on
the 8th and sold for 71 cent; oats and hay
are ready for harvest; and insects whioh
early in the season threatened crops have
nearly disappeared. C. G. B
-D_____DfOI__.
Winnebago Co., July 12.—Corn growing fast; nice weather for haying; farmers
very busy in hay and com; rye about fit
to cut; oats nioe. C. W. P.
Ogle Co , July 12— Has been very warm
and dry all the week until this forenoon
and one inch of water fell in half an hour;
very little wind, so that no damage was
done to growing crops; cutting rye and
hay—both light on acconnt of the dry
spell in April; pastures fair; raspberries
ripe—something seems to be taking the
sap out of the canes and ruining the frnit
on many bnshes, C. B. S.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
The Army Worm ln Orant Oounty.
by miello.
lam jast having my first experience
with the army worm, have jast nine
acres, no more, no less thus far. I first
discovered tbem the 17th of June, when
they had appeared in such immense numbers as to clean the blades nearly all off
the rye stalks.
They made their appearance in a piece
of rye, sown on muck land, previously
occupied by potatoes. The field contains
about nine aores, 18 rods wide, 80 rods
long, bounded on one side by an open
ditch four or five feet deep, on the opposite side by a woods pasture, on one end
by a wagon road, the other we plowed
and ditched to intercept them. By sacrificing the rye, and with the aid of about
150 hogs and pigs, of all ages, we have reduced their numbers vastly. As the
worms moved out in to the grass and
woods like a solid phalanx of soldiery
nearly 80 rods long, they met their fate,
being taken in in fine style by the whole
hog fraternity. To cross the roadway,
was running the gauntlet of an efficient
force of the -porcine tribe there also, and
to cross the ditch to the other side meant
a watery grave. So I believe we have outgeneraled them, thia time at least.
Oyer in the northwestern part of Black
ford county on the head waters of Walnut
creek, in late years hundreds of acres of
swamp and muck lands have been reclaimed by widening and deepening the
old channel, and cultivating extensively
in potatoes; but last year they met with
almost an entire failure so that several
farmers devoted a good portion of
their land to other crops, and rye seemed
especially to be very suitable, so that considerable was sown, but the army worm
has nearly destroyed the whole of it.
Much speculation is current as to why
they should come so numerous in the rye
fields and not appear elsewhere. I have
this theory to give from observations
noted on our own lands of similar condition. The lands being fine and mellow
lends many advantages for various kinds
of insects to deposit their eggs, or hibernate through the winter seasons, and last
winter was extremely favorable for the
preservation of all such. Then more or
less trash and weeds were allowed to accumulate about the skirtings of those
former potato fields, until last year the
drouth and potato bngs were surrendered
to, after a vigorous fight, and cultivation
having stopped, weedB sprung up everywhere, making food and harboring places
to the multiplying millions of insects.
Then later in summer they are plowed
under and sown to rye, which this spring
and summer was convenient food for the
worms. Through the natural advantages
afforded them from the seasons, and careless labor in keeping every nook and
corner adjoining clean, there came from
first a few, a little colony, and later a
sweeping multitude.
I observe that most, like myself, have
so farmed this quality of land as not to
allow of keeping hogs on it any portion of
the year, which are among the best Insect scavengers, or bug destroyers, that
the farmer can possess.
I have observed several previous seasons
that the fence corners ad j lining this field
now in rye, had become devoid of grass,
and about this time of the year weeds or
swamp nettles comlDg instead, It was
stripped to the stem of the leaves. Also
that for a rod or more in the woods pasture alongside supported bnt little grass,
but the hogs range there every year and
have certainly been the means of meeting
and destroying those coming out on that
side and caltlvad .n retarded them on the
other tile previous to this ,year and a
portion of last year.
In a drive of a few miles yesterday I see
amnjjrity of the wheat fields present a
brown appearance whi3h Is attributed to
the green lice, as they infest the heads In
large numbers. The wheat isJijht and
shrunken from that cause.
Cam needs working. The late rains
have packed the soil and the weeds are
beginning to be a matter of much concern, though 14 hours will be the rule
rather than the exception for the next
few dByp, If fair weather is bestowed upon
the tiilirs of the soil. Oats is heavy,
grass mediam, pastures luxuriant. Potatoes getting a good growth of vine, bugs
plenty but no serious dam.g. is apbre-
hended now, if poison is applied where
too numerous.
Gas leasers have met with some warm
receptions of late in this vicinity, as the
farmers are organizing in several parts of
the township to oppose the usual methods
of leasing.
Upland.
A very fine quality of mineral water
was found at a depth of over 900 feet ln
the well being bored by Judge Martindale
of this city, at the Denison House, on Monday. It is pronounoed equal to any water
of the kind known, and has produced quite
a sensation in this city. The water is
similar to that found atLodl and Martina-
ville,