Sheep Inspectors Report (Continued.)

| Manawatu | | | | | |
| | 1. Thos. W. Cook | 8927 | Clean | 18 11 11½ | |
| | 2. F. Robinson | 6000 | " | 12 10 0 | |
| | 3. Rev. Duncan | 170 | " | 0 7 1 | |
| | 4. W. Fergusson | 4500 | " | 9 7 6 | |
| | 5. W. J. Swainson | 4350 | " | 9 1 3 | |
| | 6. J. Jordan | 3400 | " | 7 1 8 | |

| | Total Wanganui | 94,923 | | £197 15 14 | Assessments |
| | Rangitikei | 51,443 | | 107 3 5½ | |
| | Turakina | 18,484 | | 38 10 2 | |
| | Manawatu | 27,347 | | 56 19 5½ | |

| | Farmers 189 | Sheep 192,197 | | Total ... £400 8 2½ |

Note.—It is very gratifying to be able to report that the Scab has been eradicated in the District between the Turakina river and the Kai Iwi stream. The sheep owners within these bounds, whose flocks I reported Scabby last year, have not only exerted themselves successfully to clean their own flocks; they exerted themselves also to prevent the contamination, in the meanwhile of their neighbours flocks. Consequently I received in this part of the District only one new notice of scab during the year. In that instance the flock of Mr. Cameron, of Marangai, was badly infected by a stray Ram, but the flock (2,780 head) being dressed without an hour’s loss of time, it was certified clean within three months of the discovery of the disease.

There are no sheep as yet beyond the Kai Iwi stream.

In the Manawatu District, i.e., between that river and the Rangitikei, there has been no scab for the last two years.

In the Rangitikei and Turakina districts the disease has been, by comparison with last year’s report, considerably reduced, but the state of the flocks in these districts is still anything but satisfactory. A reference to my report of last year will show that the flocks of Mr. Edmonds, Mr. Bewly, Mr. Beamish, and Mr. Williams were Scabby then, and they are so still. The three former sheep owners in one part of the district, and Mr. Williams in another part, have kept the whole country side in a continual state of irritation and discomfort, sheep from one or another of their flocks have been constantly straying all over the place, trespassing upon one another and upon their neighbours. They have thus kept the disease active amongst themselves, and nothing but the most prompt, energetic and persistent steps on the part of the surrounding farmers has prevented the spread of the disease far and wide. Mr. Alex. Grant has been obliged to dip his sheep repeatedly to prevent infection from these stragglers continually coming in upon him. The flocks of Mr. Lethbridge and Mr. F. Williamson, six miles apart, were badly infected about the same time by more stragglers, but these gentlemen by the use of prompt and proper remedies cured their sheep within the first six months after the discovery of the disease.

The flock of Messrs. Stevens and Fraser became infected by stragglers earlier in the season, and I am sorry to say they have not yet been able to obtain a certificate. The flock of Messrs. Hogg and Knox has been more recently trespassed upon by stray Scabby sheep, several other farmers have been obliged to dip their sheep in consequence of an irruption of stray sheep from the flock of Mr. Edmonds or of Mr. Bewly, or of Mr. Beamish, or of Mr. Williams. In short, the whole of the Middle and a great part of the Lower Rangitikei, and the most part of the Turakina district has been made most unsafe throughout the year and is so still. So much so that I should not consider it prudent to remove sheep from any flock in those neighbourhoods without a very complete inspection before such removal. Mr. Edmond’s flock has now I believe passed into other hands, but unless the new