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A VISIT TO AWA MOA.

(From the Otago Daily Times, March 10.) Awa Moa—“the Water of the Moa’ is the name of the Sou. Mathew Holmes fl wellknown estate at Oamani, where the famous herd of shorthorn cattle soon to he disposed of by auction is kept. One day last week, a member of our staff visited the station, and an account of his inspection of the stock and the estate will, no doubt, be read with interest by those who intend to be present at the sale, which takes place on the 18th inst., and by all who take an interest in the improvement of cattle and sheep in New Zealand. Mr, Holmes’s sheep and shorthorns are well known all over the colony, and the distribution of the highly-bred animals comprising the herd and flocks is a matter of congratulation. At the present time, the herd of cattle consists of 100 head of the best-bred animals in the colonies, descended from the stock of Morton and Leach, of Mount Derrimut, Victoria, at whose late sale such immense prices were realised. The original animals of Mr. Holmes’s herd were purchased from Morton Brothers, at the sale at which Mr. Bell secured the nucleus of his famous Waimea herd of shorthorns, which was disposed of by auction a few months ago. This sale was looked upon as an event of great importance by stock breeders; and, it will be remembered, that agents from the other provinces, and even from Victoria, were in attendance. Mr. Holmes’s sale is a still more important one, as there is a much larger number of equally well-bred animals to be disposed of. If they are scattered over the province and the colony a great deal will be donein theimprovementof our stock. The chief characteristics of these pure-bred cattle are the early age at which they arrive at maturity, the ease with which they are fattened, and their great beef-carrying capacity. All this means a saving of money in the long mn to the breeder, who must soon discover for himself the advantage of raising animals of good pedigree. If by the distribution of a herd like that at Awa Moa, farmers and others are led to see the benefit to themselves in the breeding of really good stock, instead of animals of an indifferent kind, a gread deal of good will be done, and it is to be hoped that the sale of Mr. Holmes’ herd will have this effect. It would be impossible in the space at command to give a description of one-half of the animals that are to bo offered for sale on the 18th instant, so we must content ourselves with a reference to the different tribes that compose the herd, and a description of a few of the most noticeable of the cattle.’ About twenty head of the original stock purchased at the Mount Derrimut sale remain in the herd, the remainder being their descendeuts. The tribes represented are the celebrated April Flower, the Buttercup, the Crummie’s Butterfly, the Christmas Hose, the Farewell, the Jessamine, the Marigold, the 'Wallflower, the England’s Eose, the Rose of Derrimut, Rose of Victoria, the Red Rose, Christmas Bose, and others. These names are sufficient to show that the herd could scarcely be surpassed in the strain of blood it possesses. The original bull used was Royal Butterfly 28th by Royal Butterfly6th, who was by Royal Butterfly, bred by Lieut-Colonel Townley, of Townley Park, Lancashire, England. Royal Butterfly 28th’s dam was Jessamine 6th, ■ by Lord Raglan. Another bull extensively used in the herd was Father Christmas, by Royal Butterfly 28th, dam Christmas Rose, by Royal Butterfly 6th. Father Christmas was sold some time ago, to Messrs. Bethune and Hunter, of Wellington, for 200 guineas. Mr. Holmes has at present two magnificent young bulls, and we will commence with the one we most admired—the imported bull Prince Killerby. He was bred by Mr. H. Alymer, of West Dereham Abbey, Norfolk, and was selected and sent to New Zealand a short time ago by one of Mr. Holmes’s sons. He is a fine Booth bull of the Mantalini tribe, and is by Prince Regent, by King Charles, out of Flora, by Booth Royal. He is a rich roan, and was calved in September 1872. Prince Killerby has all the characteristics of the new type of shorthorns, being long and round in the barrel, well filled out behind the shoulder, flat along the back, and with good measurement across the hips and from the hips to the rump. A good head and fine well-shaped horns, splendid limbs, and a nice skin, serve to make him - a really splendid animal. He is not a large bull, but remarkably compact, and is sure to have many admirers when he comes under the auctioneer’s hammer. Don Carlos is a larger animal, and by some will perhaps be preferred to Prince Killerby. His color is white, and he was calved in May, 1872, his sire being Royal Butterfly 28th, and his dam April Flower sth. He has more of the old shorthorn about him, being deeper in the barrel and not so round as the bull we have described. It is difficult to find a fault in his shape. He has an immense frame, and would carry a tremendous quantity of flesh. All the best of the cows in the Awa Moa herd are in calf to Prince Killerby and Don Carlos. There are also a number of younger bulls, all by Father Christmas, whose pedigree we have already given. The first we saw was Stafford, calved in August, 1873, dam Farewell, by Royal Butterfly 16th. He is a splendid youngster, red and white in color, and showing a great beef-carrying capacity. Reynolds, out of Wallflower 4th, is a rich roan, fifteen months old, and a remarkably handsome and promising young bull. The next of the youngsters we inspected was Fox—named after our well-known temperance advoca&—out of Jessamine Ist. He was calved in November, 1873, and is a likely bull. Amongst the other young bulls are Otago, a red and white, out of Buttercup 12th, calved in October, 1873 ; Mark Twain, dam Madam Rachel, a red and white, calved in September, 1873. They are a well-grown lot, and should meet with ready purchasers. A number of very youne calves will also be offered for sale with their° dams, a few of them being by Don Carlos. Some of them are little beauties, and, although they are only a few weeks old, a judge could see their breeding at a glance. All the bulls are in stalls, and we were able to examine them closely. The cows and heifers, which were grazing on different parts of the station, had to be mustered in a large paddock, and, when together, they really looked a splendid lot. They have not been prepared m any way for sale, and are m what may be termed fair store condition. The station, which is a small one, is rather overstocked, and in the early part of the season the cattle suffered considerably from the scarcity of grass. They have come round again pretty well upon the English grass that covers the undulating country of Awa Moa, and the fact of their not having been got into high condition before the sale will scarcely be a disappointment to intending purchasers. There is no doubt that a shorthorn looks its best when fat, but good condition is not required to show the excellence of Mr. Holmes’s herd. Biding through the paddock in which the cows and heifers had been mustered, we could only examfne a beiuit here and there. The two most perfect animals of the lot are undoubtedly Jessamine 9th and Jessamine 18th. The first named is a grand old cow She is one of the original lot purchased from Morton and Leach, and is about eleven years old. She has taken first prizes at the most important shows in Victoria as a yearling, as a two-year old, as a three-year old, and in 1867, she was the best cow of her kind in Victoria. She is a dark roan, and was got by Royal Butterfly 6th out of the cow Jessamine, imported from England. Another fine old cow is Jessamine 13th, also purchased from Morton Bros., of Mount Derrimut. She is a red roan, and about ten years of age She is also by Royal Butterfly 6th, her dam being Jessamine 4th. This cow has immense breadth across the hips, and is a grand specimen of her class. She is the dam of a largo number of animals in the herd, amongst which are Otago Jessamine, by Royal Butterfly 22nd, Otago Jessamine Ist, by Royal Butterfly 28th, Otago Jessamine 2nd, by the same bull, Christmas Rose is another splendid cow of the original ot imported from Victoria. She is a red cow, calved in 1866, by Royal Butterfly, 6th ; dam, Rosa, imported. She is the dam of Christmas Rose Ist, by Royal Butterfly 28th, and Christmas Bose 2nd, by the same bull. There are a number of representatives of the celebrated April Flower tribe, including Veronica, a shapely cow, calved in 1870, and got by Royal Butterfly 28th out of April Flower sth, and Veronica Ist by the same bull. Age has

somewhat detracted from the appearance of some of the first-mentioned of these cows, but still they are yet good for years to come, and will no doubt drop many valuable calves. Buttercup 6th, another of the Mount Derrimut lot, is a very nice cow by Raglan, dam Buttercup. She is the dam of Buttercup 14th, bred by Morton and Leach, by Royal Butterfly 9th ; and Buttercup 13th, bred by the same persons, by Royal Butterfly 16th. There are a large number of cows and heifers of the Buttercup tribe in'the Awa Moa herd, mostly fine animals, and all bred from the few we have mentioned above. The Grace tribe are celebrated for their good quality as milkers, and there are a number of them in the herd, the original being Grace the 2nd, also from Mount Derrimut. She is a pretty cow, and was got by a boll called The Squire, her dam bem" Grace, bred b', Mr. Barker, of Cape Schanck, Victoria. Those of her descendants we saw were Grace 3rd, a handsome spotted roan, and Grace 4th, a red and white —both young cows' by Royal Butterfly 28th ; and a few promising heifers. Old Farewell, by Royal Butterfly 16 th, was purchased from Morton and Leach as a remarkably handsome calf, and she did not at all disappoint her buyer, as she turned out a splendid cow, and has several worthy representatives of her tribe in the herd, the best being Farewell Ist and Farewell 2nd, both by. Royal Butterfly 28th. Rose of Victoria is an especially good cow, by Butterfly 16th, out of Rose of Derrimut, and imported from She is a red roan and very handsome. Without ticularising any more of the cows and heifers, it will be sufficient to say that they are of a quality seldom to be met with running right through a herd of this size, and any admirer of pure-bred stock would feel himself well repaid for the trouble of a journey to Oamaru by a personal inspection of the cattle. The sheep, which consist of pure-bred Leicesters, Lincoln’s, and Romney Marsh, are a first-class lot, a number of them having been imported from England. Four of the Lincoln ewe hoggets were imported short time ago, and two splendid border Leicester rams lately arrived at Canterbury by the ship W W. Smith. These were selected at Home by"Mr! James Riddell, who, at the same time, purchased a couple of Lincoln rams for Mr. Holmes. The Lincolns, unfortunately, died on the voyage out. The sheep at Awa Moa have been most carefully bred, and it will be remembered that at last year s Canterbury Ram Fair and elsewhere they have compared ygfy favorably with imported stock in the. matter of the prices paid for two-tooth and other rams. The rams, when they were yarded for closer inspection, looked a magnificent lot of animals, and handling a few of them only served to confirm the impression that they could scarcely be surpassed for quality The ewes were in paddocks by themselves, and were also a fine lot. Several of the old rams, both Leicesters and Lincolns, were magnificent representatives of their class ; while the ram hoggets were remarkable for their size, symmetry, and well-woolled appearance. The fact of a sheep having been imported from the old country goes a_ long way with most purchasers ; hut from an inspection of the young sheep at the Awa Moa Station, we are of opinion that some of the young rams bred there would be difficult to beat even in the old country. According to the catalogue that has been prepared, the sheep to be offered consist of 40 two-tooth Lincoln rams, 30 two-tooth Leicester rams, 2 border Leicester prize stud rams, two prize Lincoln rams, two border Leicester rams brought out lately by the ship W. W. Smith, 170 Lincoln ewes, 135 Lincoln ewe hoggets, anl 100 Leicester ewes, and these will be put up for sale in lots to suit purchasers. All these sheep are in splendid condition at the present time, as they have lately had the run of any quantity of good English grass. The horses at Awa Moa are also well worth seeing. There are twenty-three broken-in draught mares, and all of them have been served this season by the Duke of Buccleuch, a horse not much known outside the district, but still one of the best Clydesdales in the colony. The Duke, who stands over seventeen hands high, was bred by the Hon. Mathew Holmes, and is by the well-known imported horse Lofty, out of the mare Countess, also imported from Scotland. He now belongs to Mr. Donaldson, whose farm is within a short distance of Awa _ Moa, and there we had the privilege of seeing him in his loose box. He is a really grand animal, of a rich brown color, showing immense power, and possessing the sweetest of tempers We describe the Duke of Buccleuoh because sixteen or seventeen of the young draught colts aud fillies that are to be sold were got by him. This horse does not travel, but last season he served a very large number of mares at his owner's farm. Amongst the draught mares is Gipsy, an aged roan by Prince Charlie, imported, out of Gipsy, a pure Clydesdale mare. She is the dam of several splendid animals, one of them being the Hon. Robert Campbell’s entire Lord Elcho. She is also the dam of a fine yearling colt Lord Lyon, by the Duke ot Buccleuoh. The next on the list is Lady, an aged dark bay mare, bred in Tasmania. She is well-known in Southland, where she has taken a great many prizes. She is the dam of Lady Ellen, a three-year-old filly, by the Duke of Bucoleuch. Georgina, by Glasgow Geordie out of Lillie, is another fine mare, 4 years old. Lillie, her dam, who will also be offered for sale, is 7 years old, by Lofty out of Lady, a mare described above. Jess, an aged roan mare—one of whose colts lately sold for £95 as a draught horse, is the dam of Sally, a roan filly, 4 years old; and Rose, a roan filly, 3 years old, by the Duke of Buccleugh, two very good-looking youngsters. Nannie, a bay mare, aged, has also good blood in her'by the imported horse Eglinton, out of Nannie, an imported mare. She is the dam of Young Nannie, a brown filly, by the Duke of Buccleuch. A flue mare is Eainforth, a hay, 6 year old, by the imported horse Renfrew. As a three-year-old she took first prize at the Oamaru show. She is the dam of Dragon, a two-year-old, by the Duke of Buocleugh. Amongst the Victorian-bred mares are Mary, an aged grey; Ruby, a fine four-year-old bay, recently imported; and Blossom, a dark bay, four years old. Bell, a four-year-old dark bay, and Kate, a seven-year-old bay, were bred in Tasmania.. Madam is a very good six-year-old mare —last season one of her colts was sold in Melbourne for 250. The saddle aud draught horses, of which there are about twenty, are a very nice even lot, and would all make splendid hacks or buggy horses. Most of the four-year-olds ore by the thoroughbred horse Croydon, and the three-year-olds by. Skylark, out of well-bred mares. Amongst them there are several perfect matches. Apart from the attraction of the stock, the Awa Hoa estate is well worth visiting, if only to see the improvements tfiat have been made. Nearly tke whole of the land occupied by Mr. Holmes, and not leased to other people, is laid down in English grass. The country about Oamaru is well-known to bo hare of timber, and, therefore, anyone who goes in for tree planting on an extensive scale is doing a lasting good to the district. Mr. Holmes has wonderfully improved the Awa Moa estate in this manner, and has now near ninety acres planted with trees of the most valuable kinds—pines, cedars, gums, poplars, oaks, elms, ashes, hazels, willows, aud other forest trees—some of them very rare in Now Zealand. Amongst those are a number of young cedars, raised by Mr. Holmes from seed brought direct from Mount Lebanon by a friend othis. The Wellingtonea gigantea, the forest tree of California that grows to such an immense size, is well represented in the Awa Moa plantations, while the collection of pines is, perhaps, one of the most complete in the Australasian colonies. There are also a number of rare trees, with handsome foliage, from various parts of the world, that will help to improve the appearance of the place in a few years. The Australian trees are remarkably well-grown', and include the blue gum, peppermint, box, red gum, and a number of other varieties. There are several plantations, each being on the summit of a small hill, thus giving a very picturesque appearance to tho station.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18750318.2.16

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4366, 18 March 1875, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
3,043

A VISIT TO AWA MOA. New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4366, 18 March 1875, Page 3

A VISIT TO AWA MOA. New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4366, 18 March 1875, Page 3

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