MORE FARM STOCK

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

MORE FARM STOCK

RECORD NUMBER OF SHEEP. INCREASE IN DAIRY CATTLE. Wellington, Dec. 15. The population of New Zealand, including Maoris, is little short of 1,500,000, and this population occupies approximately 43,000,000 of the 66,000,000 acres of land. The holdings number nearly 86,000, and vary from 1 to over 50,000 acres in extent. The amount of stock carried is the subject of a detailed analysis by the Government Statistician, and is incorporated in his recent report on the agricultural and pastoral production of the Dominion for the season 1928-29, Livestock is enumerated as follows:— Cattle, 3,445,790 (dairy cows 1,371,063); horses, 298,930; pigs, 556,732; sheep, 29,051,382. The number of sheep shows an increase of nearly 2,000,000 Over' the previous year, and establishes a Dominion record. The increase in the number of cattle is 172,521. Dairy cows have increased by 18,665, but decreases are shown in the number of pigs and horses. Other farm livestock includes asses and mules, which, in 1928, numbered 250, and which have decreased to 237. Goats are bred only to a small extent, and probably the number on farms is many times exceeded by the number of wild goats in the country. At the end of January, 1928, there were 34,226 goats, of which 8590 were Angoras. The previous year’s numbers were several thousands lower. Included in the returns are bees. They are counted Hy apiaries and hives. In February, 1929, there were 8985 apiaries, representing 91,901 hives. Practically half the apiaries consisted of less than five hives, but these represented less than seven per cent, of the total number of hives. The sheep returns establish a record. From 1918 to 1922 the flocks decreased considerably, but the latter year marked: the turning point, and each .year since hag witnessed a substantial increase in the number. The figures this year, at the end of April, with those of last year in parentheses, are: Rams, 422,331 (396,351); wethers, 3,289,135 (3,024,647); breeding owes, 16,608,155 dry 1 ewes, 882,098 (869,127); lambs, 7,849,063 (7.309,634); total, 29,051,382 (27,133,810). The number of flocks increased by 730 in 1929, from 25,982 to 20,712. The amount of wool obtained in the season 1928-29 was 203,118,870ib. from sheep and 7,580,7931 b. from lambs. In the season 1927-28 the respective figures were 187,883,2021 b. and 7,004,3231 b. The average fleece per sheep weighed 8.031 b. in 1928-29, as against 7.841 b. in the previous season.