1656 FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
Year. No. of Sheep. Ibs. of wool. Population. 
L840... ence cece ener woes 5,118,777 9,845,295 2,428,921 
S05 4.505.369 13,864,828 2,604,499 
| Ss] | a 3,453,241 10,071,301 3,097,394 
| 2,630,203* 9,231,959 3,466,212 
L860... ce ce ee cee eee 2,617,855 9,454,473 3,880,728 
The State census of 1845 gives separate returns of 
sheep 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.+ 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 tablet 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. 
+ I state this 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 possession. 
{ Except, perhaps, United States census returns of 1840, which I 
think were taken in the same way. ‘ 
