Advantages in Agricultural Production. 259 
Probably, for natural advantages, in respect of tbe breeding 
and fattening of first-class sheep, there is no country in the 
world superior to New Zealand. Tasmania is also noted for the 
quality of her sheep, and it is well known that many of the 
splendid rams which realise enormous prices in Sydney are bred 
there. But the vast expanse of cheap land in Australia gives 
that island continent an advantage over the smaller islands in 
respect of cheap production, though her merinos will never 
equal the New Zealand crossbred sheep for mutton. The number 
of sheep in Australia increased from 61,661,010 in 1882 to 
101,690,597 in 1892. For New Zealand the corresponding 
figures are 12,500,597 and 18,570,752. North America is 
simply “ nowhere,” as a sheep-producing country, in comparison 
with Australia and the River Plate. 
If mutton and beef should hereafter be sent in a chilled, 
instead of a frozen condition to Europe, it would be a serious blow 
to producers in European countries, although, with an increasing 
population, the demand for fresh-killed meat in our own country 
will always remain an advantage which nothing can take from 
us. It is a significant fact that, in spite of the export of chilled 
beef from the United States, the cattle industry in that country 
has suffered at least as severely from depression as it has in Great 
Britain ; but we cannot feel at all confident that this would be 
the case with Australia if the meat could be sent chilled. Nor 
can we be sure that, as the breed of cattle in the Argentine 
Republic and other River Plate countries becomes improved, 
our beef producers will be able to stand up against the natural 
advantages of their rivals in those countries. 
Dairy Produce. 
With respect to dairy produce there is nothing new to say 
about the natural advantages of the United States and Canada. 
We know what they can do with cheese. They can render our 
third-rate cheese unprofitable, but cannot touch the best, or beat 
the second-rate article out of the market. In butter they do 
not take a considerable position. Until recently, Denmark, 
Sweden, and Normandy have been our chief competitors in the 
supply of butter ; but their natural advantages in this connexion 
are not equal to our own, and it is only by superior organisation 
in making and marketing that they have obtained and kept a 
strong foothold in our markets. In Denmark and Sweden, at 
any rate, neither the pastures nor the cattle are equal to our 
own ; and in Normandy the pastures are not better, while the 
cattle are not generally as good. Nor are there any advantages 
