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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 246, 23 February 1911, Page 3

OUR STAPLE INDUSTRIES.

RURAL NEW ZEALAND UNDiSR REVIEW No. 18. [All Rights Reserved.] (By R. J. EAMES). HAWKE'S BAY: PROVINCE OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE. BIG -LAND HOLDINGS. The figures which follow show very clearly that in Hawke's Bay particularly, and also in Auckland and Wellington districts, there is plenty of room for a bigger population in the domains of the sheep, fn the North Island there are 103 holding-; over 10,000 and under 20,000 acres in extent, and 40 holdings over 20,000 and under 30,000 acres. Besides which there are 11 holdings of over 50,000 acres. There is no oecupiable country in New Zealand so poor in quality as to justify land-ownership on this scale: 100 1000 10,000 20,000 to to to to 200 COOO 20,000 50,000 Auckland 3030 1055 31 14 Taranaki 131!.') 202 2 0 IT'ke's Bay 355 320 41 20. Wellington 1531 670 2!) G Of holding* over' 50,000 acres in extent there are 4 in Auckland, none in Taranaki, 3 in TTnwke's Bay, and 4 in Welling-, ton'jdistrict. Taking a general average of the land in occupation, it is shown that the Hawke's Bay holding* aie more than twice as big as those of Wellington and Auckland, and more than three times as big as the holdings in Taranaki: Average holding acres Hawke's Bay 79ft Wellington ' 375 Auckland 316 Taranaki 220 The value of sheep country in Hawke's Bay varies greatly according to quality and situation, but as a general thing £4 per sheep to the acre is considered safe buying. LARGE FLOCKS. According to the latest sheep returns', there were 24.200,020 sheep in the Dominion,, owned by 21.522 people, or an average of 1127 sheep per owner. The sheep dfstricts do not coincide, with the provincial districts or the land districts, but a, consideration of the following figures will''shoV that the Knst Coast is still the distinctive place in the North Island in the matter of big ownerships of sheep: District No. of sheep sheep p'r own'r I Auckland 1,205.340 475 Wgt'n-West Coast '5.700,015 1251 Napier-Gisborne .. 5,913,301 2410

Of the Dominion's 24J000.000 sheep, what is officially known as the NapierGisborne district possesses not far short of 6,000,000, or nearly a fourth of all the sheep in New Zealand. To compare the size of the flocks, the following table shpws the number of owners grazing the bigger flocks:— , 5000 10,000Sheepdistrict to to 20,000 ';-'-•■ 10,000 20,000 sheep Napier-Gisborne .. 181) 01 31 W'gt'n-West Coast 135 35 ,10 Auckland 12 nil nil THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Besides the Golden Fleece the Hawke's Bay carcase puts in no small claim to importance. There are large freezing works at Gisborne, Napier, and on both sides of Hastings. For the year ended December 31, 1000, there was exported from Mew Zealand 200,773,0!)81bs of frozen meat. For the year ended June 30, 1910, the North Island contribution was as follows: — I •

Mutton and lamb Beef lbs lbs ■ Napier-Gisborne 44,808,106 20,067,114 Wellington 41,264,250 17,717,790 Waitara, Pa tea andWanganui 0,401,079 17,672,918 Auckland 2,401,157 6,023,414

The sheep carcase values to the farmers qf'Napicr-G.isborne district may b(* shown in another way. For the year to which we have referred there were 554,151 carcases of sheep; and sheep, at time, of He writer's visit to the district, about the middle of January, were fetchin", for freezing purposes, from 14s Od to 16s each as off the shears. Of lambs there were 391,41<S carcases. At the same date lambs in wool were bringing 12s (id each. ' THE COAT OF THE SHEEP. Gett'in." to the coat of the sheep: For the year ended June 30 last theTe were sold at tiie local sales at Napier 48,4!)!) bales of wool and 89,488 sheepskins, as compared with -20,07:1 bales of wool and 101,112 sheepskins the. previous year. The exports bv sea for the year ended June 30, 1908, totalled 70.770 bales of wool and sheepskins, 83,034 bales in 1009, and 89 520 bales in 1910. Tt may be added that the value of Napier's exports in 1910 was over half a million sterling more than in 1 900. THE MARCH OF THE ROMXEY. If one were to be asked the outstanding characteristic of llawke's Ray sheepbreeding, it might be, replied with truth that the most notable change of recent years has been the march of the. Romncy. "Pure Merino" was a descriptive term common! v a piffled to sheep-kings of other da\s. but the aristocratic animal (meaning the sheep, of course) has quite lost its prestige in Hawkc's Bay and now ranks, numerically, second lowest in the list of sires used for Hock purposes. The animal least, in demand is the ..Miropshirc, and the Merino comes next. There are only about two thousand of him (the Merino) used amongst the six million sheep in the district. The Lincoln is second highest in demand, about 19,000 rams being used, but the Romney holds pride of place, the services', in stud or Hock, of over 40,000 rams bavin" been requisitioned last year. The preponderance of this particular breed is also marked throughout the North Island. Its suitability to many localities has been demonstrated, and its sounder constitution and the lint' quality of the wool it. grows has confirmed its popularity. It may be interesting to give the figures showing the order of popularity in which the sires run in the land of the Gulden Fleece:Flock rains. Horn ne v ;iS ' 4S7 Lincoln 18.02!) Kiedish Leicester 4.310 Horder Leicester 4,234 Southdown 2,13S Merino 2.02? Shropshire (lß >>