SHROPSHIRES POPULAR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 671, 23 November 1909, Page 8

SHROPSHIRES POPULAR.

THE IE RIVALS, THE SOtJTHDOWNS, Mr.' Bidwill, of Wairarapa, rcccntly puri. : chased a consignment .of fifteen rams from / Mr. Vavasour's Marlborough flock of Sliropehires. It is said that the 1 purchaser mado offers for 40 'of these animals, but. no - more , could be spared. ' J. ,| : , ;r.'.-.. , ;i-.A , -v , strODgOP demand, -it scoms, is growing | ; up for these - useful sheep, - especially; in tho North Island. Evon ft hero farmers are not -■ . actually using them, they aro, .iu 111 any, cases, discussing .them, and discussion, of course, means increased interest in them. ■ lho natural rival of the Shropshire;' is tho littlo m . Southdown; Shut though tho Southdown pro- - ' bably '.mil always .remain the:, special,favourite , '• cof the men Avhoso chief concern is mutton or Jamb, the fact remains "that the Shropshire '. is-also 'mutton sheep, and it has this < > s-;v...".g re at.sadvantage over tho bouthdown,, that it grows more ;wocl. In recent.dark days, when - 'wool-waadistressingly cheap,,.tho. Southdown .v '■■:dfiyetoped -increased importance in tho North and I was' extensively)' bonght j.uji. and i /'given "honoured places l 'as-: siresi in .tho-flocks.., [ It is : from these matings that tho. prime .fat . ■V ' '{lambsr ' now awaiting- buyers - have ■ uargdy.. descended. .It mattered little, at tho .p> : .' «time 1 of - mating,- that Southdown. wool - .was -.of •■■- fmconsiderable value,- and that •SonUmojint'.hbj!iAi>'sots (if misfortune left any, such on baud) "'.woold practically- yield only one crop—meat. XFor meat Was just then tho only thing that ..... v,. 'wo cared to.think about. But now, there has . -vcome this gratifying ■ change in tho wool mar-'.it'-vi ./-jket,' while meat: values, on tho other : hand, / ■ Hhavo slipped) down unexpectedly. - Such a re«versal has naturally caused a change in tho s ?;? ?, farmer's: outlook :on .things,- and he lias-.'begun t--:::rto ask himself—and his neighbour—"How can Fi ; > - :\l ■ a little moro wool as well astho extra i - 'primenoss of lamb thai tho Southdown'gives?", it- seems that theVanswer is -supplied by tho > increased inquiry'for the Shropshire. . i'v .Experience -"only can show whether the answer is tho best one. ■ Thcro are many breeders who ■: hold that; the Shropshire: lamlj ■ . does-not- maturo so quickly . 1 as that:of .the '■r,*r. ■/Southdown, -and v that'. the essential, question is not "Jiow.'. big will tho Shropshire lamb - ultimately .become if' kept on?" but " how s-s! i big. and 'how fat will. it be at three months old?"* For thatis thoi ago-.whch: the- farmer v'. . wants tosell-him. It is'.alleged regarding the f. '. i'(Shropshire;:lamb ;that; ■ in;;its 'infancy it runs i,w- : -too much 'to " frame and that, until it has . , . • been humoured somewhat .in its framo-build- . wg fancy,- it develops -proportionately .less fat. k--'!?- ;.TheroiiSi therefore, loss of time and feed in [ the production of the finished article;.. .-A, i.- ' bigger lamb, of course, is obtained in the'end; i but usually the fattener would rather have ;va. small fat- lamb "in tho -beginning ": than F.-fiV.!-:'v: a', largo : fat \lamb ■" in- tho end." .- And ,it.. is p'SX;H-';. tthat battleground-, that tho' fight f:' .between the > Shropshire ■ and tho Southdown f: '.. ; /(.ivill haye -tor.bo .fought ■ out, The firm convicti'on that .fat - lamb: at ;thrco months bid • cost f -■; t loss per* potmd to: produce, and. is. worth -moro U per ponlid to sell than .fat lamb at six or pvAv.vf-cight .months'-iold!will'-represent a,fairly big p'.?.i; , ..-/.'-.:gain' on ! the sido of - the*- Southdowns.- .v > pSif? ;: Aiid,. after all, we do hot.' want size in a jp . ' lamb so ranch as quick ■ fattening, although hv. one likes : to:,;havo - both together; if possible. [ , It is doubtful it, with onr big Romney I f - and lincoln flocks, of the north, we want Southdown.' pij ;. - sires i:can .produce; ..- Whore .the Shropshire is »'■: largely used::(in .the south), it probably I . be - found. <.that .ithe-. owes aro smaller than .those of. the north; andisize is. then'gained from - fertile ahd well-' arranged- that .tho . owners- feel k;i. ,that.: they can. fatten', practically all. E. : !:lambs off • the mothers, regardless of .breed.£^^i, ! -And--OMVc^^ld^ < not'desM3to. : in>ply,;that. :slow' to fatten by any tneajis— 8fe?;' : ':the |y. down.-The. ideal condition of-affairs, of course, k' is to havo the lambs "pnmc, fat" all the t' 1 :-.- : time 1 fromfbirth onwards, and where some forit L .-.:;.- :: tii'natoV t guarantee'that; state : ®pfeaffairs':stna;-handsome vShropshiro',. has a i _ ... ; veiy. good''chatcb of recognition. ■ •►. »•, •f . v For ' different reasons .ithev.3ShropShp®.'j jajypeals;: to'." on'' ''rougher", country : 'who t 'get'''his*Timbs]-''o£f.:fat'.ffom' • tho mothers in .any case. rHis:natural output is-. i,J.- restricted';to'store lambs,' pr'-muttoni oT- wool.. . In-this combinAtion of produck.ho can .not-get' p;:s:p JriiUch.vag^^ate' ; ;>fn)'m ; -, the : ''iSoUth-; p-; •; down, and the greater weight of wool that the bis-; a-.S' Shropshire. is -. capablo of . producing-, carries' the feiljSi-balMcei'ini theilatter's- favour. The, chief interest, however,"in- tho qneshon of Sontht'j-. : -downs versus Shropshires does not rest so.much. ; with.-theV those .vqf.; the. rape' b .lands, and they; aro not likely ,:to settlo such ij.-:: :-. ::b complex question for all-time in tlie short tii'i •• •'i space' of, one : ficklo season. -,i-. - i