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"SHEEP A LIABILITY"

STATE OF WOOL INDUSTRY IN U.S.A.

N.Z. COMPETITION

CAUSING RANCHERS GRAVE CONCERN

(By "Ex-Canadian.")

Correspondence recently to hand by _ the writer from Western Cannda una ~ Middle 'Western State.-y of ; America tends to make out a Rood case, for the unloading of New Zealand's surplus stocks of frozen moat on the American markets; Th» following pasango culled from one of the letters may be taken as typical:— 'I am triad to see that your little country is at last waking up to the possibilities of working up a market in the Suites for your frozen mutton, and it may interest you to learn that your recent shipments to vlie Atlantic seaboard are causing Western livestock nroducers no little consternation. Incidentally "it is proving ail excellent advertising medium for your afl' yet little-known country. New Zealand meat has recently given birth to snare head-lines in the live stock oolumns of - several Western newspapers/' Sheep Trade Demoralised. Newspaper clippings forwnrded by'the same mail lend colour to the foregoing statement, . Aecording to one article, which,'curiously onotigh, is headed "Ans•tralian Mui'itori," continued heavy imports of New. Zealand frozen mutton have demoralised the sheep trade of the Western States. "Already," it-' states, . "1,600,000 carcasses have been imported,, and more is- on the way. Canada is taking a limited .quantity, but the bulk must be consumed at the Atlantic seaboard, where it is being forced into circulation. The accumulation in the packers' hands is a constant menace to the trade, and will be all winter. Fat lambs are selling at twelve, dollars (£2 10s.) per cwt. in Chicago, and good sheop • at 5.50 to 6 dollars (.£1 2>. 3d. to J3l is. 4d.), prices that figure below an import basis. The wool market is dead as a salt codfish,..with no signs of an early revival, and' 110 most farmers a sheep resembles a liability."

Ravages'of Wolves. / ■ Since 'penning the foregoing facts I kave read with interest an interview in TTThf, Dominion with Mr. M. A. Hiott, who has just returned from a trip to North America, in which lie states that lie was satisfied that New Zealand need never fear either Canada or the United States as competitors in the mutton and lamb trade, ■; as t'ihe climate'and natural conditions and, the prevalence of pests prevented the successful raising of these animals to any ;large extent. Mr. Eliott is on the right tVack. Losses of sheep in both the United States of America and Canada through the depredations of dogs and wild animals in recent years have been much heavier than most' people imagine. Legislation in many Rtfates restricting the keeping.of dogs, and :viiorons efforts to destroy other eheep-kill-in? animals have failed to remove the menace. Recent reports to hand from thfi Sfatw .indicate that the loss of sheep last year from these causes /was more numerous than over before. One flockmaster states that 7CfO lambs -out of a. total of .'flflO wer? killWl by wild ani•mals in 1919. The report of the Secretary of Agriculture (U.S.A.) reads: "During the year there .were enptured and killed 819. wolves. 2G.&1 coyotes (prairin wolvesl. 85 -mountain lions, and 3462 bobcats arid lynxes. It- is estimated that tho destruction of Khese pests resulted in a saving of live stock valued at 2.376,650 dollars." In Kansas in a recent, • year wolves and kindred species killed 1868 sheep out of flocks totalling 123,344. ,■? ; The Dreaded North King. The extreme cold of the long winters takes an even heavier toll of sheep than that of the wild animal?. In many of the States and in ,'tlie Western provinces of- Canada the' snow remains on the ground for nearly -six months, and durInp all that time the sheep have to .be fed by hutnan agency and warmly housed. For all practical purposes this precltidos the possibility of sheep-rnising. being Bona in for on a large scale except in isolated ca«es. The. personal atte'ntie'.i bestowed'on tho sheep durinrf the wf nttf makes for a heavy expenditure in labour. < and the. feed bill also mases severe inroads on the profits. Even in the, wiiimer months tho a'leep have to Le,herleJ into corrals, at night in order to guard against the attacks of wild niiii-jut*?, and these latter mostly spell wolves.

Tn a word,, in America hae never shone in any particular brilliance. The Federal Govf'jiinent (U.S.A.) is endeavouring to oncouiap,- ah increase in the domestic flocks of pheep, and has pointed out that ijie prospects seem to lie in inerm-iinj rm.iller .s treks on farms maintained virtually as a fideline, rather than largo herds on the "ranges"—the open, natural rr.nch pastures., .According to one authority little' increase in the, production of sheep on the . western ranges can fo ;c:ppcted "ns most of the grazing areas CTe new fi.lly stocked. Any material increase must accrue through the development of farm flocks. ■

Shesp-Shy, Kanchcrs.In Western Canada, where the conditions are mere unfavourable than in thi United States the orovincial Governments are rankin? sporadic attempt? to «i ct ! v . ely aecliriiatiFa (he sheep, hut the dyed-in-the-wool" cattle i-f,nr-hers seeni to fight shy of the;, wool industry.'' They do not understand sheen, and the oldtime cattlemen's contempt cf "ar.ftliintr with wool on its back" still survives in maia* parts. In this connection the recent report of one year's v.-ork Kv the Department of Animal Husbandry' I'nivarsity of Alberta, "on the fffect of breeding ewe lambs as shown bv body development and ■ growth of :fleoce,'' points to rather discouraging.: losses on the part of breeders among yc<;nfr ewes at the time of breeding nnd is more or less at a logs to-arrive at' any definite 2! 1 i' lo ' ,8 / s i to ' ho ?': to RO about the inau 3 try of sheep-raising.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201204.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 60, 4 December 1920, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
954

"SHEEP A LIABILITY" Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 60, 4 December 1920, Page 5

"SHEEP A LIABILITY" Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 60, 4 December 1920, Page 5

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