OUR SHEEP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 3

OUR SHEEP.

.WHAT THE FIGURES SHOW. : - HONEST RETURNS IN SPITE OF THE TAX. , ■ When the sheep tax "was abolished soriio V. time ago it was predicted by 'somo people whose i'aith in ,'human nature -was weak that - the' next, sheep returns. would show an enormous increase'in the flocks of tho Dominion. The theory was that in tho dismal taxed days '. .of the-past the resentful' 'shcop : ownors had • underestimated their animal possessions for ' tho purpose, of keeping the tax down to an • Ulcgitimato : 1 minimum. -..'lt was expected : . therpforo - that'iwith, tho removal of the tax j tho sheep-owners would be restored to a ' . state of honesty and the. country's ;flocks, as measured ty the returns :sent in, .would ex-, paud mysteriously. ', That expectation has; not been reahsed. The flocks nave, it is true, been returned as greater; 1 but the increase is;scarcely as great as' tho-'ordinary , natural causes . made /pro- " ; bable. ' It'must bo' concluded,' therefore, that the sheep farmers, ;in spite of the tax, - ; have all'alp'ng been' telling: the .truth. . We. give here the Government figures, based', on tho sheep-owners' returns|-*apd.also a calculation of what, increase- . was'generally ' oxpcctod, based on certain statistical data: —: . - Sheep in New Zealand (owners', figures). April-' 30, 1907 20,983,772 April 30, 1908 22,124,202 Increase 1,140,430 ■ A Statistical Estimate-' No", of sheep, April I - 30, 1907 20,983,772 Lambs from 10,750,- - t 000, breeding, ewes .10,000,000,, — 30,983,772 Mutton carca.sses ex- '■ ported 1,821,426 Lambs exported ...... 2,826,437 Tinned and boiled . down,, say,. : ■ - 750,000 Consumed locally .. (1301b. per head)... 2,250,000 ' , ; '.' .- ; Natural deaths ..' .500,000 , .- ■ ' Total disposed of . • 8,147,863 Computed total remaining 22,735,909 ■ ■'- Those calculations show that an increase of millions could reasonably have been, ex- ,' pected,. instead of. the; increase; of scarcely more than a million actually shown. ;■•(': During last- year a large;; area of _ land .in > Canterbury) ana 'North Otago,'- which - had i j ■.- been denuded.of sheepby'the drought.of the previous-year, was restocked- This:accounts for the increase in those areas. In addition • to this there is a general increase per flock all over tho Dominion. • ; . Prolific Lambing Expected. , There have'been two seasons of abnormally good - .lambing. In -' tho Vseason ''before, last i the lambing was considered; something won- ' ; derful,• • and 1 somo' authorities •: consider the lambing of last season was even better. - Last *. '-- - season, was.ushered .iii by a .fairly, dry,', mile winter and ;a''cold. wet spring, '.and :s'uc- " ceeded by. a- dry summer, which kept tho lambs ' healthy. ' This season has. so far, been some ' what similar. The health and condition o: tho ewes all- over the Dominion are , good and therO : isVcorisidere'd ; to bo every prospeel of another prolific lambing.'-,' 1116 recent spel . of' disastrous' , weather .'has 'been severe ; ovej - . ' only .I few'small areas. : The, weather; in th( - North-has snot been .so bad as that in the South; where somo, losses may be looked'foi on the higher - country 'on . account • of th< snow. It. is : not, however, at present be : lioved that' tliO ; losses ; . willv'ibo! extensive . much :>vill depend on -the - speed - with: whjcl 1 the snow 'disappears;' ■' ,■ CLEAN FERTILISERS. , , " Amateur " (Wellington) writes" Ir your ; valued paper some days a'go l read .at ' interesting ''article':, -on 'clean'; fertilisers' under the'heading ;of -'How to Manure the Garden.'• ■ I should be, glad if you .can re commend liny. book,' giving fuller informatior ; . on the subject in a simple form.' . Try Cousins' " Chemistry of the Garden.' -Ed. STUD MERINOS. , A : consignment .'of' eight merino . rams ' bought at the Sydney sales for Mr. - Watsoi Shennan, of'Puketoi, have arrived at Dun edin by the Warrimoo. One of the arrivals - bred by Mr. -R. T. -Gibson, of -Esk Vale .. Epping, cost 210 guineas. '...- FARMERS' UNION. STRONG BRANCH FORMED AT - I MARTINBOROUGH. - An important meeting, of farmers; was heli in .the' Council - Chambers, oi ' -'- Saturday last. ' . '■ ' - ■.. - 1 . .Mr: C. Fowler, Privincial Organiser o • the Farmers' Union, whb addressed the meet ing, .'stated ; that^-'during the previous days h had farmers . in;.-the' district .- i: .. with :the";objeet'of .arousing interest in th ;'''.' Union.. Ho had met with very general ap • proval of t-he project, and had received' rer; . ... satisfactory support' for a branch' to hi formed •in , , Martinboroiigh; Mr.; Fowle .. ' stated that, it'was'the intention ; of the Execu tivo. of ;-thb Farmers' -. Union to; ta,ke a mor , . active attitude 'during tho coming elections n .the direction of securing larger representa tion of the. Farmers/iii iParliament, .and tha support should be given to. those candidate ■ for Parliamentary honours who would upholi . the: three cardinal planks of tho Union' platform, namely, the freehold - tenure, Cm torn's: duties for . revenue purposes.; and no , protection,;and the objection- to, giving th a rote on road board arii county.. council matters; , The, -speaker' im pressed upon the meeting the: cstraordinar; state of affairs in tho Wairarapa, where th population of, the large, district from Wood vUle in the north, to, Ca'stlepoint in the ea.st . and Palliser Bay in'tho south, was practic ally all, farmers, but was represented in Pai . ' . liament by two newspaper men and, one ir ,'surance; agent.,. After an .interesting.'speed of;.ari hour, a hearty vote of thanks was give: ;to the prganis'er for.his address. On motion of Mr. G. Pain, seconded b ' Mr. F. E., Perry, it'was decided to form . branch, of the New Zealand Farmers' Unio - in. Martinborough. : .All those'at the meetin announced their- intention of; becoming - men 1 ' bers..-.-Mr. :-'F. > E.. -Perry - was... unanimous! •1 chosen as. chairman, Mr. Robert Smith'trea; . urer, and Mr. F. M'Allum.sccretary. Thp fo low;ing gentlemen, with - power to, add to thei number, wero,' elected.' asiihe;' committee - 1 . Messrs. G. Pain,. F. E., Perry, M. M'Leod, i . ; Mackio,;.S.-Broadbent, R. Smith,; and ,J; 'A M'Dougal. The Martinborough' branch start , with a' .membership, of about fiftyl - Another meeting will be held at Pirinoa o July 2-5. ' ■ DAIRYING IN KIMBOLTON. Some, inquiries (says the "Feilding Star"] niado 1 mth a viow of 'finding out tho'pros pi-ets of the dairying- industry, elicited ,th I opinion that thero would -be an incroaso i i the'number of cows milked n6xt season. Tli Ch-?ltt'nham . Co-operativo D.iirv • Company .: erecting! <t new creamery on Mr. '-London' property in , the Orou'a • Valley; . about thrc miles bolov/'Kimbolton. ..This will meet.tli requirements of several settlers, 'and wil , r-nnrsc. swell the output of the dair d-xiiv/ The other creainories in th 'i-;-, 1 will rcceivo the -usual measuro ( AFTER LAND. , .Mr. V,'. JJen'nett, a:well-known Wairarap ftrmeri v.ho has been inspecting land in No Zealand .and Now-South-Wales'for : tho pas year, loft Auckland yesterday'by the Mokoi for Sydney, en ' rohto' to Southern Queen: land, where ho intends,' if possible, to mal< a permanent "residence. "