Page 16 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20496, 15 March 1932, Page 16

auctions. u. MATSON AND CO. THE SELECTION OK A KAM. J'OINTS TO EE CONSIDERED. roKJtEC'T MATING ESSENTIAL tOR sTCO-itASTER AND FLOCK-OWNEII. THE pruductiuii of high-class rams is not juU u simple matter of mating a well-bred ram with a lot of equally wellbred ewes without taking the trouble to examine the different points of strength and weakness oa both sides. .Skilful mating depends on a careful study r,f these; different points, so that the sire makes up for any deficiency in the ewes, «r vice vert a. In pedigree flocks breed points count on both sides, and due regiird Must be paid to pedigree, for unless t.ie Wading of the sire is studied it is a very i-asy matter to lose type and very difficult to regain it once it is lost. Rain breeding represents the highest form of art as applied to sheep-breeding, and it is not every breeder Uv any means who is a perfect master ol tli« art. The most successful breeders have always been those who have had a perfect knowI'dne of the individual propensities of the different members of the flock, keen to recognise the breeding powers ol the ewes, and able to select their rams with the still j.eceß'ary to bring out the best results in ih« progeny: Tt often happen* that a somewhat mean-looking ewe properly mated proves h great breeder, producing a winner every year, but, on the other liand, if unskilfully mated, her progeny is of no outside value. SKILFUL MATING NECESSARY. Everything, therefore, depends on skilful mating in a ram-breeding Hock, and a man must be a master ot the art of breeding to be a success as a ram-breeder. The same principle in regard to the selection of a i) ire should be applied it* all commercial flocks, crossbred or otherwise. Skilful mating makes all the difference in the type and quality of the lambs, and careful note should be tuken of the strong and weak points of the ewe flock before purchase ing rams to mate with it. Indiscriminate mating results in lack of type and uniformity of appearance, which are both important factor* in obtaining a good price lor tne lambs whou sold. . Cross-breeding in slipep is no" \ e y ,. tfjiAlYely employed, and in cross-breeding rams should be selected not solely for good pointi, but ainci on account ot the suitability of the breed to which they belong to cross with tli<i breed to which the ewes belong, Some breeds cross well with each otherethers do not, and just as there is really no best breed so there is no best fliat breed or cross is always best which is most adapted to the conditions undei which it has to exist. i REMEMBER: Old Mother Hubbard who Went to the Cupboard. Your stock will not find the cupboard ! bare if you supply Wxit in every paddock. It keeps the animals m goo" health, the sulphur increasoa the sheaiI ing propensities of the sheep, and no Flock Master should be without it. Obtainable from all Stock Firms. TypE OF COUNTRY MUST BE STUDIED. Then again regard must be had to the demand in the district in which the sheep *•>* hrpiA In some parts of tha country thereis a demand for lambs from a class of ewe. provided they are sired by rams of a certain breed, whereas lainbs from the same class of ewe by rams of another breed no demand at all, though perhaps the one cross may be just as good as the> other only local prejudice has to be studied in * h depends upon the needs of the district to which lambs eventually find their way to be fattened either on roots or grain, and as dealers have to study the wants of their customers flock-masters must , ' l Tko*points that constitute a good ram are eau&lly ipplicftbld to *U breeds, S for what purpose a TAm is required it inf Dure or croßß*br®6(liDP» be pure-breJ| and ahow that true type and character that are only to be found in "Swa ctn "oly be placed in rams from BaUftnce »VUful)y and carefully bred. l" B «od rt*ep may come by chance from i gl*SZ*'!«*■ ssx,*: depended upon a* » • » 3 generations T ™ f Z m c and ram has been easily chosen and maTedit is difficult to go far wrong.. THE BETTER SIRE SCORES. so nocb the more level, breedy,looking, and M Tf^ever b Tram may belong he 2rE X°od scrag!'* good back and loin, top line a . n d under lino naralleL tail set on in a straight line witn back, which should handle firm and level right along, the backbone being_ we covered with flesh. The legßshould be set _ ./iMtMiv wiih good bocks. Tbo skin should % the 6 flleca of wool well up to the standard ot the breed to which the ram b# sX breeders make a point of choosing a ran that is a twin, the idea being that a twin is more likely to beget twins, but a high percentage of twins is probably more dependent on the breed and tha condHion of the ewe# at mating time. Some herds are more prolific than others, »»d doubtful if the mere fact of a ram being a twin to# any influence on the percentage of twin lambs horn. There is always a dis* tinetioa between what are known as breedera* " sheep and "farmers' " sheep. A ran thai la suitable for heading a high-class flock •is also boond to be suitable for commercial purposes, ■ but the so-called farmers sheep la not #s a rule by any means fitted for serrlee ia • ram-breeding flock. ■.' v; —; —— \ MOLASSES —A really wonderful production sold under the name of "MOOKI SOLIDIFIED MOLASSES" strongly encased in steel containers. Every Farm should have it, and as you -move the stock, movo the containers. Obtainable from H. MATSON, and CO. USEFUL QUALITIES' SHOULD BE PRESERVED. ■ At the same time.:breeders must be careful in the class of ram they Pit on the market for commercial purposes. Many breeds have lost the support of farmers • simply because more attention has been paid to fancy point* than the more useful qualities that help to pay for the rest. The use of well-bred and oarefully-selectod nuns makes all the difference when it comes .to selling the lambs, whether they' are sold as "stores" or fed off to the botcher on roots or as fat lambs. It may bo thought in the latter case that, as the lambs will be killed off at an early age any sort of ram will do, but for fat lamb production a suitable sire is a point of the greatest • importance. - EARLY MATURITY AN ESSENTIAL. It ia essential for fat lambs to mature .early and fatten quickly, so that rams must be chosen that are the most likely to bring about these results. A good sire is half the flock, just as a good bull is half the herd, arid it is equally as bad jgolicy to use a mongrel-bred or '.'scrub" ram as a ".scrub" bull, about which we hear so much nowadays. At the same time, no sire is ail powerful, however good he may be, and in order to breed lambs of top quality, that will mature early and give the most profitable ret'uA, whether sold as stores or as mutton, it is most important to exercise the greatest caro and judgment ia the culling end drafting of the ewes. Ia all pedigree flocks the ewe flock , is gone over most carefully every year, and only those that ore true %> type and proved good breeders retained. In commercial flocks things are done in a more rough and ready way, and perhaps less attention is paid to individual merit, but It Is alwaya advisable to draft out three-cornered specimens and those that are lacking 'in uniformity of appearance. Mixed flocks of all sorts and ■ sises are never satisfactory. THE IMPORTANCE OF DIPPING STOCK. Dipping becomes more of a science every day. It rids the ■ sheep of pests, so that the stock can thrive. The annoynaco of sheep rubbing against fences, gates, and sand banks is largely the result ot inefficient dipping. ■. TO.IP—A Powder Dip has come as a I boon and & blessing to the sheep men. The proprietors are meeting the condiJ lions of th« • flock-master by marketing < their commodity bMow the rates of r others. The satisfactory analysis of Elliott pros., the largest chemical people in Australia and Ntw Zealand, fs respect to tola dip, and the criticisms of those who have already used the dip this seacon, Is responsible for our placing: it on the market with the utmost confidence. ■ ■ - It MATSON and CO.