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Vol. III.] 



December 1896. 



[No. 3. 



WOOL SUPPLY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



The production of wool in the United Kingdom is necessarily 

 dependent upon the various influences which in successive years 

 determine the size of the flocks in this country. A comparison 

 of the numbers of sheep enumerated annually since 1876 with 

 the estimated population of each year during the same period, 

 would show that, while the home production of mutton and wool 

 lias remained practically stationary, the number of consumers 

 bas increased by about 1 9 per cent. Reviewing the statistical 

 data for the past 20 years, the average annual number of sheep 

 and lambs relatively to every 1,000 persons in Great Britain 

 and Ireland has been as follows : — 





Average 









Annual 



Average 



Sheep per 



Period. 



Number of 



Annual 



1,000 of 

 Population. 





Sheep and 



Population. 





Lambs. 







1875-77 - 



32,585,000 



33,205,000 



981 



1878-80 - 



31,619,000 



34,290,000 



922 



1881-83 - 



27,839,000 



35,197,000 



791 



1884-86 - 



29,404,000 



36,018,000 



816 



1887-89 



29,214,000 



36,886,000 



792 



1890-92 - - 



32,871,000 



37,796,000 



870 



1893-95 " 



30,459,000 



38,784,000 



785 



1896 - 



30,j86,000 



39,432,000 



7$0 



The great reduction of the stock in the hands of flockmasters 

 after 1879, and again in 1893-95, may be partly explained by 

 the special circumstances affecting those seasons, viz., the ravages 

 of fluke in 1879-81 and the drought of 1893-94.' Making 

 allowance for exceptional influences of this nature, it would 

 appear that there has been no development of sheep-rearing 



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