CHAPTER XXIII. 

 SMALL FLOCKS. 



The serviceableness of the sheep in New Zealand is 

 not at all confined to spacious areas of mountain, hill, 

 or dale, for the successful operations of many small 

 agricultural farmers are largely due to the profitable in- 

 fluence of the animal. As prices for sheep products are, 

 a carefully tended flock of a few hundred sheep will pro- 

 vide a most satisfactory income to a farmer from a small 

 area of land, growing root and fodder crops to be fed to 

 the sheep on the place. 



The sheep's direct and indirect influence towards 

 profitableness on a mixed farm is very marked. Even 

 on flat, rich lands, essentially adapted to cropping and 

 grazing cattle, there is a lot of feed that can be turned 

 to account by one of the heavier breeds of sheep. Pas- 

 ture patches, ignored by other stock, and weed growths, 

 are wastes, when not a nuisance, and sheep will profit- 

 ably transform them into mutton and wool while cleans- 

 ing the land and fertilising the soil. Any agricultural 

 produce that might have to be carried to a depressed 

 market can be inverted by sheep to the portable products 

 of wool and mutton, that command staple and rising 

 export prices. All, too, without robbing the land of its 

 heart and strength ; indeed, adding to it. Sheep will 

 physically improve the texture of the soil for grain 

 growing, a-nd are particularly useful in consolidating, 

 and conserving the moisture in light soil. They act as 

 a most efficient roller on light rolling and hilly land 

 tjiat requires compacting for the better growing of a 

 crop, and saving of the land's mineral and decayed vege- 

 table matter from loss by heavy rains ; land that is not 

 easy to satisfactorily roll otherwise. 



