THE SHEEP SUPPLY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 19

THE SHEEP SUPPLY.

Last week wo published a portion of Mr Loudon Douglas's first lecturo extracted -from the Mark Lane Express, in which ho dealt with the. cattle stocks of the world. In Lis second lecture on tiie meat industry Mr Loudon Douglas dealt with the sheep and its products, and in tho course of an interesting address pointed out that in tho development of the sheep more regard had been paid to the wool than the carcase, and that it was extremely difficult to get a large produce of wool, together with a large carcase. .I.l© estimated the number of sheen in Europe at over 160,000,000, in North America at over 67,000,000, in Central and South America at over 97,000.000, in Asia at over 45,000.000, in Australasia at over 109,000,000, and in Africa at over 1,000,000. The imports of mutton and lamb into the United Kingdom reached a total of 594,719 tons, which was equivalent to 12,960,383 carcases. These came from Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Patagonia, but the parents in all these cases had been de-rived from Great Britain. Tho homo supply of sheep was fairlv constant, the figures for 1911 being 30,479,067, of which about 40 per cent, were slaughtered every year. The home supply of mutton and lamb was therefore 326,570 tons, aa compared with a total import of 268,149 tons. Dealing with the bye-products of sheep Mr Douglas stated that the imports of wool amounted to 795,091.31011), of a total valua of £33.001,622. The wool contained an oily secretion used as an emolient; potash, sulphur, chloride of potassium, and cholestenn could also be derived from it. Next oarne. the skin, which was used for various kinds cf leather. In Ireland tho serum of the blood was used to produce a kind of sausage called drosheen In Scotland tho leg of the shorjp was treated to produce a hair, and in tho Midlands of England the flesh of the sheep was used to mako sausages Mutton fat was used also for the covering of meat pasto preparations and to mix with lard. The intestines were used for violin strings, for cords, and for belts to tranmit power for sewing maohines, and even larger kinds of machinery. Sheep were also used for milking and for tho making of cheeses. He contended that tho residual bye-products of tho sheep in tho United Kingdom were not studied at all from the scientific standpoint, largely owing to tho fact that tho quantiies handled in any one place were no very large. He suggested tho advisability of aggregating the supplies of animals for slaughter in central slaughtering establishments, when the very best uso could be made of all tho residual products.