ROMINEY HISTORY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1279, 7 November 1911, Page 8

ROMINEY HISTORY.

A PAGE FROM THE 'PAST. Roniuey breeders, and .sheepmen in gnicral, will be interested ill the attached correspondence bearing on tho fre-quently-debated question cf fhe origin ot the Komuey Jlarsli flocks in the Wellington Province, for which we are indeb.ed to a v,'ell-knowu"\ Wairarapa breeder. In the course"of"Jt covering note, the breeder in qu-istion says:— "1 enclose two letters froriT (he lato Mr. Hy. Braithwaitc that will be of interest to a great number of your readers. I'lvEsa bear on Mv. Ludlam's flock of Fiomncy Marsh sheep, and its origin. Most of tho flocks in tho province started from the progeny of Mr. Ludlam's flock, and the general impression is that .Mr. Ludlam had ' only 'purebred sheep, but- this is a mistake, os the attached letters disclose the fact that he bought 30n crossbred ewes from Dr. Hilderbrand as well as 30 purebred -owes- from Mr. Young." : Letter No, 1, • » The first letter, dated May 11, 1901, runs:—"ln answer to your rio't'e'respecting Mr. Ludlam's Roniuey flocks, as far as my knowledge goes ho started by a purchase he made from Dr. . Hiltkrbrand of 300 crossbred- sheep. I was v.ith Mr. ludlam at the time, and drovo them down to the Hutt. lie then impcrted some purebred rams from Home, and that is how he started breeding his Komnoy flock. How Hilderbrand came by those sheep I can't say. (Sgd.) Heury Braithwaite." Letter No, 2. "On rrceipt of your note to-day, Mr. O. Williams happened to be hero. Iu conversation respecting Ludlam's flock, he reminded me of a Mr. Young, who I hud quite forgotten. That gentleman resided for a time at the Hutt, and imported about ,10 ■ purebred Romney ewes from England. I believe lie brought them out with him about the year ISSG or IS'i7. Mr. Ludlam purchased them from him, and imported some purebred rams, and then purchased Hild-erbrand's sheep. Po you will see that he did comnicnce with purebred sheep. 1 e.spect the rams which ho bred from his purebred lloc.k were put to Hild-erbrand's sheep. fSgd.) Renrv Braithwaite. May 17, IPM."