Series 4 > Scottish industrial history

108 SCOTTISH INDUSTRIAL HISTORY
a week that it would continue instead of considering that what
caused the demand was principly the season, and not that another
season was fast approaching when very few was likely to be needed
and of course our reasoning was bad and ill founded.
13 June. Instead of the views we took [i.e. on 9 June concerning
wool usage] we think the following more correct. As we shall sell
more goods in Octr., Novr., and Deer, we ought to be prepared
with a stock suitable to demand; therefore to manufacture] 5 or 6
pieces a month more in the months of Aug., Sepr. and Octr. would
be better than refering it to the time we wundedf?] the goods - an
error we have committed this year which has had the effect we
would wish to steer clear of, viz. a too heavy stock. So being over¬
stocked at present there will be no occasion for doing more than
our usual (unless trade be very brisk) this year, so instead of
needing 64 packs 50 will be quite sufficient to keep us going to the
month of May when we wish to be out [of wool] to have it in
our power to turn our hand to anything else if need require.
We have frequently had to regret making our Cloths too thin
this last year, it is a great error and perhaps a greater one to make
them too strong, but we should rather incline to that side as the
other, for the generality of our merchants likes them stout and were
we to persist in making them thin there is no doubts but it would
hurt our trade very much. Neither too thin nor too stout is the
only article to please and pay at the same time. Too thin does not
please. Too stout does not pay.1
20 June. To wages, ^18 12s. i|d.
The report of Inverness fair is that laid cheviot wool is selling at
last year’s price, which was from 8s. to ns. [Stone of 24 lbs.], the
greater part about 9s. Offers of 8s. and 8s. 6d. is given for the
double st [one] of Highland wool. None sold.
24 June. We were spunging yesterday and the air (and of course
the water) was very warm and soft which had the effect of taking
1 This is not so much a comment as to whether cloth should be made of fine or coarse
wool but how many weft courses (‘shots per inch’) it should contain. The higher the
number of courses per inch of cloth the stouter the cloth, if one assumes a yarn of
equal grist.