Flock source of 309 c per kg wool

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 7

Flock source of 309 c per kg wool

The nine bales of wool that topped the last Christchurch wool sale at 309 c per kg came from stud English Leicester ewes in the largest flock of the breed in the country.

The flock belongs to Mr Harold Bennett, who farms at Riverside, at the mouth of the Ashburton River, about 18km from Ashburton.

It was established back in 1920 by his father, Mr Alexander Bennett, and since then only six ewes have been brought in from outside — these w ere bred by Alex Habel at Hamilton in Victoria and imported in 1970. Before that, in 1938, Mr Alex Bennett imported an English ram which is credited with having had a marked influence on the stud, leaving progeny that were big and rangey and clean pointed. Today the stud is the largest of the breed in the country with 429 ureeding ewes. Mr Bennett says that the wool which brought the big money was classed from the stud ewe fleeces. These sheep clipped an average of about 6kg of wool, not including crutchings. He believes that it was the lustre of the wool and the strength of the fibre which brought the big price. He says that English Leicester wool is naturally free draining and dries readily being open and loose and also naturally heavy in condition with grease which helps it to shed water. Mr D. A. Studholme, wool executive officer with Wrightson NMA, Ltd, in Christchurch, whose firm offered the wool, said that it was a nice stylish line of wool that was very’ well grown and sound. It was about 15cm to 17.5 cm (6in to 7in) long and of about 39 microns in fibre diameter or of about 40/44s count and about 76 per cent yield. The wool was bought by the firm of Jacques Segard whose manager. Mr J. P. Bourbeillon, said that recent increases in wcol prices had not been confined to New Zealand and prices for mohair and also Argentinian wools of lustrous style had shot up to the extent that strong lustrous style wools in New Zealand had become saleable at a premium over < arpet wools as an alternative for mohair or the Argentinian wools or for blending with mohair. Mr Bourbeillon said that there had been a lot of nquiries in recent months for these wools from both Western Europe and Japan and this particular wcol would be going to Western Europe. This particular outlet, he

said, could be subject to fashion changes but there seemed to be a place for the production of more of these wools although there would not be an unlimited demand. At the average weights of bales being received into store at the present time, Mr Bennett’s wool would be worth about $5OO a bale. In the early days of the sheep industry “in the South Island, in particular, the English Leicester was one of the dominant breeds and P. G. Stevens, writing about sheep farming development and imeep breeds in New Zealand, says that it was used here as in England for crossing purposes, and as one of the longwools used to produce halfbreds from Merino ewes did much to establish the industry on a meat producing basis.

However the breed had declined in recent times to the point where it was at a low ebb, but Mr Bennett says that there has been an increasing demand for these sheep over the last two years and the past season has been a good one, for sales will practically every breeder having sold out. In recent years Mr Bennett has been selling mainly to farms and stations on the east coast of the North Island. On the property of one of his customers the whole of the Romney flock has been crossed with the English Leicester. From what they tell nim in the North Island, Mr Bennett says that this has been done to increase wool weight and also lambing percentage.

When the English Leicester is crossed with the Romney he says that as well as increasing the weight of w'ool produced, particularly where the wool is well grown, the type of wool is also outstanding for the carpet wool market. Another result of the infusion of English Leicester blood is the ability to retain a strong fleece and also clip a good weight of wool ffom three, four and five-shear ewes. The length of the staple also facilitates the shearing of lambs and the shearing of young ewes for a second time in the autumn. First cross wether lambs drafted for slaughter also give a wool pull that is hard to match and Mr Bennett recalls that tailend English Leicester-

Corriedale cross wether lambs that he had killed this month gave a wool pul! of 1.7 kg and had a skin worth $7.37 each. The breed also continues to be crossed with Merino ewes to produce halfbred rams for crossing with hill country flocks. Mr Bennett sees the breed still having an important role to play in the country’s sheep industry. The sheep, he says, has a good back line and also a

wedge shaped shoulder with high pelvis setting, which makes for easier birth of lambs. In these days when body weight is recognised as having an important part, to play in lambing percentage, he says that the English Leicester being a high body weight sheep has always produced a high percentage of twins. In the season now ending he recalls that 560 Jambs were tailed from his 429 ewes in

spite of the fact that it I rained all through lambing 1 time, and in crossbred • sheep he adds that under I reasonable growing condi- I tions there is normally a gain in bodyweight too.

Last season Mr Bennett’s English Leicester ewes, which produced the high priced wool, were drenched with a well known commercial preparation and also selenium in the j autumn, winter and spring I and were wintered on \ irrigated autumn saved grass, and this he believes helped to produce the high quality wool.

Last November Mr Bennett sold his English Leicester hogget wools at 223 c and 228 c per kg. prices which were higher than those paid for corresponding Corriedale wool.

At the Ashburton centennial show in 1977 he also had the distinction of winning Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating Company’s silver salver for the supreme champion of the English Leicester breed. He also has a stud Corriedale flock on the property, which currently contains 44 ewes, and also a commercial flock of some 900 Corriedales which are crossed with the English Leicester to produce first, cross English Leicester Corriedale ewe lambs and also first cross wether lambs for export. Sheep from the Corriedale flock have been included in both the recent consignments of sheep to go to Romania and he also recently bought the South Dorset Down flock of Mr 1.. Begg.

As well as the 900 flock ewes he runs about 500 stud ewes on his property, and while the sheep represent the major activity on the farm, in a good cropping area he also grows some wheat and barley and saves some small seeds.