RUSSIA AS A WOOL PRODUCER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4724, 19 July 1890, Page 1

RUSSIA AS A WOOL PRODUCER.

Concerning Russia as a wool producer, the European Mail of May 30 reports : From a recent retorn dealing with the wool production of Russia we learn that the dominions of the Czar are now computed to contain some 65.000,000 sheep, a quarter of which belong to the merino variety. The best wool ia obtained from the central regions of the country, and especially from Poland, where the climate is most favorable to wool-growing. But fine Russian wool has become less plentiful than formerly. Thirty years ago the high protective duties encouraged its production a good deal, but since that the spread of railways has converted a good deal of grazing land Into tillage, and rents have risen, while wool has fallen, thus discouraging efforts for fine wool. The present annual prodnction of Russia is estimated at 360,000,0001b, of an estimated value of 8i millions sterling. From a tenth to a fifth of this total is annually exported, and less than half that quantity is imported ; yet, owing to the inferior; quality of Russian wool, the value of the imports considerably exceeds that of the exports. In 1888, the last year for which statistics are to hand, they were worth nearly twice as much.