SHEEP BREEDING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8226, 1 September 1906, Page 7

SHEEP BREEDING.

OFFICIAL RETURNS. The following annual returns dealing witbjftbe number of ,'iheep in the oonlony. etc., aru taken from the offlohal year book for 190G, advance sheets of which are to hand from the Registrar General, Mr E. J. von Dadelszen: — :. The returns made to the Depart ment of Agriculture show a smaller number of sheep for the year 188G than the census inures given previously, because the account was taken later in the year. The particulars are given for that year, and each of the ten years, 1896-1905, distinguishing the number foe the North from that in the Middle Island. According to these returns, the flocks of the North Island increased from 5,285,907 sheep in the year 1886 to 9,388,605 in 1905, or at the rate of over 77 per cent., while aheep in the Middle from 9,888,356 to 9,742,270, a loss of 1.48 per cent, in thij same period. For the North Island the increase daring the twenty years was 4,102,698 sheep, wnile in the Middle Island there wds a decrease of 146,086.

There was a deorease of 1,211,852 in the total number of sheep since April, 1902, by the above figures, and a slight decrease between 1896 and 1905. The export and local consumption of wool developed from 111,537,546 Ib. for the year ended September, 1891, to 150,541,110 lb. for the corresponding year of 1905. The export of sheepskins and -Delta, which in 1890 was 2,292,521 in number, rose to 4,931,191 in 1905. In spite of tne great slaughter required for the export of frozen mutton, the number of sheep in New Zealand kept up wonderfully until the year 1902, but the two following years showed a considerable decrease. The figures for 1905 exhibit a large increase over those for the previous year. The proportion of small flocks of sheep has increased very considerably, and with smaller flooks the rabbit difficulty should be easier to master than wtih large ones. NUMBER OF FLOOKS IN 1905.

. Total .. 18,423 The average size of flocks is found to have been 1,659 sheep for 1886, I,QBI in 1896, 1,010 in 1903, 1,038 in 1905. Of the provinoal districts, that of Canterbury had most sheep in 1905, Wellington came next, and Otago occupied the third place. The full particulars, showing increases since 1904 tu be general throughout the colony with the exception of Hawke's Bay, are given:—

Totals .. 18,280,806 19,130,875 NUMBER OP BREEDING EWES. The number of breeding ewea in the colony in April, 1905, was returned at 10,079,184, and in April, 1904, at 9,222,448, an increase of 856j736 for tbe year. Figures for ten years are given. There is an apparent disposition now to avoid an unrestraineud slaughter for purposes of the industry:— 1896 8,382,781 1897 8,687,183 1898 .. .. •• 8,445,012 1899 8,661,746 1900 9,257,054 1901 • 9,906,616 1902 9,610,149 1903 9,071,751 1904 9,222,448 1905 10,079,184 The annual export and consumption of sheep during tbe lust six years has been: — 1900 4,858,975 1901 5,237,806 1902 6,036,625 1903 .. .. •' 6,886,385 1904 6,023,259 1905 .. •• •• 5,66.7321 It has been estimated that the annual consumption of mutton in New Zealand is equivalent to 2.25 sheep per inhabitant, and that the number of sheep required ia the present year (1906) for food will be about 2,137,000. (Maoris, for the purposes of this calculation, have been included). Two important advantages that sheep-faiming has in New Zealand are (1) the low cost of tbe production of mutton, and (2) the high percentage of natural iuorease.

Year. N. Island. M. Island. 1886 . 5,285,907 9,888,356 1896 .. 9,131,786 10,006,757 1897 .. 9,540,717 10,147,237 1898 .. 9,864,945 9.808,780 1899 .. 9,953,399 9,395,107 1900 .. 9,998,173 9.357,022 1901 .. 10,218,945 10,014,154 1902 .. 10,286,346 30,056,381 1903 .. 0,433,831 9,520,722 1904 .. 9,203,963 9,076,843 1905 .. .. , 9,388,605 9,74*2,270

Size of Flocks. 1905. Under 500 .. ..' • 11,545 500 and under 1,000 .. 3,120 1,000 „ 2,000) 2,000 „ 5,000 f 3,084 5,000 „ 10,000.. 374 10,000 „ 20,000.. 203 20,000 and upwards 97

Provincial No. of Sheep No. of Sheep District. in 1904.• in 1905. Canterbury .. 4,031,68?. 4,486,265 "Wellington .. 3,682,888 3,948,583 Otago 3,360,743 3,547,768 Hawke's Bay .. 3,081,188 2,937,887 Auckland 2,037,078 2,078,313 Nelson 845,376 863,161 Marlborough.. 811,828 815,040 Taranaki 422,809 423,822 Westland .. 27,215 30,026