462 



Trade of Australasia. 



the values of the principal agricultural exports, excluding 

 wine, in each of the three years 1893- 1895 : — 



Products. 



i893- 



1894. 



1895. 









£ 



£ 



£ 



Wool - 



18,394,000 



18,409,000 



17,282,000 



Meat - 



1,975,000 



2,469,000 



3,015,000 



Wheat, grain and flour - 



1,843,000 



1,591,000 



909,000 



Tallow 



1,258,000 



1,541,000 



1,520,000 



Skins and hides - 



1,173,000 



855,000 



1,168,000 



Butter - - - - 



898,000 



1,280,000 



1,139,000 



Other products 



399,000 



425,000 



525,000 



Total - 



25,940,000 



26,570,000 



25,558,000 



From the foregoing figures, in which the exports from 

 Western Australia are not included, it will be observed that 

 the value of the shipments of wool is roughly equivalent to 

 two-thirds of the sum at which the exports of all kinds of 

 .agricultural produce are valued. 



The production of wool for exportation is an important 

 branch of pastoral farming in nearly all the colonies, but 

 New South Wales has the largest interest in this industry, 

 her flocks numbering about 48 million head out of the 1 1 2 

 million sheep enumerated in Australasia in 1896. The 

 average shipments of greasy and scoured fleeces from this 

 colony, including the consignments from Victorian ports, are 

 valued at between £8,000,000 and £9,000,000 yearly.* 

 Merinos are the prevailing breed of sheep existing 

 in New South Wales, 90 per cent, of the flocks 

 being made up of this variety, and the remainder 

 of long-wools and cross-breds. These proportions also 

 represent approximately the constitution of the flocks in 



* The exports to the United Kingdom and other foreign countries from ports in 

 New South Wales amount to about £6,500,000 annually, but considerable quantities 

 of New South Welsh wool are sent to Victoria and re-exported from Melbourne, 

 while, on the other hand, New South Wales imports wool from Queensland and other 

 colonies and re-exports it. 



