by a slight rise and then a state of relative stability during 
Precisely the same period as that in which the cattle herds in 
their upward movement also paused. A gradual decline then 
set in, but the figures during the decade immediately preceding 
the outbreak of war were practically the same as the previous 
lowest 10-year average, 25 years earlier. The war-time loss was 
exceedingly severe and the average numbers during 1916 to 1925 
were less than 15% millions, a reduction of over 30 per cent. as 
compared with the decade 1867-76, and in two years, 1920 and 
1922, the numbers were below 131 millions. There has, however, 
been a substantial recovery during the past three years, and the 
total in 1925 was practically 16 millions. 
It will be seen from the following table that the districts 
in which the sheep flocks have been more or less maintained 
comprise the northerly counties and Wales, where there are 
extensive areas of mountain land. 
AVERAGE NUMBERS OF SHEEP IN THE DIFFERENT 
AGRICULTURAL Divisions mx 1871-75, 1891-95 
AND 1921-25. 
Divisions. 
Eastern 
North-E astern 
South-Eastern 
Bast Midland 
West Midland 
South-Western - 
Northern > 
North-Western  - | 
North Wales 
South Wales - 
1871-75. 
Percent- 
age of 
the total 
number 
in 
England 
and 
Wales. 
Number 
of 
sheep. 
Thou- | 
sands. 
1,691 
2,798 
2,480 
2,359 
2,225 
2.517 
2,567 
1,881 | 
1,252 
1,759 
Per 
cent. 
7:8 
12-9 
11-5 
0-9 
2.0 
23 vg 
er 
Q - 
1891-95. 
Percent- 
age of 
the total 
number 
in 
England 
and 
Wales. 
Number 
of 
sheep. 
Thou- 
sands. 
1,382 
2,285 
2,153 
881 
967 
=h8 
85 
“24 
188 
848 
Per 
cent. 
6-9 
11-5 
10-8 
9:5 
9-9 
11-9 
13:56 
9-2 
ih 
9 S 
1921-25. 
Percent- 
age of 
the total 
J ; 
Susher number 
of in 
sheep. England 
and 
Wales. 
Thou- 
sands. 
514 
1,213 
1,221 
1,113 
1,198 
1,449 
2,479 
1,601 
1,706 
1.891 
Per 
cent. 
3:6 
8-4 
8:5 
77 
8-3 
10-1 
17-2 
11-1 
11-9 
13-2 
8 
In the northern and north-western divisions of England, 
Where the proportion of rough grazings to the cultivated area is 
high, the decline has been much smaller than in the rest of 
England : in fact some counties, e.g. Cumberland, Westmorland 
and Northumberland, show definite increases. In the two divisions 
of Wales the numbers of sheep in the last 5-year period are also 
higher than in 1871-75. Taken together, these four divisions 
accounted in 1921-25 for over 53 per cent. of the total number of 
sheep in the country as against 35 per cent. in 1875.