THE DROUGHT IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 133, 5 June 1902, Page 2

THE DROUGHT IN NEW SOUTH WALE S.

— — APPALLING EFFECTS ON STOCK. The New South Wales coneipondent of the PustoralistV Review, in the issue just to hand, draws a hiininvuig pictuie of tho effects of the drought on stock, as follows : — ll is not possible- that auy letter I can write would bring home to readers the frightful condition that New South Wales is at present in. The human mind is inadequate to grasp the enormity of animal suffering which starvation is causing, and which is every day increasing. At the end of last year there were 41,000,000 sheep in this State. The losses of this year cannot yet be guessed with the faintest pretence to accuracy, but we know that ever since the last statistics were taken the whole State, with the exception of the merest coastal fringe, has been in a deplorable condition, and from nearly all parts reports come in of constantly increasing mortality of stock. The lambing is lost, and it has intensified the effect of the drought on many thousands of ewes. ITie wool on the remaining sheep is of the shortest growth, and it is dusty and full of dirt, to the very skins of the animals. The prices that most of it will bring will be very small. The majority of the young sheep of last year's lambing and the year before are stunted in growth and deteriorated in value. In many cases the flocks are staggering about without strength enough to walk far without lying down. The effect of a sudden cold rain upon these sheep would be shocking. It is not possible for those out

back to get their stock to the railways. It they could get their bheep to tram, [ihuy could not get country to send them I to ; and if there was land available, the stock are so weak that many of thcui would get down in the trucks and die. In the Western and much of the Central Divisions it is the exception to be able to cart artificial feed away from the railway 'station; because there- is no water' along the roads for teams. Besides, feed is everywhere going to a prohibitory price, and it i» next to impossible to get it at that. Even where it can be obtained the Bheep are ceasing to thrive on dry feed, and pastoralistß mo not always able to get molasses to mix with ifc. A few farmers who have lucerne hay in the New England district are holding for £10 per ton. Those •who have scrub are felling it for the sheep, and treeß are being lopped everywhere, tleports come in of farmers falling back on stringy bark and box trees to try and keep itock alive a little longer. In many places the drought has temporarily exterminated the rabbits. N Somo people are boiling prickly pear for stock, and it is found to keep them alive ; but not enough stuff can be thus hand treated to provide for a very large flock. A case lately occurred in the country not very far back which strikingly illustrates the present weakness of stock. A drover was travelling with a few hundred cattle, and a certain isolated storm came on at night. In the morning seventy head of the cattle were dead. And these cattle did not look in any worse .condition than thousands of others. (For continuation of 2few§ tee page 7.)

t

«3