AUSTRALIANSHEEP DECREASE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1155, 16 June 1911, Page 8

AUSTRALIANSHEEP DECREASE

A SDEPEISE. It comes as a surprise to most people .to note that in the returns of live stock in New.South Wales at the end of 1910. /vs. issued this week by the Government Statistician, sheep, which at tho end of l!) 0!) numbered 41!.202,578, show n decrease of 377,270, the figures for l!) 10 being; 45,825,308 (says the Sydney "Telesraoh"). A decrease-was, however, foreshadowed In the tiri'li'miiiari figures which the Stock Department ga.vo some timo a.eo. The season last year was, on tho whole, a favourable one for the first six months nftor the general shearing,. but a dry spell was experienced over a large area of Ttiverina. nnd some of the Fonthern districts. This had a marked effect on the lambing in those parts, with tho result thai the perceutairij was bslow the n-verage. The next great factor in the decrease was the blow-fly pest, which nansed greater ravages last year than ever before. Naturally lambs suffered from i't also, and as they were less able to withstand the attack than the ground sheep, tho reported further loss in lambs after being marked, is accounted for.

Evidence of the shortage in lambs is shown by the lamb expurt trade, which last year was a pnor one, compared with lli'o number of groivu sheep shipped. Then Hie sales of fat sheop nt Homebush last year were a record, the total being ■J,06J,G50, of which about (500,000 were tombs.' Tho sales of store stock were also good; Queensland being a largo customer, especially of young wethers: "When tho totals of the grown sheep at the ond of 1910 are separated it mil be found that the ewes v.'ill show a good increase over 1909. This is partly to be accounted for by the results of closer settlement, the small sheep-owners having gone in more for .lamb-breeding. Another factor in the totals will be the increase in the British breeds. . ■ ,