PASTORAL RESOURCES AND DAIRY

INDUSTRY.

NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that the soil, climate, and indi

genous herbage of Australasia are admirably adapted to the sustenance of animal life, no attempt was made to test the capabilities of the land as a feeding-ground for flocks and herds on a large scale until the example of Captain Macarthur had demonstrated beyond doubt that Nature favoured the production in Australasia of a quality of wool which was unsurpassed by that grown in any part of the world. Then the settlers began to understand and utilise the natural resources of the country; and as the indomitable spirit of exploration gradually opened up the apparently boundless plains of the interior, pastoralists extended their domain, and sheep and cattle in increasing numbers spread over the face of eastern Australia. Now the expansion of the pastoral industry is gradually converting the central and western portions of the continent into holdings devoted to the production of the greatest element of the wealth of Australasia.

The beginnings of pastoral enterprise in Australia were very humble. The live stock of the community which accompanied Captain Phillip comprised only 1 bull, 4 cows, 1 calf, 1 stallion, 3 mares, 3 foals, 29 sheep, 12 pigs, and a few goats; and although the whole of the present flocks and herds of Australasia have not sprung from these animals alone, yet the figures show the small scale on which the business of stock-raising was first attempted. No systematic record of the arrival of stock seems to have been kept in the early days of settlement; but it would appear that during the period between Governor Phillip's landing and the year 1800 there were some slight importations, chiefly of sheep from India. In 1800 the stock in Australasia comprised 6,124 sheep, 1,044 cattle, 203 horses, and 4,017 swine; while at the end of the year 1896 there were in these colonies no less than 111,083,519 sheep, 12,702,126 cattle, 1,926,787 horses, and 1,007,025 swine.

The following figures give the number of stock in Australasia at various dates up to 1851 :

The increase in the number of each kind of live stock since the year 1861 is illustrated in the following table :—

The average number of sheep, cattle, horses, and swine per head of the population of Australasia at the same periods was as follows::-

It will be seen that in 1861 there were 18.8 sheep for every person in Australasia, and that this number had increased to 31.8 in 1891. In 1896, however, in consequence of the dry seasons, and the demands made upon the flocks for the export trade, the average number had fallen to 25.7 per inhabitant. During the thirty-five years the average number of cattle depastured diminished from 3.2 to 2.9 per head. breeding of horses and swine has about kept pace with the population.

SHEEP.

The

The suitability for pastoral pursuits of the land discovered in the early days was undoubtedly the means of inducing the infant colony of New South Wales to take its first step on the path of commercial progress, and, looking backward, it is not a little surprising to find how steadily some of the settlers, in the face of the almost insurmountable difficulty of transport which existed a century ago, availed themselves of the opportunities at their disposal. The importation of valuable specimens of sheep from England or the Cape of Good Hope prior to the introduction of steam was at all times attended with great risk, and it frequently happened that many of these costly animals died during the tedious voyage. These enterprises were, however, on the whole successful, and thus the flocks and herds of the colonists surely, if at first slowly, increased and multiplied.

By the year 1795, Captain Macarthur, one of the first promoters of sheep-breeding in New South Wales, had accumulated a flock of 1,000, which were held in great estimation, and gradually increased in value

until, as recorded by an entry in his journal ten years later, the market price of a fat wether had risen to £5. Not satisfied with the natural increase of his flocks, Macarthur sought to improve the quality of his fleeces, by which means he could see opening before him the promise of great wealth and the prospect of establishing important commercial relations with Great Britain. With these ends in view, he procured from the Cape of Good Hope, at great cost and trouble, a number of superior rams and ewes. A happy circumstance favoured his enterprise; for he had the good fortune to secure possession of three rams and five ewes of very fine Spanish breed, which had been presented by the King of Spain to the Dutch Government. These animals, out of

a total of twenty-nine purchased at the Cape, arrived in Sydney in 1797, and were disposed of to various breeders. With the exception of Macarthur, however, those who had secured sheep of the superior breed made no attempt to follow up this advantage, being probably amply satisfied with the larger gains from the sale of an increased number of animals. Macarthur, on the other hand, thought little of present profits, and still less of breeding entirely for human consumption. He attentively watched the results of crossing his imported rams with the old stock, and by systematically selecting the finer ewes which were the offspring for further mingling with the sires, he gradually improved the strain, and in a few years obtained fleeces of very fine texture which met with the ready appreciation of English manufacturers. It has been asserted that Macarthur was not the first to introduce merino sheep into Australia; but whether this be so or not, there is no doubt that to him is due the credit of having been the first to prove that the production of fine wool could be made a profitable industry in New South Wales.

Prior to the present century the production of the finest wool had been confined chiefly to Spain, and woollen manufactures were necessarily carried on in England upon a somewhat limited scale, which was not likely to improve in face of certain restrictions which the operatives endeavoured to place upon their employers. These men, in support of their contention that the woollen trade could not be expanded on account of the limited supply of raw material, argued that fine wool was obtainable only in Spain; and it was at this favourable period that Macarthur arrived in England with specimens of the wool obtained from his finest sheep, conclusively proving the capabilities of Australia as a wool-producing country. In this way he opened up with English manufacturers a small trade which, as Australasian wool rose in public estimation, gradually increased until it reached its present enormous dimensions. During his visit to England, Macarthur purchased an additional stock of ten rams and ewes of the noted Spanish breed, nearly equal in quality to those which in 1797 he had procured from the Cape of Good Hope. That these animals were the finest obtainable in Europe may be gathered from the fact they also had formed portion of a present from the King of Spain to George III. After his return to New South Wales, Macarthur patiently continued for many years the process of selection, with such

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success that in 1858, when his flock was finally dispersed, it was estimated that his superior ewes numbered fully 1,000. Victoria secured a considerable portion of his flock, and the process of breeding proceeded simultaneously in that and other adjacent colonies.

Although the increase in the numbers of the finer sheep was satisfactory, yet the importation of superior stock was not discontinued, and the stock of the colonies was augmented in 1823 and 1825 by the further introduction of Spanish sheep. Sheep-breeding was about this period commenced in the Mudgee district of New South Wales; the climate of that region had a more favourable effect upon the quality of the fleeces than that of any other part of the colony, and it was thence that the finest merinos were for a long time procured. As was to be expected, the climate has in some respects changed the character of the Spanish fleece. The wool has become softer and more elastic, and while it has diminished in density it has increased in length, so that the weight of the fleece has only slightly altered. Thus, on the whole, the quality of the wool has improved under the beneficial influence of the climate, and if no further enhancement of its intrinsic value can be reasonably hoped for, there is at least every reason to believe that Australasian wool will maintain its present high standard of excellence.

The following table shows the number of sheep in each colony at the close of the years 1861 and 1896; also the annual increase per cent. in comparison with that of the population. In Victoria no live stock returns were collected in 1895 and 1896, and the figures for that colony therefore refer to the year 1894 :--

In Tasmania alone has the business of sheep-breeding decreased since 1861; yet the colony is singularly well adapted for sheep raising, and its stud flocks are well known and annually drawn upon to improve the breed of sheep in the other colonies. In all the other provinces there has been a material increase in the number of the flocks, although in New South Wales only has the advance been proportionately greater

than the population. There has been a very substantial increase in the number of sheep depastured in New Zealand, Western Australia, and Queensland during the period of thirty-five years, but the population has grown even more rapidly. In South Australia the area adapted to sheep is limited, and no great expansion in sheep-farming can be looked for. As regards Victoria, the important strides made by that province in agriculture and kindred pursuits afford sufficient explanation of the slow rate at which its flocks are increasing. The statement given below shows the proportion of sheep in each colony to the total flocks of Australasia. In 1861, out of every 100 sheep, New South Wales depastured 23-7, while in 1896 its proportion had increased to 43.5, or little short of half the total flocks. In the latter year New Zealand came second, with 17.7 per cent, closely followed by Queensland with 17.6 per cent. Western Australia is the only other colony where the proportion of sheep depastured to the total number in Australasia was higher in 1896 than in 1861 :

In order to show the increase or decrease in sheep during the last ten years, the following table has been prepared, giving the numbers in the various colonies at the end of each year since 1887. It will be seen that returns were not collected in some years in Victoria, South Australia, and New Zealand, and that the figures for those provinces are therefore incomplete,: