LIVE STOCK STATISTICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 57, 14 March 1907, Page 2

LIVE STOCK STATISTICS

A comprehensive analysis of the figures o, the live stock statistics shows that the North Island owns the greater number of horses, swine, and cattle, hut 80,009 sheep less than the South Island. The Wellington "Post" has been going into the figures and mentions that the collection of the statistics dealing wSlii Siorsca, swine audi cattle is made in October, aud Die emimonition of sheep is not made till April. This may be convenient for the department, but makes it very inconvenient for purposes of comparison. However, talcing them as they stand, the North Island, as we have said possesses more live stock than the South Island, although the latter is credited with 21,408,338 acres in grasses while the North Island possesses only 13,224,240 acres of grassed lands. There IS, however, this important dill'erenco between the two islands, viz., thnt the North island has 7.910,804 acres in sown grasses, while the South lslanJ has only 4,807,727 acres, and the N'ortn has therefore the greater carrying eapaeify. The distribution of the stock in the two islands, is shown in the fable appended:— ~ Number. N, iibur. Total* s( - 133 M 3 I4!),!mi 3i3o r iy s'.\„i(; iu2,cos 70.007 aw'ara Qlli 1,111,301 43',440 1,8.51'7.',0 I' 1",00«,;31 10,09;!,7 0 »o!l(l8,'47l It will be seen from the above that the North Islard owns 43,0(17 hi rses S'j - 0,30 swino, aud 970..852 cattle more'than Hie South Island. Of cattle the Xorti. Island has about two and a half times the number of the South. Separatim; the possessions of each district, we "A the following;— ° Hor.sc* fwiuo Cattle Slice,i Auel 'a; <] row n m . 15 , s|s "I II tivke» Bay 3, ,301) H, 4M ss.-,,;® j^lu'ss? sr? 27:I,I)I3 1-13,013 lfeyioo 1,4U,301 10,00.),:3I MarJl„ r „ UK ,, (K, lhal ■ w., vi . .' M 4 W,«S 2»'.47U Nulla,kl y-»3 1 ,TGj 'iil/j.u 3, 4'>2 C.Liitori.ury f.,,2-3 «,Wl 13M33 O'aso 07,'i0 25,41)9 2! S ,t(,s 3, 7 85^50

149,a11, 7!1,(JD7 44'1,-lOt) 1 710 Auckland holds the record for cattle swine and liorses, while Canterbury, stands first with the sheep. Horse's call for very little comment; there has been a steady increase in this class of bve stock in tl'o post ten years. There lire 1G,093 nio..e hoses in the colony than there were a year ago, and 80,HK more thai; were recorded in each of the previous two. jeart. In 1904 there were J255, 320 pige, in 1005, 249,727, and at the last enumeration. Considerable interest attaches to the statistics of. cntt'e because of the great expansit.,! if file daily •udiiSti'v. The increase 'in the number of cuttle has been steady and continuous. In 18!)7 we possessed 1209,105 head, and lastOctober the iva liber recorded reached the splendid total of 1.851,751) head, all increase of 04*3*5. or 53.14 per cent, the greatest gaii. has oeen in dairy eat tie, 'J he I'tiniber 1 f dairy cows anil heifers v.as leti'ived at (iO 1.137 head in Octouer of la. t year, ai d this is equal to 32.U2 per cent of the total number of cattle in the colony. Of the total number of da'ry cfttl'e. Wellington district possesses 114 584 head, or IS.9(i per cei t, and Taraniiki HIS.ISI head, or 22.5? per cent; the WellingtonUitt Coast districts were thus in possession of 252,72!) head, 01-41.83 per cent ot the total number of dairy cattle in Xew Zealand. Taking the past ten years, the expansion in the dairy herds is shown in the table appended:—

Di'iiy C.'U'c ]nci't' WD7 30 ',s')t 131)8 :!70,r.5;, <|tii)| lsl'll 39,1,143 ?4 55S 1(100 4ai,l!ol> 11,.11,3 1»H «0,49: i 13,R?7 1902 '172,103 51,670 IHO3 616,17!) 43,010 lI'J I MO,l Hi 3 |,;137 I'JO. r, 74,7111 2-1.67S I'JIG ti'J 1,137 21),313 ' 2(3,5J6 Ju ninq years the number -of daiirvi cattle has increased by 243,5411 head; equal lo about 1)7.54 per cent. It is a question whctln y our dairy farmers could not obtain as good, if net better, results from a smaller herd more carefully selected for milking qualities and better bred. The scientific select ion of the dairy herd is bound to he taken in hand Sooner or later, hut with the high prices recently ruling for dairy products the temptation has been to turn in to the bail every row thai would yield a fair proport'on of nrlk. /