166 FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



Tear. No. of Sheep. Ibs. of wool. Population. 



1840 5,118,777 9,845,295 2,428,9-21 



1845 4,505.369 13,864,828 2,604,495 



1850 3,453^241 10.071.301 3,097,394 



1855 2,630,203* 9,231^959 3,466,212 



1860 2,617,855 9,454,473 3,880,728 



The State- census of 1845 gives separate returns of 

 slieep over and under one year old, and those over one 

 year old are alone placed in above table ; for if lambs 

 were included we should get no idea of the average 

 number of the year or the average weight of fleeces. 

 The annual number of lambs does not, however, equal 

 the number killed, driven out of the State, or which 

 die from disease, for otherwise the aggregate number 

 of our sheep would not be steadily decreasing. The 

 United States census of 1850 and 1860 gives only 

 sheep one year old and over ; but the State census of 

 1855 gives the entire number of sheep without respect 

 to age, and the number Is 3,217,024. f If this number 

 were placed in the table, it would convey a wholly 

 erroneous impression of the actual number left in the 

 State after the usual annual decrease from the causes 

 above stated, a wholly erroneous impression of the 

 average weight of fleeces, and it would be inconsistent 

 with the rest of the table. :f For these reasons I have~ 

 given the number of fleeces instead of sheep returned 

 in 1855. This should approximately give the number 

 of sheep in the State at shearing-time over one year 

 old ; and as it would mainly exclude both the annual 



* Number of fleeces. 



f I state tliis fact on the authority of Mr. Johnson, the Correspond- 

 ing Secretary of the State Agricultural Society, who has examined 

 the State census for me, a copy of it not being in my possessiSn. 



\ Except, perhaps, United States census returns of 1840, which I 

 think were taken hi the same way. 



