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Show SHEARING SHEDS PLEASE SHEEPMEN i J. E. Cosgriff of Salt Lake City Discusses New Systsm Which Has Been Adopted In Wyoming and Idaho. i It fa now certnln thnt n number of new Australian Mieep "heal ing establishments will be opeintcd in the inlet mountain lieep region nest spring, in addition to the first Aimtiftllnn henrhiir hctl tr titl i tliU country, which was built nnd owrnted lni vearbv tin Pioneer Austrnllnn Shcniiny Shed compnn, i mile outht l'ltler Creek, Wjo. T n URtialinn 8heaiinK hIichIk me mm in couiw? of con tru ' i " (' county, Wo, undei the direction of T RiUh tn mtrnHnn wool specially bronchi to the United State wu t u K by J. C. Coski iff, pieHidunt of the Continental National Na-tional Link of Salt Lake City, who paid IMchV udarv for a year while I filed Hie vniious Kectioim of the Intermountaiit Went iplnlnnjr to Hhccpmun the Australian method of ptetmiliiK wool urmirkct at its source the wheat lug shed. Id.thoans Arc Interested In (lie Movement. In addition to the two new Australian sheds being built in Carbon Car-bon county, Wo, it Is understood movement are undei wa among Idaho sheepmen for the erection of one 01 two Australian heds In thnt state nt once, so thnt the ciews trained to operate a hearing plant built under the Australian sjstem can be moed from one to nnother of these Austrnllan sheds, and thus limine a full xenon's vvoik. Meanwhile, the fact thnt the Australian sjstoni of sheniiug dhcep and preparing wool for market at Its source has gained a cr strong foothold in the Intcrmountaln States, is attracting a great deal of attention in Eastern worsted and uoolui mnnufnc-lunng mnnufnc-lunng circles. The Textile World Journal, published In New York, is consld-cred consld-cred one of the cry strong trade pnpeis i caching woisted and woolen manufacturers in this count! y and abioad, and the editois of the Journal asked J. L2. Cosgriff to contiibute an article to the Jnnunrj annual number treating of the Australian sheat ing s s-em, s-em, as It is now being ndopted in Wyoming and other Intermoun-ain Intermoun-ain St itct, f i om the stnndnolul of the advantages to worsted and woolen manufacturers of tills sstem of shearing sheep and prewiring pre-wiring wool for mnrket. Cosgriff's article in the Textile World Jotirml luie follows: "Dining the spiing of 11)15 there was erected b the Pioncei ustrnliun Sheaiing Sheds company, sk miles noith of llittci iruk station, Wyo, the first modem sheiitiug tilled evei count cou-nt rue ted in this country. The operation of the plant was so stic-tssful stic-tssful mid so fur exceeded the expectations of the owners that, in he hope of advancing the Interests of the sheep industiy, lltej t sued and mailed a looklct to the sheepmen of the. Intel mountain Mate, hdtli'g foith the advantages of the v stent and the satis-Otctotv satis-Otctotv 1 1 Milts obtained. "It mn. appear almost staitling to the man who has tievei rtven the subject serious consideration to leant that even the trgest sheep companies of the Intel mountain States, with per-'wps per-'wps a quarter of a million dollars Invested, have conducted theii hearing operations In miserable makeshift plants costing a total f but a few hundred dollats. 1 licit sheatets and other help nre without eoinfot table sleeping quartets, without means of taking a bath, and without a laundty for dean clothes. '1 lie sheep have xen without shelter, exposed to the metciloss storms and winds after having been shorn of their fleeces. '1 he hiatal tieatment at the time of shearing has been such that humane soclotles have taken steps to punish the offenders. In those pens a fleece of wool has been treated as if It wete of little value. With utter disregard dis-regard of any difference In quality of the wool shorn, the entlie fleece and filth attnehed have been tramped indiscriminately Into i sack, ftom which the foul odor emitted has pioclalmed the chat-actei chat-actei of the work. New Method Has Awakened Controvert "Hint the revolution ptoposcd by the new method has awakened awaken-ed contioversy among sheepmen nnd mnnufnctuieis is not snipping. sni-pping. 1 he grenter the need of tefoini, the more the opposition. To the sheepmen who hnve read the booklet Issude by the compati there is nothing further to bo said, but to the readets of the Textile Tex-tile Wot Id Journal the views of one who assisted In the establishment establish-ment of the new sheds upon the question of the piepatatlon of wool as nffectlng the Intctests of the mnnufactuter may be of I' issing interest. "Hie first adverse criticism heard was that the cost of sheai-tig sheai-tig and packing was prohibitive, and stu prising as It may seem, tliee critics professed to know the cost long before the ownets id The cost of shearing nnd propetly classing nnd packing the wool pet hend is actunlly less than the cost of sheat ing and sack-big sack-big the old way. It is simply the question of sj stout and order bringing better results nt lessened cost titan disorganized or prim-itie prim-itie methods bring. ''Opinions have been advnnced thnt the mongrel clnss of sheep n the Intcrmountaln States must be displaced befoio the Aus-trnllnn Aus-trnllnn svstem can bo operated successfully. Let those ctitics 'ear in mind that better sheep and bcttei wool will quickly follow he cstnblishmcnt of the Australian sjstem, but can baldly pre-"IP pre-"IP it. Since W. T. Ritch came to this count! y and oxplained the met its of the Australian systom there has beon mote intoiot 'ikiii mil a gt eater effott among sheepmen In genet al to imptovo "ip quality of their wool than has evei beon noted befoio. Present Method Handicaps Improvement. ' Ihe method employed in buying wool in the West, eithot upon 'be sheep's back or at sheaiing time, cortiilnlj has not been cop. luclve to improvement. The practice of offering approximately 'he same price for all clips In n given locality without teg.ird to the n J ing qualities of the clips has, In n measure, obtained. In fact, in some sections tho sheepmen hnvo pooled their clips. Rut in to-wild to-wild to the different qunlitles of the fleeces In an individual clip there lias never been nny dlffeience In pi ice between the fleeces l ,e( th,fh8hcst nluc nnd those which carried the niMli! P"Ce being .n,wa8 n bInnkct one. It requires only the iS -. I1 common business sense to reach the conclusion that Hnih. i. n y,8tcmt Progress or Improvement In breeding Is prac-mnn prac-mnn J ,T,bl,c Jf we ".ou,d 8ltc or encourage the sheepmnn sheep-mnn to produce better vvool we must pay him proportionately. ,,, . L. met,n0('? ,f Western sheepmen appear to an Eastern , m 1Uiatc1 m,1 n.b,mrd' thcn e ,n,ht suggest thnt the pros-,im pros-,im metliod emplojed In ttansnetions between dealer nnd tnanu- l,,,!,Cr.aJ'po',.to,.t,,,c Wc"tcrn man cqunlly antiquated and un-b un-b h nej.sl.ke. Ihe Western buer usunlly ndvocntes loose pneking in the uag, lest b more compnet work the snek or bag should cm ry a Higher weight, thereby giving the mnnufacturci an Impression that the wool was of heavy shrinkage. Manufacturers Not to He Considered Novices. ii "iAle Ju' to,uclioP that the manufacturei Is such n nolce7 lite looMv jmeked wool is taken ftom the bag and put tlnough a process known as "grading." It would nppoai to the unprejudiced oiwoivei that in this operation of grading no two graders handle the wool alike; in fact, unlike tho Australian classor, the American gnulei has no voice in the mattet he must grade the wool as directed di-rected bv his emplovet. On the assumption that the nianufne-turers nianufne-turers "man will tejeel a eoimidomlile jiercentage in anv event, the grade is usunllv "crowded," pattuularl.v if the market is advancing, ad-vancing, and more patticuhulj if a teitain line of wool wns put-(hased put-(hased before the ojieiation of grading. 'When the purchasing manufaetutet in his own good time -ends his repiesentative to receive the wool thih agent handles even fleece ovei a table, testing the wool and investigating chcIi fleece to asceitain If the sheepman has included hun of tag or other foieign matter. lhis handler aibittMtil.v injects anv fleece which does not suit his fancy. 'I bote seems no way of softening bis feellngR or reducing the nunibei of l ejections excepf by fut-nislnng fut-nislnng him with cigars and keeping him "jollied." He is said to "tluow the wool hinder" upon a dark day than upon a bright one; ) we can imagine that many fervent pmors arc offered by the xellers fot bright daj s. Wool Dealer Is Entitled to S.vmpathj. "Aflei the wool which passes examination Is dellveted, the dealet fiequcntly hns a lot of t ejections on hand, and no mattoi what his motives have been, he is entitled to some degree of sm-pathv. sm-pathv. It would appear that our w hole sv stem or lack of system of handling the wool, from the time is is bought upon the sheep's back to the time It Is actually paid foi by the manufacturei, has developed moie or less sharp practices all the way up the line. I'oieigners tell us that when Australian wool Is packed its quality is guaranteed and no purchaser can t eject a part of any bale. If this is true what a contrast between that and American methods! What a waste there appears to bo in handling w alehouses, with the inci eased amount of room necessaty, when all this could be done moie economically and satisfactorily at the source the sheaiing sheds I Reasons Tor Present Classes. "Wo have been told many limes that fai too many classes weiu made at the new sheds to suit the needs of the Ameiican mauufac-luier. mauufac-luier. In tegatd to certain manufactuieis and bueis, we admit that the nunibei of classes would not please them, and we can conceive of certain teasoiis for it. 'Ihe avetage tcpiosontntive coming to the West appeals accustomed to buying wool in the original bag. He can make a fairly good guess al the shrinkage in a locality he has visited manv seasons, but when It comes to estimating the shtinkagc upon any given class of skirted wool he appeals to be absolutely at sea. Noi does he appeal to be able to deteimliif the comparative value of the skilled fleeces, of the bellies and of the skit ts. Hut is this tho fault of the system ? "We made no moie classes than aie made In Australia with the same kind of fleeces, nnd if the system itself is faulty why do not these Impels suggest to the Australian sheepmen that they make fewei classes, particularly for the American trade In shott, is it not because of lack of experience or knowledge Hint the nunibei of classes we made pioved confusing? To us it Is inconceivable that the wool has been Injuted because of the different qualities segtcgated as Australians segiegate them. As to expense at the shearing shod, the numbot of classes makes no difference. Some Mnnufnd tilers Can Use All (initios. "1 heie ate u number of mauiifactiiicrs in this countty who appear ap-pear to be able to use all guides of Western wool and who send theii topresontatlvus west to buy it in lite original bags. Thete nlso appears to be n considerable number of American mnnufnctuieis mnnufnc-tuieis wlio will buy little or no wool in the original bags, because it is unsuited to theii' needs. Now, If we continue to pack It In the old way the market for our wool is more restricted and it does not requite piofound leasonlng to teach the conclusion that the niaiiu-factuioi niaiiu-factuioi who can use the wool packed In the old way must be able to buy it at a lower price than if the values were properly segregated. "Wool classed and baled takes a 15 per cent lowct fi eight late from intei mountain oints than when packed the old way. In many localities this means a saving of more than two cents pet fleece. The expense of twine and tho labor of both tying the fleeces mid afterwards removing the twine nre eliminated. "The nctunl placing of the wool in the bales nt the Pioncei Micds, nfter it left the hands of the classer, the p tst season, was faulty. 'The fleeces were In min.j Instnmos broken and many errois were made by the handlers. This was due to our having only an amateut baling crew. It comes as a result of the fact that employes in the Wost have never been taught that a fleece of wool Is valuable. There is no good reason why a fleece after being properly i oiled and classed cannot be so packed in the balo that when the package is opened the fleece will be found Intact. In another an-other eat oi two this will be accomplished without difficulty, and we will hear no suggestions thnt the fleeces should be tied. Credit Tor Innovation Due to Manufacturers. "It may be Inteiosting to manufacturers to know that it was thtee oi fout of their number who unknowingly bt ought about the Introduction of the Australian sat(m. A few jears ago C. II. Hauling came to the West and addiessed gatherings of sheepmen, lie explained clearly and concise! v various methods of handling woo!. His wotds. weic ftom such an unselfish standpoint that tliej awnkdied in the mind of cvetv sheepman who hentd him a desiio to know moie about wool. Ptobnblj Hatding will never know the pait he took in the establishment of the first Australian shearing shed in this countty, but the owners ate grateful to him for his visit to the West. If they have made a mistake in establishing estab-lishing these sheds nnd classing their wool he can confor a favor upon the sheopmen by telling the in frankly that they ate wrong and should discontinue. "Some five years ago n Wjomlng sheepman, in company with a Uoston salesmnn, visited a New England manufacturer. This manufnetuter told the talesman that ho was not Interested in domestic wool. The sheepmnn was surprised nnd asked why this was so, receiving tho reply: 'It Is too unreliable for me to use to advantage.' He then explained to the sheepman thnt by 'unreliable' 'unre-liable' he. meant it was so full of filth; that the various qualities weie mixed beyond perfect separation; that it wns tied with fibrous twine nnd heavy with paint; thnt he could not guarantee tho quality of tops as he could those made from foreign wool ; that he could not depend upon a given weight of American wool yielding yield-ing a certain percentage of tops, and that, therefore, he had discarded dis-carded domestic wool altogether. "That manufacturer does not know how much he contributed mvm to the present Western awakening. The sheepman went away and ijj fU thought nbout It, nnd dreamed about it, and the dream was real- UtoH ized last spring in the shed thnt arose on the sngebrush of Wyo- IF ming. The sntnc sheepmnn visited the mnnnger of the Clnrke & If II Wostcnholme mill neat Philadelphia, and upon being introduced K Sfl the manager told him thnt he had made from a certain clip of wool U from Cat bon county, Wo , tops which could not be distinguished. I WM from those made from Australian wool. 19H "The sheepmnn went awav convinced that It must be the nntl- LIU quitted method of packing, and not the quality of the wool, thnt I fffl prompted bujors to say that Australian wool was so much mom I Qlfl desirable than domestic I II "It will be next in ordet for us to eliminate the paint evil. ' fffl When the ownets of the wool nt the Pioneer shed saw theii fleeces- thrown upon a rolling table thev reaped fot the fust time the gfl oxcessive amount of branding paint used Heform in tills rogatd will come slowlv, but it will surely come 1 ifl "In a broad sense, the establishment of shearing sheds in thte i L 31 counttj, tlnough the enlightenment and education of the sheep- 1 f99 men, will mean mote and better sheep, better wool piopotly pro- I hH pated foi use at the source, and ultlmntelv the estnbllshment of IlM auction sales." JH |