SHEEP-BREEDING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1502, 26 July 1912, Page 8

SHEEP-BREEDING.

CONCERNING THE MERINO. OPINIONS OF A VETERAN BREEDER. Deferring" to the merino sheep in New Zealand,'llr. Watson Shennan, of l'uketoi Station, Jlaniototo, who was an importer of tho merino breed 'as far back as 18C2, and who was tile author of the article on ltomney sheep republished from the Otago "Witness"'ii.few.days ago,, says:—The merino breed is'perhaps the most interest- . ing of all tlro'vure'cds of sheep in.existence.V It has been the pioneer sheep in many *>untries, notably tho followingAustralia, Tasmania, Argentine, South America, and New Zealand. This breed is also to be found all over North America and South Africa, and is rapidly making ■ its,way into India to improve the native sheep there. I think it may be said that,, so far as numbers, all over tho world are concerned, it stands easily at the top of tho list. It has proved itself an invaluable pioneer, and raji stand the climate of almost any country, from the. heat, of- the tropics to tho .intense cold of the mountain-tops in North and South America. In New Zealand it has weathered, the severest snowstorms yet experiencod. ,It can ■ live oil a scanty supply of food where another sheep would starve, and. still produce'a fleece of some-value. The merino was .practically the only sheep in this country for many years, and maintained a firm hold until the advent of the frozen moat industry. After that it had to givo place to some extent, on country fit'to carry them, to'the larger breeds of sheep, but is entitled to claim credit for its share in'the production, of "prime Canterbury," and-for the supply ox halfbred wool that tops the market. In the early days. -of the colony the merino prospered amazingly on hill and dale. Sheep of this breed enjoy a climb to the mountain-tops, in summer lime, for the sweet' herbage they encounter there, and come down before tho winter snowfe in splendid- condition, and full of vitality and life, carrying a fine fleece. In the'early days.of the settlement, sheep runs were lightly stocked, and nearly eyery sheep was fat—every'wether at any rate was -fit for the butcher's shop. In selling them perhaps the butcher could not offer ."prime Canterbury," but he could give something infinitely better—viz., a prime joint from a full-grown, thrcs-year-old merino wether fed on native , grasses and seasoned with such herbs hs [aniseed and parsley. These sheep had been fat all their lives, and their mntton was 1 sweet and' tender, and possessed _ a delicate flavour-which was unique in its way and unapproachable by tho best that we onn now supply;'-in fact, it provided a "dish fit for a king"- in those days, but I.am sorry to admit that it has not maintained' its reputation unimpaired on account nf the changed nature of the pasture. Many of the plants, being annuals or'biennials, very sßon disappear, and the want of them affected the quality of tho mutton; Pure merino mutton was never very suitable for' the freezing chamber: it had rather too lartje a proportion "f lean meat in it, and when- thawed out this got rather dark in anoearance, so that ■very little merino mutton has ever been exported from New Zealand.

As a Wool-Producer. • As a ■ wool-producer the merino sheep is unequalled; , and herein lies the great value'of the breed; In the early days the- 'production of wool received the gieatffit amount of attention, and. , the mutton-producing powers of the sheep were subsidiary and received little consideration: ■'■ Fashion' in that way has changed. Wool is still the chief characteristic sought for-in the merino, but much more, attention is*no\vi given; to the carcass., 1 balibve that the''body of the sheop can ba greatly.improved without .sacrificing either tho'quantity or quality of the wool very much. But this process cannot bo effected. rapidly, and must be spread over some years. The farmer who wants a desirable halfbred ewe for breedMng purposes should make a start, if possible, with the merino ewe. But merino owes are'not-so.numerous as they were at one tin;?, and if any difficulty arises in procuring thein, the next bsst thing ho can ib is to ■ ii?e the merino rani, and secure .come-back. 'owes .instead, from w'hich'he' ran secure the best, results. ■Should-he desire"to purchase merino rams he niay. use. , with advantage any that are procurable; in New Zealand, but I cannot recommend sheeb '.from nny other country. . The'fine-combing Tasmanian orthe strong-corn bins Australian sheep will certainly not 9 ' prove suitable for the dry, 'ridgy country :of Now Zealand. .Characteristics "of the Breed. I have said that the strong points in- a merino sheep, fire Instability to produce a, profitable 'fleece,! adaptability to climate and,circumstances, strong constitution, tho easo with which he can be fed, and the good returns obtained for the cost of food and management/ I have also indicated'the services rendered by this breed df sheep in crossing with other breeds, but ■so far have not described the conformation of a good stud sheep. The trouble is that the merinois a sheep of many points, and each of these must be- well developed in a good stud animal. In a well-developed ram, when the fleeco is full-grown, very little of the head can be E?en in addition to Hip horns and face. The ram of to-day has an open faco that is free from wool bolo%y tho eyes. This is a "decided advantage, in young sheep on account of the liability of. the wool to ;cover-up. tho eyes and cause blindness. ■The skin on tho face is. covered with short, "dense, silky wool; the horns should spring away from the top of the head, turning back towards the shoulders, curlin,,? round the ear, then making a graceful cilrve forward, keeping well away from .the face. A second curl in' tho horn is a sign of strength; and a graceful, wellformed horn a thing'of beauty in a ram. The i quality of the horn is an indication ,of good or bad, breeding in a merino ram. Good, eyes are a material point, and the ears should have a good cover of silky wool. The improved merino sheep has a strong, straight back from the root of tho tail to tho shoulders, with wellsprung ribs, forming altogether a compact round sheep. A fully-developed ram has hardly any neck. His folds or wrinkles on the chest leave no room for tho neck, while wrinkles on the body flro now, as a ruin, discarded altogether, and the body should be plain. Deop folds on the neck of a ram demote strength of constitution, and to some extent provide additional surface for wool-growing. A large body can carry 'a heavy fleece, but n merino for. New Zealand should not be a very hoavy animal, as his pasture is generally hilly ami unsuited for large-framed sheep.

Tho Most Desirable Wool. ._ Ths merino best suited for this country is oiia growing what is generally known as medium combing wool, and also one of medium size in frame. The fine-woolled sheep is too delicate, and tho strons;ivoolled sliccp of Australia rM|iiires too much food to keep him in condition. Tho most useful sheep for us is a happy mean bslwcen the two, and' I have seen over 3011). of wool shorn from sheen of this description, with a value for tho fleece ranging from 18s. to 205.; but. of course, sneh siipep ar» specially fed. I lnvo only to add that, in ord«r--to 'io successful, a. shebp-farmer mii?t feed his sheop wolj, so ns to Rot satisfactory results, and this applies equally to all breeds of sheop. "Thinking well is wiso; planning well is wiser: doing'wcll is wisest and best of all." Factory managers who are convinced of Hid superiority of "Victor" Vnts and who mean to mstal them had better place their orders ut once. About 70 Vats a-e now on order, but no difficulty will be oswrienced in fulfilling contracts made cany. Despite thn strike in England complete arrangements have been made for full supplies of the best materials for "Victcr" Vats. Get into communication wilh the manufacturer today. Albert .1. l'urton, Carterton.'

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