The Sydney Sheep Sales.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 87, 6 October 1894, Page 4

The Sydney Sheep Sales.

Says the Auckland Herald: —It will be remembered that in the Sydney Stock and station Journal of the 11th July last, a humourous letter from a correspondent was published, charging the sheep breeders of New Zealand with passing off wethers, and even ewes, amongst their stud rams, sent to tbe Australian ram fairs for sale. V-r Forrest, in bis address to the Farmers' Club at Cambridge, at their la«a meeting, alluded to this matter. On tbe morning of the sale, said Mr Forrest, the Sydney buyers congregated together, and looked at (be could not say they examined) the sheep. He tried to induce them to make a closer inspection, and told them to turn the sheep over, and see the belly wool. " The belly wool !" they said, •' that's ot no use ; it only fetches l|da 'b." He admitted that, but *aid the sheep before them had '• back wool ! " on the belly. He turned one over ir» proof of this, and the mtendiug buyer after feasting his eyes invited him to " come and have a wive." Ho did not see a single sheep bandit d while h° was at tbe sale. (Mr Me u'lough : 'How about the we' her* ?") Laughter. J Weil, he would 'el'er to that little matter at .me", ft, was not until after lii- return to "WwZenlnnt that he hear I that wwliers and ewes had Wn cold ♦or 'm* in the ydney roark.t. He did not know whether there was any truth in the statement, but he did know that such a thing coul'i no' have happened in New Zealand. It was possible that in 9000 eh«'ep sniimittel to auction ther^ was one wether, l»ut he was jnclinpd to think ihe joke was the produc • f a New Zealander, who wished to persuade the -ydney buyers to examine the shrep offered ,o them. He hoppd it would have the effect of wakiug them up.