THE PASTURES

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 1, 26 September 1907, Page 11

THE PASTURES

THE BEST SHEEP. WHAT WAIRARAPA MEN THINK. . For some time there has been considerable discussion amongst' North Island sheepbrceders as to which 1 s tho most productive sheep. At one period, years ago, before the advent of the .frozen mutton industry, Liucolns were the cult. Woo! was then at a big price, and tlio sheepfarmer, carving with much difficulty u home for himself iu almost inaccessible country, could only look at the matter from a lleece-producing point of view. Lincolns have held their own for many years, and the Lincoln -Romney cross, with a preponderance of Lincoln blood, is now the general combination of breeds in the North Island. Lately there has been -a decided , preference for Romneys (Homiicy-Lincoln, . or RomneyLeicester, is the favourite cross), and many farmers are making the ncccssayy change, which they think will give them Both wool and mutton.

With a view to getting further information 011 the subject, our Wairarapa representative interviewed several well-known sheep authorities. Mr. R. Gray, who makes a speciality of Romneys, had 110 two opinions. Ho considered that no breeder nowadays could afford to pass over tho Romncy, the reason being that the foreign sheep, with its hardy constitution, was the most payable animal. Briefly Mr. Gray held that tho Romney would live well.'where the Lincoln would starve. -What it lost in wool, it made up in flesh, besidos which the Romney could jbo .heavier stocked with practically 110 loss to the farmer.

Possibly there is no bettor authority on Lincoln sheep, and sheep in particular, than Mr. AV. Perry, tho wellknown breeder residing at Penrose, Mastcrton. Mr. Perry was asked by our reporter if it was not possibh) to establish a breed combining tho good qualities of both tho Romney and the Lincoln breeds. , The Penrose breeder expressed doubt if .this couid be done. " Though those two. breeds, when crossed, produco a very hardy and valuable sheep," ho said, "it would tako a lifetime to crcate a breed combining these good qualities in a standard breed. The most- difficult feature to establish in the new. JVrccd would bo".the early-maturing, quick-fattcn-ing qualities which the first cross 0. those two - breeds produces, combined with a fairly long and lustrous staple of wool. Mr. Perry' thought that tho great problem 111 breeding any pure long, woollod sheep was to produce a riice-fleshed animal- carrying sufficient wool to satisfy' the purchaser. Wool could bo got easily enough, but at the expense of tho frame. .On the other hand, if one went in' for mutton alone, tho wool would soon bo gone. The great art of breeding was to balance, the -two qualities-so as to produce-a maximum of both. Let a farmer ex-amine-any "first-class ' long-woolled sheep, declared . Mr. Perry, and ho would find that- the flesh was full and firm almost to hardness, especially in the sire. This perfection had been attained only by generations ef careful breeding. By.tho time a now breed was so established as to be capable] of transmitting its good qualities to its progeny; it would have lost a good deal of what the J'lrcedcr had set out to procure. In conclusion, Mr. Perry said: "I would rather take tho Romney ■or the Lincoln as a pure sheep J (tlie Romney,- for preference), and try; to gain tho same objective by selection. It would.be much easier to obtain a chango of blood, and progress would, I think, be much more rapid, owing to the fact that wonderful results 'could bo effected by careful selection.", - . , . Mr. John Mackenzie, the wellknown representative for Quihell Bros., is a Highland farmer who has lived amongst sheep almost all his life. Questioned on tho much-debated subject, 110 said that the Romney-Lincoln cross seemed to be par exccllence the sheep of commerce, and, while thoro were many other crosses which gave satisfactory returns to their owners, it was hot too much' to 'say that a combination of tho Lincoln and Romney breeds formed tho backbpno of tho sheep-breeding, industry in tlio North Island. Mr. Mackenzie has a very 'high opinion of New- Zealand Romnoy-Liucohis. Ho has seen them at tlio "shows in the' South and North Islands during tho past two years, and bo declares that they could quite hold their own with tho best nocks m Great Britain. The reason that they did not , obtain tho same fancy prices was possibly because, their quality was not sufficiently known to the wooLproducing public of the Old y orld. From a lengthy experience with tho leading lights of"tho Bradford wool trade, Mr. Mackenzie felt justified-in stating cr.at the wool from the Romncy-Lmcoln cross would always be' in demand at full market rates. On tho subject of mutton ' from cross, Mr. .Mackenzie was not disposed to express a tree opinion. There were other authorities, lie said;/hotter qualified to deal with that portion, of tho subject.