WOOL-GROWING COUNTRIES.

Te Aroha News, Volume 1, Issue 47, 26 April 1884, Page 7

WOOL-GROWING COUNTRIES.

Mvny colonists are apt to think that Australia anu New Zealand are the greatest wool-growing and sheep- breeding countries on the face of the earth, but^the following stdtibtics will undeceive them on this point. According to the latest, official returns available, the«e are the numbers of sheep in the biggest wool-growing countries : — Great ttrilaiu, including the Channel Islands, possesses übout2B,ooo,ooo sheep ; and the United States, 50,000,000 ; Australia and New Zealand bo, k st between them of no less than 7b',U00,0()0 sheep, but this number, large as it i*>, must yield the place of honor to the 9 1,000,0 J0 possessed by die River Plato province.*!, in South America. The growth of hheep in these provinces has been marvellous, and bids fair to increase at the same rapid rate. It certaintly is and will be the most formidable rival Australasia will meet in the wool marts of the world Enormous tracts ,->f land still remain to be taken up, and big runs can be got very cheap. The climate is most suitable for sheep for the plains rarely suffer from droughts. Very much of the soil is black alluvial deposit, many feet dcer>, w'uHi takes certain kinds of English gr s v r readily, and does not dry up too iiiuun in summer. The quality of the wool exported in the early days of sheepfarming in the Kiver Plate countries was usually of inferior qu-ility. but of late years it has veiy greatly improved, owing to the importation from Europe- oL" pure-bred sheep, bpito of tins competition, the railway ivturns in New Zealand show a very great increase of wool earned this season, amounting to many thousand bales. It is eomtorlmg to liml that though wool fetches very low prices, yei that these are sufficiently high to stimulate wool-groweiA to fuithcr exertions. So many countries are now icn'ing vast flocks of sdieep both for theii meat and wool, that it behoves fanners to seek everywhere for iresh nurkets Few couutues have such great natural advantages for slui.-p-reai ing us this, and what is now needed for success are other njiulcets than London, so tint, when the chief market is glutted, there may be other outlets fui wool and meat. — N. Z. Mail.