SHEEP FAKING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1080, 20 March 1911, Page 8

SHEEP FAKING.

AN ENGLISH Or-IXION. One of the writers in the "Farmer and Stockbreeder," published in London,, recently .contributed an article on the "getting-up" of sheep, in'which he said: "With rcspect to trimming, which is now, according to a recently, expressed view; being carried to"excess,'it is anticipated tnat there .will be the greatest dithculty, or, one may say, impossibility, of determining how/mucn trimming can be allowed, it any. "'What then, is the remedy? - 'We ; have recently at our winter shows noted sheep of certain breeds being trimmed, to tho detriment of the reputation of those breeds, to make them appear totally ditferent to the real characteristics ot the breed. There is only one way that, to the writer's mind, appears at all feasible, and that is to throw the entire responsibility on the judge. "One can . imagine the reader saying, 'would you make the judge decide whether ,-or not sheep had been unfairly-.trimmed, or trimmed more than they ought to ber' No, but I would require him to award the premiums only to sheep thoroughly characteristic of their breed. A judge acting on these lines, or a series of judges acting in that manner, would more effectually and more quickly clear the show yard of any objectionable-prac-tice than a whole boolrful of .rules. It might not b'e popular with exhibitors, but it would be popular with the wellwishers of the breeds. Nothing can do greater harm to the reputation of any breed than for its show-yard specimens to be other . than characteristic of the type. For instance, a short-woolled sheep trimmed into an ideal shape contrary to the general characteristics and appear, ancc of the breed in its natural condition; or a long-woolled sheep, clipped into a square,- symmetrical-shape, with broad-ended--locks of wool instead of pointed, or absolutely different from tho locks found in the fleece of the ordinary sheep, not only misleads those who inspect them, but inevitably disappoints the best of our purchasers—the foreign and colonial export buyer. ' . "The responsibility of our judges is unlimited, for if they by their'-'awards declare publicly that the prize-winning sheep are typical representatives of their breed,when they are"not, instead of doing good 'to their breed they are doing an almost irreparable injury. "The subject should he ventilated, for there is a very great deal that could be done for the benefit of many, of our races if the use of. the shears as well as the colouring pot could be much more limited than it is at the present'time. 'But the remedy is net a cast-iron set of regulations, with penalties, etc., but by means of those gentlemen who act as judges taking a stand and following the suggestions indicated above. "The writer was discussing,Jhis point last season with a well-known'jiltlge, and called'his attention to a,.cettaig-.success-ful sheep in. which trimming ■•fetd' altered the general appearance so that it was hardly recognisable as one of its breed. The judge said: 'What could I do? In every it > was..far;.,.and aw'ay 'the best sheep of the breed " there, and I could not well let it go without some recognition.' Thus this sheep, owing to the,' "-"of,! its ,• owner (the ' ;,doubt. t]ic-;'il£truincnt, but wdTannsfr-ii of forget tfiaWtt is the owner irho is '.l'esiionsible);r:liad_-been altered so tknt it was characteristic neither ,of its own breed nor of any other breed. Such a position one finds in connection with many exhibited sheep, and the sooner tho exhibition of such-.-sheep is stopped the better. And , the Siost effectual way to do -this is for tfi? judges dho and all to, send 1 thi'm/TtaclsSlo their pens without any award whatever."