248 WOOL SUPPLY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. [Dec. 1896. 



her natural capabilities in the production of mutton and wool, 

 her northern neighbour has not yet approached that limit. 



It seems that in Queensland, as in South Australia, sheep 

 breeding has not hitherto received so much attention as in New- 

 South Wales. The first-mentioned colony is said to be more 

 adapted to cattle breeding, and this applies also to the northern 

 territories of South Australia, while in the southern and more 

 settled districts of the latter colony arable cultivation is the 

 more popular branch of farming. : 



By far the greater number of the sheep in the Australian 

 continent are of the merino race, while in New Zealand long- 

 wooled sheep and cross-breds are now the more popular types. 

 In 1894 the sheep stock of New South Wales was made up of 54 

 million merinos ; 1 million long-wooled sheep, the greater number 

 of these being pure and stud Lincoln and Leicester ; and 1,896,000 

 cross-breds. This proportion may be said to represent roughly 

 the composition of the flocks in the other colonies of the 

 Australian continent. 



The imports of wool into the United Kingdom from the several 

 colonies during the last 13 years have been as follows : — 



Quantities (000 omitted.) 



Year. 



Western 

 Australia. 



South 

 Australia. 



Victoria. 



New 

 South 

 Wales. 



Queens- 

 land. 



Total 

 Australia. 



New 

 Zealand. 





Lbs. 



Lbs. 



Lbs. 



Lbs. 



Lbs. 



Lbs. 



Lbs. 



| 1883 - 



3,701 



45,609 



98,828 



100,629 



25,324 



274,090 



70,837 



| 1884 - 



4,476 



45,859 



99,355 



120,221 



29,924 



299,835 



75,409 



1885 - 



5,526 



41,349 



83,201 



110,106 



31,399 



271,582 



78,606 



1886 - 



5,786 



48,207 



93,890 



134,930 



25,952 



308,765 



87,209 



1837 - 



5,311 



41,505 



96,289 



115,893 



27,627 



286,629 



91,055 



1888 - 



7,141 



40,123 



106,581 



149,540 



35,727 



339,112 



84,238 



I 1889 - 



7,973 



42,814 



91,367 



152,263 



38,050 



332,473 



92,060 



! 1890 - 



11,329 



35,626 



98,300 



127,403 



44,141 



316,798 



95,633 



'1891-. 



8,015 



49,221 



92,654 



165,465 



50,592 



365,947 



104,848 



1892 - 



6,421 



44,625 



99,786 



181,837 



69,863 



402,532 



104,738 



1893- 



6,871 



41,779 



93,430 



150,096 



59,403 



351,579 



117,038 



1894- 



8,798 



45,101 



95,540 



173,228 



49,209 



371,876 



124,792 



1895 - 



8,650 



50,567 



111,193 



186,087 



55,543 



412,041 



124,227 



The bulk of the wool exported from Australia is shipped to 

 British ports. There has been some increase lately in the 

 colonial trade with Eastern markets, and while Japan and 

 China have not, however, hitherto made extensive purchases of 

 Australian wool, there is said to be some prospect of a better 

 demand from markets in these countries. 



Although the greater quantity of the wool produced in 

 Australia is merino, a variety which only indirectly competes 



