Show I WOOL ANDI SUEEPoJ The past year In the wool Industry has been remarkable for the violent I fluctuations In the price of this commodity com-modity while the values of sheep did not change In nearly the same proportion propor-tion In December of 1S9S many articles arti-cles appeared In commercial Journals giving statistics of the worlds supply of wool showing n great shortage especially es-pecially In wools of the finer grade These statistics were by ninny wool I merchants accepted a facts and soon I their representatives wcrc In the Held I making contracts for wool to be delivered deliv-ered at shearing time rlng tme Competition grew spirited and prices quickly ranged from IS to 20 cents per pound the Interest In-terest and excitement of the growers I keeping pace with the rapid movements of tho speculation and the demand became I be-came so great that growers increased their asking prices all the way from l 22 to 2 cents per pound which brought the contracting to a standstill Speculation Specu-lation had reached its limit and at least y000000 pounds more of Utah wool could have been marketed at prices ranging from 18 to 20 cents if olfers which were mode had been accepted ac-cepted but growers with vivid Imag inations could sec the price of wool advancing to 25 cents per pound four pounds for one dollar it was so easy to figure Of course when the demand ceased and prices began to weaken there was u desire to sell and had of fers been renewed a month later they lW I would have been accented The writer asked a prominent grower why he did not contract his wool and I he replied that he did not because the smartest wool merchants In the United States were anxious to contract it and I that he gave them credit for knowing what they were doing Ills reasoning was consistent The general impression Impres-sion with the grower is that no matter what price the merchant pays for his product there will be a profit In It for thr merchant but they now realize realze that the poor woolgrower knows just as much about what the I price of wool I will be In six months hence us thq cleverest clev-erest wool merchants do I OPENING SALES At the opening of the regular season about a million pounds of wool was sold averaging 1C cents and then tho market gradually declined I unli I I the dif bronco between actual beween value and ask lug price wns so great that business Avaa practically JUHdh11ly stopped The wool buyers enjoyed themselves around Salt I Lake and the growers slacked their S woolthe deadlock was on slt J was dif ficult to convince growers of actual I market conditions and also for them to realize that the wool merchants did not know what they w re doing when i they contracted wool In the meantime In large quantities had accumulated the various wool centers and the demand de-mand from manufacturers was unusually unusu-ally light Various reasons are assigned for this genera stagnation and the possibilities of the Presidential election were probably the most potent although al-though there has been no ndnnco In prices since the election The demand has materially Improved but manufacturers manufac-turers know the great quantity of wool on hand and the anxiety of dealers to soil hence it Is not likely that prices will advance I The deadlock between the growers and buyers was finally ended and about I 0000010 pounds of wool was consigned nn a basis of from 10 to 12 cents per pound advance There Is about n million pounds held over In Utah besides be-sides the same amount held InWyo mlng by Utah people I Is probable that when the wool Is all sold tho average aver-age price will be Including contract wool of about C000000 pounds 15 cents per sound THE YEARS CLIP The clip of 1100 is estimated at 11000 000 pounds which at 15 cents means 2100000 SHEEP AND LAMBS The lambing this year was greater than last year and the exportation of i sheep has boon greater It Is estimated 1 l that the shipments aggregate 100000 head averaging in price 32r and producing pro-ducing a revenue of 130000 I IMPROVED I BREEDING A great Improvement I4 I noted in our I sheep due to the Importation of better blooded bucks and our wool cron will S soon bo of superior grade The demand I for good ewes Is strong at 375 to 1 and for good stock sheep at 3 to 325 IN GOOD CONDITION The wool business In our State and In the entire country is in a good healthy condition and the number of sheep has largely increased since President Clevelands days I SUMMING UP The total estimated clip for 1900 Is h I 255000000 pounds and the number of i sheep is put at10000000 as against 27 S I I 000000 in 1SOC In the article of 1S09 the writer expressed S ex-pressed the hope that the woolgrowerw I would not borrow money in anticipation anticipa-tion of 20cont wool as conditions did 1 not justify such prices and that they would not materialize Time has proved this to he correct The outlook now for both sheep and wool is good JAMES E CLINTON |