THE SHEFP RETURNS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 5

THE SHEFP RETURNS.

j A return lias been laid on the table of tlie House giving the approximate number of sheep in the colony on April 30, 1899, as follows: — j Auckland— 9ol,322 ; an increase of 2807 1 over the previous year. i Napier— 4,sl4,B6o ; a decrease of 10,488. | Wellington and West C0a5t— 4,514,519 ;. i an increase of 73,437. ! Marlborough and Nelson — 859,953 ; a deI crease of 76,983. , Canterbury and Kaikoura — 4,755,497 ; at ' decrease of 154,888. 0tag0— 3,664,551 ; a decrease of 296,908. Total, 19,210,702. Increase in the Nortfc I Island, 65,756; decrease in tlie South Island, 528,779. The shortage of 463,023 sheep must be put down to the, effect, of, the cqntinuffißl

drought which existed up to the middle of ■last year. "In the interim, return for 1898 it was shown that there had been an increase of 785,235 carcases of mutton and lambs exported, and over 200,000 old sheep were boiled do"wn in excess of the average, or. close on a million of sheep dealt with over the, previous year, A considerable number of these would have come into the returns for this year, except for the short-" .age in feed," and consequent necessity of disposing ol them. Further, there was a considerable mortality in many flocks last spring, the ewes and young sheep being in low condition. The export of mutton and lambs shows a decrer.se of 263,442 carcases for the year ending 31st March, 1899.