THE SHEEP CENSUS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3826, 28 October 1936, Page 5

THE SHEEP CENSUS

FIGURES FOR WAIPA COUNTY. COMPARED WITH KAWHIA AND OTOROHANGA. The annual sheep returns for the year ended April 30, 1936, have been compiled by officers of the Department of Agriculture, and were duly presented to Parliament a few days ago. The report is a most comprehensive one, and shows the total number of sheep in the Dominion as 30,113,704, an increase of 936,950 in the twelve months. Twenty-three counties in the North Island and thirteen in the South Island record decreases. The county in the Auckland sheep district that shows the greatest increase in numbers is Raglan with 38,441, and Waipa comes second with 32,793. Kawhia County shows an increase of only 480, but Otorohanga’s increase is 28,709. Six North Auckland counties record decreases, while Coromandel and Hauraki Plains show small decreases. The total number of sheep in the North Island at April 30th was 16,371,844, an increase of over 600,000. Waitomo County has more sheep than any other county in the Auckland sheep district, with 367,927, and Raglan comes second with 360,281. (Incidentally Hawke’s Bay County holds the North Island record with 1,422,390, and Rangitikei is second with 1,326,149.) Waipa County has 155,501, an increase of 32,793; Kawhia 76,606, an increase of 480; and Otorohanga 113,904, an increase of 28,709. Of the l 18,609 stud Romneys in the Auckland district Waipa County has three rams, 82 ewes and 54 lambs; Kawhia. County has nine rams, 294 ewes and 201 lambs, and Otorohanga County none at all. There are no stud English Leicester, Shropshire or Corriedale stud sheep in either of the three counties namad, but of the 11,392 stud Southdowns Waipa County has 37 rams, 953 ewes and 640 lambs; Kawhia County has three rams, 74 ewes and 45 lambs, while Otorohanga County has fifteen rams, 330 ewes and 210 lambs.

Kawhia County has one Ryland ram, 37 ewes and 32 lambs. In the table dealing with “sheep of a distinctive breed but not entered in a flock-book,” Waipa County has one Merino ram, one Lincoln ram, and ten Lincoln ewes; 145 Romney rams, 8 wethers, 2845 ewes and 614 lambs; 143 Border Leicester rams, 248 ewes and 81 lambs; while there are 35 English Leicester’ rams, but no ewes or lambs. The Shropshire breed is represented in this table by 20 rams, and 23 ewes; Southdowns by 2543 rams, 2785 ewes and 882 lambs. There are four Ryland rams, and under thel heading “half-breds” there are 100 rams, 236 wethers, 4413 ewes and 33 lambs.

Kawhia County’s sheep population not entered in a flock-book is made up of: Lincolns, thirteen rams; Romneys, 1135 rams, 1771 wethers, 8497 ewes, and 3726 lambs; Border Leicesters, seven rams; English Leicester's, two rams, Shropshires, 19 rams, and 50 ewes; Southdowns, 159 rams, 68 ewes and 39 lambs; Corriedales, 24 rams, 232 ewes and 160 lambs; Rylands, 49 rams; half-breds. 18 rams, 172 ewes and 59 lambs. Under the heading “other breeds” seven rams are listed.

Otorohanga County is not represented in Merinos, but there are four Lincoln rams, 18 Border Leicester rams, 25 English Leicester rams, and Romneys comprise 524 rams, 941 wethers, 11,962 ewes, and 1269 lambs. There are 24 Shropshire rams, one Ryland ram, and 720 Corriedale ewes, while Southdowns comprise 1501 rams, 931 ewes and 166 lambs. Among half-breds there are nine rams, 442 ewes and 339 lambs, while there are two rams classed as “other breeds.”

Crossbred and other sheep not otherwise enumerated comprise:— W|aipa County—3s7l wethers 2th and over, 111,382 ewes to be bred from this season, 2783 ewes not to be breid from this season, and 20,651 lambs. Kawhia County figures are: 2704, 39,756, 193 and 17.040; whTe Otorohanga has 4180, 71,283, 1442 and 17.528.

In Waipa County there are 125 owners of sheep, represented by 155501 sheep. Owners of one to 209 sheep total 112. 65 have from 201 to 500, 51 have from 501 to 1000, 37 have from 1001 to 25'90, six have from 2500 to 5000, and two have from 5001 to 7,5,90. Kawhia’s comparative figures are 32. 45, 25. 20 and three, no flock exceeding 5000. Otorohanga County figures are: 91. 90, 34. 21, 4 and one, no flock exceeding 7500.