BARGAINING FOR A SHEEP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 2

BARGAINING FOR A SHEEP.

SOME 100-CUINEA BEAUTIES

A LEAF IN THE LIFE OF A BREEDER. "They aro tho pick of the pick." The speaker was Mr. E. J. Riddiford, of Lower Hutt, the great Romney breeder; and the remark was addressed to, a noted Gisborne breeder, whom wo will call " Mr. Jones." There was a smell of bargains in the air, and the writer watched and listened with interest. "Run them in, boys." The "boys" drove a score of the finest yearling 100-guinea rams in the world into a harrow pen, and buyer and seller followed them in. It was a raro sight. The sight of one champion in a show ring always arouses a good deal of emotion in the heart of a connoisseur, but here were twenty of them, bvory one worth the coveted ribbon. Four or five, specially branded, were first separat j/ rom res .k They were Mr:. Riddiford s bwnj solection. Oil them will depend the quality of the Riddiford flocks of the fiituni. The rest were at Mr. Jones's disposal. . Mr. Jones cornered one. "Good brisket," he observed. "It'is a sign of constitution," commented' the owner; "constitution is a strong feature of all my sheep., They live under natural conditions. The grass .that you see here is all tho food they get. We have no rape on the place. I rarely exhibit my sheep, and I certainly am greatly opposed to trimming and high feeding. My sheep aro reared under tho conditions that ■ a farmer will want to ■ keep them under whon he buys them. Look at their heads?" "I would like the head a trifle finer." "Finer? You eannit have too masculine' a head on a sire. A. .good masculino sirc> will • produce progeny with constitution. These are sires, every inch of them. But hero is a ram with'a longer head. It approaches, in that respect, tho English type that I am trying to avoid." ; . '■ "What did you think'of the imported sheep at the shows?" enquired Mr. Jones. "I thought tliem rather too long in tho neck and body." ' "So they aro. But tho English sheep all rail in that way. You can't get a sheep in all Kent that isn't too big. We; don't want sheep that are too big to get about our country."' ■■■".. "You bred the champion at Wahganui Show, which beat tho imported ex-cham-pion?" observed tho writer. "Yes,", said Mr.. Riddiford. "I told Mr. Collins when lie bought it that it would ilot disappoint him,. although' it: might become a little too big. _ It is not'quite my ideal of a sheep that is 'miiltum in parvo.' But it was good onough to bo championi" "Good short necks," commented Mr. Jones, taking, a general, survey, "and short legs."

"Heads in the middle of their backs," as sented the brooder.. "Shortness of leg ; is ; feature of. them. : Give me a short-loggec bull or stallion or ram, and I'll get gooc progeny from it., Constitution is; perhaps : the strongest of all the points in my.- shtj'ep.' " Constitution is what most , of tlie Nev Zealand sheep. lack," said Mr. Jones. " A • tho shows the, imported sheep always striki you as excelling.in constitution.'' "Do you know,what gives.it? It is noth ing but chalk—tho chalk of the Kent hills It gives than bone. And it always must bi so." ' ' " Good wool on the .back.' But a lit-tli scarce on tho belly." Mr. Jones was bus; on' tho underpart of one .of the rams when h< uttered this comment. _'7: "'Ah, now- you are looking for twapemn wool," was_ thoquick i'eply. What docs i' matter? , You'll not find' any sheep 1 in' Now Zealand, .and certainly nflt in England, y.-itl wool farther, down, the legs than Ihes'o have And look at the dbnsencss 'of tho wool or ; overy.ono of them. It fills tho hand; line what fills the hand, fills the balo and tilt banking account, too."-;:; . . ' Mr. .Jones held up something- betweci: thumb and finger, almost triumphantly. H< had for fifteen minutes past been assiduously looking for something .'m.j.the wool .of' th< various sheep, and at last ho had found it Ho was a good buyer (as Mr. Riddiford wai a good; seller))' and he made !tho most of hi; discovery. ■ ■ ' • . ■ ■ " Kemp," he observed. V '•"• >'' Mr; Riddiford held ,up ,tho minuto fibr which had been plucked from the sheep's skii and lie and, his sons examined it in the sun light. 'Apparently kemp is a raro coinmodit; in tho Riddiford flocks.,:' '■'•'''-7 ; "In . tho_ densest wool," explained ''th breeder,." it is ' always the case. But yo' will find very little trace of. it. Some Ne\ Zealand .'flocks', have great patches of it.". Mutton qualities—this Riddiford typo c Romney has the symmetry of a Southdownwore discussed in, some detail, but in ever; way favourably. And it began to bo apparen that these rams possessed the' good qualitic of a perfcct farmer's sheep' in -a combiriatio: raroly. found. There was obvious'xonstitu tion, great denseiiess and - purity of fleect beautiful serration;- splendid' 'bone, fin mutton figure," and an; ontiro absence of th saddle-back, which has disfigured many of th prize-winning sheej). " But the wool is a little too strong fo my flock," said the Gisborne man. ■ "Too strong on a ram I" exclaimed th great sheep-breeder. "A good/siro canno help' having good strong wool.' It willcer taiiily bo weaker 'in th'e. progeny, under; th [ influenco of tho ewes, i'ou cannot' get th body of a Leicester and tho fine wool of r i Merino all iii 0)10 Romiiey. The ideal shee] that you. are looking for. was never, born.' "It was," said Mr. Jones, quietly.lt i there. And I'll give you 1 115 guineas for it.! Ho pointed jto one of the rams that Mr Riddiford had previously set aside for his owi Hock.. - ... - "If you offered me 200 guineas for tha one," said tho owner, "I couldn't let yoi bavo him. I must,keep my best for,my owi flocks." , , ■ It was an interesting battle—this battle 0 buyer and it will be courteous t-i draw tho curtain and let them finish it aWa; from .tho flashlight of public gaze. Vi'hethe Mr., Jones "finally -carried olf one of the 100 guinea -treasures or left theni for othe selectors concerns them alone. That thi prico will not bo greatly beaten down i apparent.. frim "the'- fact that the'rest: of th rams (sent to the Masterton ram fair)' fotchei as high as £50, and £60. ;And they w'oro no the pick, of the,pick.