IMPROVE THE ROMNEYS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 10

IMPROVE THE ROMNEYS.

COMMEECIAI QUALITIES AND TYPE. Eomney-rthe, queisn North Island %heep rapid, advances in .'.utility; qualities.';';Wiien 'experts ;remark, 'as ppmoidid ' ! on?the''Manawatu ; bliow- groundsi that . the ,'Homneys; shown ;wdi;e. :no.,better; than. thosq. 'ejttibited.: Itwo-iyfears '.agoii/.they .w'eri- 1 thinking,perhaps, 1 more;.of ,'tlie "i'anoy. points" which' ato tha.tVpomprehenav'e- ; term "type." jWheh; they;' were»aske'dwhether ■ the, average fleMe'w.asfnotj better,, diidrficfiwie'rj' and 'tholJcarcass' worth'.'more' money 'to"'the' freezer 'AhanJ'-'evei; ..befbrS,'' they 'promptly .replied -in ;the 'A' .'breedef likes, of' course, to see his' Etiiniie'y's pictures that there is' no danger of some awkward per--Ison, '.cbming .;aloig:v and ; asking ;if they : ; are - ;leicesters. anb'tancej;iiuhdefsto6d. to {Keioi^: of. -MK I 'Sheet's' chidf; endeavburs;, to -keep 'tho'true .''Bonffley./tjTe. marks'firmly : iriiprihted in his"flock,ljutia doing.: this it 'is,, notneces-'' pary to certain utility qualities, whioh (it is ccnerally' held) must be 'considered irrespective of. type.;altogether.. . ■ ;■ It;is .in; theselextra: qualities..that.-New.Zear. land -sheep : arc' seen , tobe 'shooting-so: rapidly , ahead. "Type," for, example, has-'little referenco'to the precise,'weight of the'fleece,' but Mr.' Standen's in. the class at, the Manawatu :Show;fot "aiiiiiiiils between, .the' ages ;of-18. and .SOVmohth's' .cut a : .flbecS ; oflßJlb;^last. r 'seasbli.', ' ported.:by 'Eoiiiney breeders, .and: these. Uplity : achievements are not merely, isolated happenings,"'but. are, becoming general..-/' r ; Ijiq improvement is, so ,to speak; becoming '.Tired .into-the",;breed."'..lt. is becoming "ixed"; imd'&ytwssi^^^^elivtharjwc^liiijspiJb?;. becoming prepotent to'transmit these'to, his offspring. -It is said by some who profess to be qualified to make comparisons that while the English' sliovyj -SxhiKt, E6'mneys':ambhg : which; somo are of loutsrandiiig'qualiw, .while the'rest _are New Zealand exhibits, > fifi. thfr .other of much.:bette'r;:aj?era"ge ' ?OTceironcctl is. «i> i of .ihtejfr'oeress . ;^ibb: . is said to ; New. Zealand', Eoirinfey I ,i6xhibtts':ipverij,thnt <o£;'th6 Bnglfsli% tehibitsl-'is ; ;idue"&' the! fSct'!thdt;ther'eVore/liio're '.Eomney's; 'in'iNew Zeala'rid to. select from be the sole explanation, it is still, a satisfactory index®of how wo stand.- Tho brilliance of a fe.w. of. thejEngljsfcEomneys may again :be';due to Old- Country,where'the:'housing...and' ifeedihg : of; Stock/ are common practices in preparing .these .sheep for show, purposes. • .... In any case the advan6eyn:ihe 'Commercial qualities of our Eomncys is hoyond doubt.;Jf. wo cannot bring ourselves' in, tho North-Island to produce Canterb'ur/lamkand ; muttoh,by the adoption of the exact'.Canterbury 'mode of breeding, perhaps'we ; may yet be.,carried:a.good distance iri:th(it, or in 'an equally-valuable direction, by'means of the improvement which is' becoming so marked; in our aypical North Island sheep. :, V..