FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 167 
increase and decrease, it would unquestionably ap- 
proach about as near to the average number of the 
year (though a little over it) as is arrived at by any 
other method.* 
Mr. Kennedy also prepared for me the following 
table, illustrative of the increase and decrease of cer- 
tain leading branches of husbandry in the State of 
New York, for a period of twenty years: 
1830. 1840. 1850. 1860. 
FLOrseS.... see eceeeee No returns. +474, 543 447,014 303.725 
Milch cows.... ....eee do, 931,824 1,128,634 
Working oxen,........ do. 1,911,244 178,909 191,702 
Other cattle ........... do, 767,406 727, 33T 
Sheep ....ceccecesees do, S11S TTT 3. 458, 241 2.617555 
Wool, pounds of... ... do. 9,845,295 10,071 301 9.454473 
Butter... ccc. e eee eee do. No returns of 79.766. 094 108,095,679 
Cheese. ..... 6. do. these separate. 49,741,413 48, 48,968 
Had .the United States census of 1830 contained 
returns of sheep in the State, I have no doubt that a 
considerably greater decrease would have been indi- 
cated between that year and 1840 than between 1840 
and 1850. 
While the vastly higher priced lands of England 
carry nearly two sheep for every inhabitant, and with- 
ina fraction of 590 sheep for every square mile of 
territory, it appears that New York has now less than 
* After the amount of public money that is expended on the Federal 
and State censuses, it is vexatious to find their want of uniformity and 
glaring want of accuracy. Discrepancies are visible at every step. 
Tn looking at the returns of sheep from a single county, in the State 
census of 1855 (received from Mr. Johnson); I find that in some towns 
the whole number must have been returned, in others; the shéep which 
have been sheared; and, in others still, the number of fleeces given 
considerably exceeds the aggregate number of sheep of allages! It 
is certainly very unfortunate if the proper officials cannot hit upon 
suitable instructions for the marshals, express them in terms which 
men of common intelligence can understand, and find men of common 
i igence to execute them. 
+ This includes horses and mules. 
