THE RAM FAIR.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 231, 6 March 1875, Page 3

THE RAM FAIR.

Committee—Messrs J. T. Matson, E, Mitchell, W. Norman, J, T. Ford, W. Henderson, H. E. Alport, R. H. Campbell, and R. Wilkin.

The annual Ram Fair, under the auspices of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, was held yesterday upon the grounds of the association in Colombo street south, and though the number of entries far exceeded that of last year, yet the fair in most other respects was a failure. The attendance was by no means so numerous as might have been anticipated, and the absence of visitors from other provinces was very marked. The prices realised were in many cases, so far as breeders were concerned, absolutely ruinous. The figures obtained last year were certainly in most cases more than satisfactory, while this year they were quite the reverse. The fact is for the last few seasons a mania for long-woolled sheep has possessed representatives of the pastoral interest to such an extent that ram breeding has been an exceedingly paying game. Rama have fetched long prices, whose breeding and make and shape would have entitled them to appear to greater advantage as wethers From our experience of yesterday we cannot help arriving at the conclusion that this game is played out, and for the sake of the province we are glad of it. For the future, it is sufficiently apparent that none but really pure bred sheep will be remunerative to their owners. In reference to the low prices obtained yesterday for some really first-class animals, it must be remembered that the sales last year were on a very large scale, and purchasers, it is to be presumed, pretty well supplied themselves for the time being. Small flockowners prefer for many obvious reasons to hire. The quality of many of the sheep yesterday was very excellent, and in some instances in inverse ratio to the prices realised ; but everything was dead against the auctioneers. In vain did they dwell upon contour, symmetry, lustrous wool, and quality; in vain did they trace the pedigrees of the animals to the third and fourth generation ; in vain did they combine the vigor of a Demosthenes with the terse logic of a Oicero—the audience refused to listen to the voice of the charmers, and the bids were few and spiritless. As an instance of the depreciation in the value of this description of stock, it may be stated that many of Mr Grigg’s rams, which let last season for £5 and£6, weresoldrightoutunder the hammer for from £1 to £2 10s per head. The day was unpleasantly warm though fine, notwithstanding the threatening aspect of the sky the previous evening. The arrangements were in every respect very excellent; but we must, however, again refer to the unsatisfactory manner in which the pens are labelled. As was the case last year, the cards were in many instances torn down before the conclusion of the sales. For the future we should recommend the association to provide cards of the same width as the rails, which would prevent their being destroyed as they were yfsterday. Mr Burnip was the officiating boniface, and it is needless to say conducted the business very satisfactorily. According to the prescribed rule the auctioneers drew lots for the order of sale, each selling for half an hour in rotation. Under the circumstances it will perhaps be better to take the catalogue for a guide. Mr S. Mitchell commenced operations by submitting for hire a lot of pure Leicester rams, bred by Messrs R. and E. Maclean of Auckland. The first ram after a spirited competition was knocked down to Messrs Curlett Bros of Riccarton for 13gs. The other rams let at prices varying from £8 18s fid to £4 14s fid, the purchasers being the Hon B. Gray, and Messrs H. Grey, Gladson, Tancred, Wright, and others. Many others were subsequently let privately by Mr Mitchell, It must have been very gratifying to Mr Mitchell, who introduced this breed of sheep into Canterbury, to see that his labors are now being fully appreciated. Mr Mitchell also sold twenty-two rams bred by the Hon Ernest Grey, of the same breed at £7 each, and let a number of the same at 4gs each. Messrs J. andß. H. Campbell, on account of Mr W. S. Robison, commenced with lot 1, consisting of about 80 Lincoln and Leicester rams, which failed to elicit the reserved figure. Lot 2 consisted of 25 merino rams, bred by T. Dowling, Esq., Victoria, and others, were also passed in. Lot 3 were 2 ram lambs out of imported Lincoln ewes, bred by T. Wilkin, Esq., Tinwald Downs, by Mr R. Wilkin’s ram Solomon, but did not reach the owner’s reserve.

Mr Robert Wilkin, who had several auctioneers acting in his interest had a most varied and valuable selection of sheep. Lot 1, 4 recently imported Lincoln rams, bred by Hugh Aylmer, Esq., Norfolk, was passed. Lot 2, 4 Kirkham Lincoln rams, recently imported, were passed in at £3O each. Lot 3. improved Lincoln ram, imported per ship Whitehall iu 1873, was passed in at £3O, as was also lot 4. Lot 5,3 improved Lincoln rams, imported per Soukar, were passed in at 20gs. Lot 6, a ram lamb by Solomon, out of an

imported Lincoln ewe, was passed at 10gs. Lot 7, 5 Romney Marsh rams were then offered by Mr Aikman. Of these the pick of the pen fell to Mr Laurence, of Southbridge, for 4gs, and other to Mr Duncan, of Rangiora, for £3 10s. The rest were passed in at the owner’s reserve, as. was also lot 8, one Romney Marsh ram, bred by J C. Boys, Esq. Lot 9, 8 rams, by Uncle Tom out of Holmes and Murray’s Leicester ewes, was passed in. Lot 10, two Leicester rams, bred by the Hon Matthew Holmes, suffered the same fate, as did also lots 11 and 12, consisting of one Lincoln ram bred by Sutton Brotheis, and three pure Murray Leicester rams respectively. Lot 13,10 rams, were bought by Mr Pawsey at £1 a head. Lot 14, 7 rams, fell to the same bidder at 15s ; and lot 15, a ram bred by Mr Every Maclean, went to the same purchaser at the same price. Lot 16, 6 rams, bred by Mr W. Boag, went to Mr Guild at 16s. Lot 17, an exceedingly fine Lincoln ram, bred by Mr Dudding, of Panton. and recently imported by Mr Cathcart Wason, was appropriated by Mr Gammack, at.4lgs. The same gentleman also purchased the next lot, a hogget by a ram of Mr Clarke’s—dam a Panton ewe—for 19gs. Lot 10, 6 Kirkham rams—and a very nice lot too—recently imported by Mr J, H. Woodward, failed to elicit much competition, Mr Wilkin taking two at £49, and £44 respectfully. The rest were passed in, as was lot 20, a Lincoln ram, imported by Mr J. R. Hill. Lot 21, consisted of 25 twotooth Leicester rams, bred by the New Zealand and Australian Land Company. Of these, five fell to Mr J. P. O’Oallaghau’s nod at sgs, and 5 more to Mr J. Cameron at the same price. Lots 22 and 23, Romney Marsh rams, bred by Mr S. Bealey, were passed in, as was also lot 24, a Leicester ram, bred by Mr Steel, of Otago. Lot 25, a Lincoln ram, bred by Mr Tolmie, was bought by Mr Cooper for llgs ; and lot 26, a Romney Marsh ram, 2nd Duke of Kent, bred by Dr Webster, and a well-known sire, went to Mr Dudley for 15gs. Lot 27, Mr Currie’s Victorian merino rams were passed in at 9gs; and lot 31, 11 Border Leicesters, were passed in at 4gs. Mr Matson, whose catalogue was by far the most extensive, comprising almost every variety of breed, commenced his sale with 150 improved Lincoln rams, bred by Mr J, Grigg, of Longbeach. These sold at prices varying from 16s to £4. They were disposed of a sacrificial prices—as the advertisements have it—and the following were amongst the principal purchasers . —Messrs Barker (who took the lion’s share), O. Reynall, Welburne, Winter, Jos. Ford, Edwards, Hepworth, C, Newton, Colonel Brett, Pawsey, Cunningham, Lill, Moorhead, and Bell. The next lot were the Leicester and Lincoln rams, from the well-known flock of Messrs Hay, of Annandale. They amounted in all to 274, and are all bred by Pol worth out of company’s ew es. They were an exceedingly fine lot of sheep, and were sold at prices varying from £1 to £3 15s, the buyers being Messrs Pawsey, Maydwell, Macbeth, Barker, Harris, Anderson, Purham, Miller, Washbourne, Stitt, Lee, Newton, Mathias, Ensor, Milne, and Grant. Old Polworth, the imported sire, was purchased by Mr J. Boag for £7 10s ; and Captain, another useful looking sire, a sou of the former out of an imported ewe, fell to Mr Guild for £4 10s. Mr Maydwell also got a plum in a Leicester ram, by Polworth, out of a Company’s ewe, for the sura of 9gs. He then offered Mr Lysaght’s imported pure-bred Lincoln rams, bred by Mr Thomas Cartwright, of Dunstan Pillar, Wright, of Nocton Heath, and Clark, of Ashley. They were a magnificent lot of sheep, but were a 1 passed in ; the first two lots at £SO and £6O respectively. Mr Over ton’s pure Lincoln rams, imported from Auckland, and bred by Mr Wallace, were then submitted and failed to elicit a bid. Mr Mawson’s lots of Leicester and Lincoln ram lambs were passed at £2 ss. Mr W. Boag’s lot of 80 Leicester ram lambs, by imported rams, were a nice lot, and with the exception of four which were disposed of at £1 a head, the others were passed. After offering a series of pens on account of various owners. Mr Matson finished up with 13 Leicester ram lambs, the property of Mr Maydwell, which realised £1 a head.

Messrs J. T. Ford and Co opened their sale with 20 Lincoln rams, the property of the Rev Mr Bluett and bred by Sutton Bros, which were passed in at A 5. The next lot submitted was 16 pure-bred Lincoln rams, the property of the Hon Wm. Robinson, their sires being selected rams of Messrs Kirkham and Budding, and their dams being the ewes recently imported. Mr Hill of Southbridge took the first two pens at 7gs and Bgs respectively, Mr Haydon another at 6gs, and Mr Winter, of the Ashburton, the fourth at sgs. These were an undeniable bargain. The Hon E. W, Stafford’s Romney Marsh rams failed to realise the reserved figures. The same remark applies to Mr Harper’s Southdowns, Mr M, Campbell’s Lincoln and Leicesters, Mr Tancred’s Romney Marsh, and several of Mr Threlkeld’s Leicester rams met the same fate. Lot 14, belonging to the same owner, a Lincoln ram, by Cartwright, who took the first prize at Rangiora and the second at Christchurch, was purchased by Mr Cooper, of the Orari, for 19gs. Mr Gammack, of Springston, took the next lot, a very fine Cartwright ram, at 13gs. Lots 16, 17, 18, and 19, four Kirkham rams, of various ages, fell to Mr Cooper at 4gs each. Mr Ellis’s 35 merino rams sold at an average of 3gs, the purchasers being Messrs Mathias, of Racecourse Hill, and Stitt, of the Ashburton. Mr Overton’s 16 Lincoln rams fetched 11s. Several private sales and lettings were effected during the day, among which we may mention 50 merinos, bred by Mr R, Chapman, which were sold to Mr H. Buchanan, of Ikoraki, for 50s each. The ewe fair takes place to-day. and we hope it will prove more satisfactory than its predecessor.