✨ Sheep Inspector's Report
THE
Hawke’s Bay Government Gazette.
(PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.)
All public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official Signature thereunto
annexed are to be considered as Official. Communications made to those persons to whom
they relate, and are to be obeyed accordingly.
J. D. ORMOND, Superintendent.
Vol. XVI. WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1876. No. 14
SHEEP INSPECTOR’S REPORT.
SIR,—
I have the honor to forward my annual report for the current year, and
enclose for publication statement of Sheep Returns of 1st May, 1875, which
shows an increase over that of the former year of 48,199. The enclosed returns
comprise 602,812 ewes, 524,405 wethers, and 12,540 rams, or a total of
1,139,757 sheep over six months old in the Province at that date, as against
596,814 ewes, 486,942 wethers, and 12,802 rams in May 1874.
The exports of sheep coastwise and overland to the neighboring provinces
during the past twelve months, amount to about 62,000, and I compute that
about 117,000 have been absorbed by provincial consumption...by sowing
down during the same period.
From the abundance of feed during the past summer and autumn, I expect
the Returns of next month to show a much larger net increase this year
than that above recorded, but it is not so much in the increasing numbers, as
in the improved character of the sheep that we must calculate our advancement
in this respect, and it gives me great pleasure in reporting the continued
improvement of our flocks, two thirds of which are now more or less
longwooled. As an evidence of this steady improvement, I find that in the
past ten years the sheep have increased twofold and the value of their wool
quadrupled; in other words the improvement of our grazing country—by sowing
of permanent grasses—enclosing and subdivision of runs has doubled the
carrying capabilities of the occupied runs, and enabled us to carry sheep
yielding a fleece double the value of those of ten years ago. Whilst I desire
to note the steady progression in this direction and the increased area of
permanent grasses sown year by year there is still a great want of system, or
adherence to any recognised method of quickly replacing the fern by nutritive
grasses, and large quantities of grass seed have been lost year by year choked
by fern owing to the want of fencing, and heavy stocking at the proper seasons
to keep down the young fern.
Not a little of the rapid improvement of our flocks is due to breeders
having a wider range of selection of pure bred sires to suit their varied requirements, and breeders generally are not backward in availing themselves
of such advantages.
Since the date of my last report no sheep have been introduced to this
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Hawke's Bay Provincial Gazette 1876, No 14
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🌾 Annual Report of Sheep Inspector for Hawke's Bay
🌾 Primary Industries & Resources10 May 1876
Sheep, Livestock, Agriculture, Wool, Grazing, Hawke's Bay
- J. D. Ormond, Superintendent