to seven inches in length, of uniform quality throughout its whole length, and bright and lustrous in appearance. In addressing foreign growers, they point to the fact-not to be overlooked in this account-that "the flocks" should be pastured as much as possible upon succulent grasses, similar to those grown in Great Britain, the object being to get a bright lustrous wool. Your attention having been drawn to the demand for this particular kind of wool, the home supply of which, you have been informed, is outgrown by the demand for home consumption, besides our having customers from France and Germany, the question arises :-"Does this demand for a national staple assume a character and dimensions sufficiently interesting to farmers to justify them in considering whether wool may not be a product more and more worthy of attention as the means to the end of rendering their operations more profitable?

I have been much impressed by some remarks made by Mr. Cobden, upon the occasion of a trial of steam plows, which recently took place in the Lothians. "What is it," he says, "that constitutes the prosperity of agriculture, or any other pursuit? It is to have a flourishing and increasing number of customers." And he pointed to the fact that your largest consumers are the manufacturing, mining and industrial population of this country. Further, he remarks, addressing as he was a large and influential number of agriculturists, "I need not tell you, who are so far advanced in the science of agriculture, that that which lies at the very foundation of all scientific agriculture, is the large and constantly increasing production of the manure-producing animals-the cattle and sheep which you rear on your land; hence it becomes a question whether, with the present increased consumption of wool in England, and also the increased consumption of mutton and beef in some districts (and I emphasize some districts), it would not be more profitable to the farmers to turn their attention more to the growth of wool, mutton and beef, which, under certain conditions of soil, &c., might be more profitable than wheat, particularly as the foreign markets for wheat are extensively open to us. And may I not here remark that wheat, possessing a character (by a merciful dispensation of Providence) adapting it for cultivation in all climes where civilized man becomes resident, and can therefore be almost universally grown, is as a product of land contrasted with wool, less under the influence of climate, and therefore open to more general growth. I think we have no fear of any want of cereal produce, but unless the English agriculturist bestirs himself, we may justly apprehend the scarcity of long-wools; and as they have not yet been grown in any other country to the same perfection, arising, as we have evidence, partly from the pasturage, partly from the breed, and also (generally) from the care taken of long-wools. I do think the agriculturist will

not think me intrusive in urging the consideration of this question upon him."

An intelligent farmer, resident in Yorkshire, kindly furnished me with the following:-"The lustrous condition of wool depends much on cleanliness, and here attention is required from the shepherd. Such attention would be highly remunerative." Another writes: "This wool-the lustre --is grown both from Lincolns and Leicesters, and also a cross between the two from Hoggets,* and a great deal depends upon the cleanness of the sheep and the land they are grazed and fed upon, more than upon the breed of long-wooled sheep. When it is bright-haired and glossy, we can always sell it for more money. The best class of Hog's wool, about Ripon, generally commands the best price in this district, but it is chiefly owing to the land they feed upon." This statement is confirmed by many others. Leicester rams have been sent out to India, China, &c., but from my own knowledge the wool deteriorates in length after the first cross, and can only be kept up in anything like length by great care and attention. A gentleman from Leicestershire, whose operations are devoted exclusively to sheep, has given me some interesting particulars upon the subject. Being totally unacquainted with the causes which lead to the demand for the particular kind of wool now in great request, he spoke of the increased value of wool generally, and said that his profits were incident alone, and dependent entirely upon the production of mutton and wool. Beef was a simple addendum, not particularly note-worthy in a mercantile point of view, inasmuch as on his farm the fleece alone paid his rent. Taxing him with his estimate of profits, I asked him whether there was not an indirect element overlooked? and he ultimately admitted that apart from the mutton and wool, there was an indirect profit incident to the fact that the manure-producing animal gave back to the soil as much, if not more, than was taken from it. I think the landlords will notice this assertion. This statement, to my mind, as a mere man of commerce, appeared anomalous, but he fortified his declaration by saying that a soil but slightly prolific, became abundantly fertile through the droppings of sheep: in other words, that which gave but poor pasturage to the sheep this year, became, when disintegrated in the stomach of the sheep, a source of civilization, which made the pasturage of the next year infinitely more abundant. He gave me other facts well worthy of notice. These were, that a Leicester flock taken by him to Ireland, degenerated rapidly; and in answer to the inquiry, whether this might not be attributed to crosses, he assured me that both the ewes and tups of this degenerated flock were pure Leicesters. Emphatically he said their wool became no longer the covering as it were

A hog-a hoggett-a haggerill, is a name given to sheep after weaning until shorn -KLIP

PART.

of sheep, but like that of the goat, (I use his own language) not forgetting the physiological fact that the goat's covering is hair, whilst that of the sheep is wool. All this shows that climate and soil are the causes which enable the agriculturist of England to grow lustre wool.

The large quantity of wool which is imported from India, is a very useful wool for blanket and carpet manufacture, but it does not compete with our long English wools. The same may be said of our Australian colonies, the whole coming from there being adapted for clothing, except the longer staples, which compete with our Down wools and German wools. There are hopes that at some time we may get from New Zealand a long staple wool; but, at present, the wool of that colony lacks the lustre, which is a distinguishing feature of our long wools. To show the character of the present competition our long wools have to sustain, I have collected a few samples of the wools, produced in the countries from whence we obtain our largest supplies, and also samples of our long wools. These will show, even to the uninitiated, the difference between the wools of the several countries represented, and the really small competition our long wools have to fear. From Canada we have received a small supply, at uncertain intervals, of a wool very much resembling our Leicester wool; but this wool is very much depreciated in value, from the want of cleared enclosures for the sheep to graze in. This want causes the wool to have a good deal of burr or seed, gathered by the wanderers, which burr or seed is very troublesome to the manufacturers; and it will be a long time before Canada will be able to supply us with such wool. I am, moreover, of opinion that Canada can never compete with our long wools, the climate differing so greatly from our own, which is manifestly well adapted for its production. The wool or hair which shows the most brilliant lustre is the mohair, the produce of the Angora goat. I find that the imports of this most desirable wool have not increased much; but that the price this year, notwithstanding the disorganization, to some extent, of trade, in consequence of the American war, is higher than it was before, showing the increased demand for lustre wools, and the appreciation the products manufactured from lustre wools are held in by our customers throughout the world. I find, further, that English lustre wool, during the seven years inclusive of July 1st, 1849, to July 1st, 1855, averaged 121d. per pound, showing the regularly increasing value of this wool, and therefore proving the desirability of increasing its growth. The present price of Leicester and Lincoln, and indeed all the home-grown lustre wools is about 1s. 10d. per pound. Not being practically acquainted with the best means of increasing the growth I shall not presume to offer any advice on the subject, but shall be well satisfied if I have awakened an interest on this important subject in the mind of the grower of wool. Of course the chief ques

tions for the farmer to consider are, first, Will it pay me better to grow lustre wool than what I am now growing? Is my farm adapted for feeding the breed of sheep which grow this wool? And, lastly, Am I likely to have a continued demand from the manufacturers for this wool? To the last question I fearlessly answer, that you are likely to have a continuously increasing demand for this wool, and you have less competition to fear from other countries in supplying this sort of wool than you have to fear with respect to any other description, so that there is a better prospect of obtaining a high price. I exhibit small samples of Lincoln, Leicester and Northumberland wool, all more or less lustre wools. I also show samples from various countries, some of which show a little lustre, but lack that soft, silky appearance which belong to our long grown wools. In the China wool we find some lustre, but it is short and kempy. In the Egyptian wool we find a nice lustre, but, from the climate and breed of sheep it is of a harsh description. In some of the wool grown in Turkey we find lustre, but, from climate, feed and want of care, it is very scurfy and tender in the staple. From South America we get the alpaca wool; this, with the mohair, being the only wool imported which combines all the required qualifications of lustre wool. Thus, I think, in conclusion, I have shown that the price of lustre wool is very high, the fleece is known to be heavy, and the fear of competition is very small. These three elements combined may, I hope, induce gentlemen here present to act as if they felt "the desirability of increasing the growth of lustre wool." Mr. W. Fisher Hobbs (Boxted lodge, Colchester,) said there was a very wholesome rule of the club, that one-third of the members might be non-agricultural. Their experience that evening proved that the rule was a good one. A gentleman had come before them to state the views of manufacturers and wool-staplers; he was in no way connected with agriculture, and he had brought forward the subject in a national point of view, and he had the good fortune of meeting his friend, Mr. Anderson, occasionally, as a member of that club for some time past; and with his friend, Mr. Bell, who, he was sorry to say, was not present that evening, and other manufacturers of the north of England, they had had frequent discussions on this subject. Although the question of the growth of the luster wool had been mooted elsewhere, he had nevertheless thought it desirable that it should be discussed this year in the club. When he asked Mr. Anderson to introduce the subject, he readily consented to do so, and they would all be sensible how ably he had handled it. They had now heard what were the views of the manufacturers, and, as practical men, they must now see how far they could carry them out. In April, 1861, he met Mr. Caird in the rooms of the Royal Agricultural Society. On that occasion

Mr. Caird observed, speaking on behalf of the manufacturers of this country, now that the importations of short wools were so large, there was no necessity for the English producers to grow short wools, and they should in fact grow lustre wools. Now he (Mr. Hobbs) thought as practical men, who, in various parts of England, paid much attention to the breeding of sheep, they would agree with him that, however desirous they might be to aid the manufacturers, and also to assist their own breeches-pocket, by producing a larger fleece, in the larger portion of this country, it was utterly impossible to produce at a profit wool with a lustrous character. If they looked at nature, they found that throughout all the southern counties of England the sheep had a short, close texture of wool, to protect it from the atmosphere and from the influence of the various seasons peculiar to the district where it resided. Looking at the Southdowns, they found on the chalky soils a peculiar feature in the wool; and if the sheep were removed to the midland districts, or to Cambridgeshire, where Mr. Jonas Webb produced sheep in such perfection as regarded the carcass, they found that the character of this wool, instead of being improved, was ordinarily injured. On the gravels of Cambridgeshire, by means of high feeding, the length of the Southdown wool had been increased; but he hesitated not to say that the quality was not maintained. He did not deny that soil and feeding exercised considerable influence; but nevertheless he maintained that climate would control the character of the fleece given by nature to protect the sheep against the elements. Man could, he knew, do much; but with all his efforts he could not overcome the works of nature, which, by a beautiful arrangement, clothed the animal, and at the same time produced food for the sustenance of man. Now he wished particularly to go into some points involved in this question. He had himself lived in one of the midland counties, and had watched very closely the growth of wool, as well as the form of the animal and the quality of the mutton; and he hesitated not to say that in his humble opinion, wool of a lustrous character could not be produced generally, even in the midland parts of England, without a great deterioration of the carcass, and upon an animal of a different kind from those required in the present day to secure a good quality of mutton with early maturity. He contended that the sheep which produced lustrous wool was an animal that was peculiarly adapted to the lowlands of Linconshire. On that point he would presently read to them the opinion of a very able writer, about fifty years ago, who was also a very excellent breeder of stock. The Lincoln sheep, which then produced this lustrous wool was, he believed, a sheep of narrow form, flat sides, very large bones and thick skin; an animal which required a longer period to fit it for the butcher than the sheep which had a