CENSUS OF CATTLE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 237, 13 November 1940, Page 2

CENSUS OF CATTLE

FIVE YEARS' TREND 1,739,874 COWS IN NEW ZEALAND Statistics are now available for this year of the returns of stock, other, than sheep. From the statements of dairy company directors and others closely identified with the industry a big decline in ths number of dairy cows was expected,

The figures show no such decline. This., in view of the number of dairy cows culled out of many herds- last season? is surprising. The decline on the number recorded in 1939 (as at January 31) is only 4634, the respective figures being 1,739,874 and 1,744,478. There are actually just on 1000 more cows this year classified as . "dry." Decline Arrested 1 . In the peak year of the industry —1935 —there were 1,827,962 cows ?n milk, and 124,000 classified as dry, or 1,952,000. This season's total is 1,850,000, or a little more than 100000 fewer. This is rather a perturbing drop in the space of live years, although some hope may be extracted from the fact that the decline has been arrested, judging by this' year's figures. The 1939 decline was close on 19,000 in 1938.

The cattle figures as a whole, however, provoke some comment. In the fast few years,, in spite of the dairy drop,, there lias been a substantial increase in "all" cattle. Last year showed an improvement under this heading of just on 59„000 and in the year preceding the increase was 117,000. This year s figvires show under the same heading a decline of close on 32,000 head, of which, roughly, 27,000 are cattle other than dairying. The arresting of the dairy decline and the pronounced one in beef cattle are contrary to what observers thought. It raises the possibility of a proportion of cows being returned by farmers as "dairy" instead of in the category of "all" cows.