IMPROVING DOMINION’S STOCK

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 14, 17 January 1924, Page 4

IMPROVING DOMINION’S STOCK

WHAT THE SHOW YARD CAN DO. Ihe Season's Competitions. Next Year the Royal Show. I The Hind decision tliai the livst Royal i Show of Now Zealand should be hold | in 102-T will moot- with the unanimous approval of stock-breeders. The conduct of the first show has been ottered to the Mnnawutu and least Coast A. and I>. Association with the venue at Palmerston North, the best centre in the North Island for the holding of such a fixture. No doubt the Manatvntu Association will readily accept a task which is coveted by every Association in New Zealand. The first Koval ‘Show should be made an outstanding success, rinti a wide-world advortiscinont not uni v for the outstanding merit of our stock but for its wonderful freedom from virulent- ill.senses. We «:ui claim to produce tlie henlrliiest and must .tree from disease stock probably of any civilised countrv in the world. This is an a.lvantage that the Live Stock Division of 1 Ho Dejiarrnu nt of Agrieulture is fully apprised of. ami the racr that the Director of the. Department or Agriculture in this country is him sell a veterinary surgeon means that every safeguard., which will ensure for the country continued reputation in this regard, will be taken. Xu all parts ol both America and Austmlia pU'uro pneumonia is prevalent, and dad;- we are hearing more about the ravages in Australia of rinderpest, and the scourge of foot and mouth disease in Britain is a subject of daily to ter--nee in i!m The Argentine has stiffen'd from imported diseases before to day, and is not likely to encourage, the continued importation. of stock from countries in which those diseases are frequently ren opearing. ‘Two of the great dihiinilties in connection with the Royal Show will bo. first! v. to secure a qualified man to undertake the difficult task of judging the picked .stock of the country, and secondly. to find accommodation at the time of the .show both for men and beasts. At the present time, every breeder of note has an intention to send forward to the Koval .Show a representation of his flock or herd, and if all goes well we should see a representation of stock at. rlie First Koval Show such as no one in these parts has previously dreamed of. Breeds which are little known in the North Island will be represented. and the Clydesdale breeders right from the far south will, too, send forward some of tlie very pick of their productions. I.t may well be seen, therefore, that the task, of securing men of outstanding calibre and ability to judge various sections will be a big undertaking in itself; in fact, the whole success of the Koval Show will bo based upon the success or otherwise that is made in selecting tlie judges. THE PAST SEASON’S SHOWS. The progress being made in the industry of breeding- stud stock has been well illustrated in the first series of the manual- agricultural shows just «eomplvtcd. From Auckland to Invercargill, a most marked improvement in the standard of various breeds was noticed. Competition among the dairy breeds has been particularly keen, while at most shows, the Romney and Southdown exhibitions reached a level not previously touched. In the South too, the Corriedalc breeders have provided splendid classes. Clydesdales, too. are returning to their own. There was, a rum display of Clydesdales at the Southland -Metropolitan Show at Invercargill. There the. exhibition of Scotch horses was marked not only by the extensive competition, but also for the unusual merit of the winners. Scotchmen them i solves state that the best horses in the I south to-day would stand high in rise leading Scottish sliowy a ids. That is as it should be for much enterprise and cash has been expended in the south in bringing from Boot-land some of the very best that could be produced in the Valley of the Clyde. CLYDESDALES IN THE SOUTH. The South is noted .for its great breeding mares, and when a good imported horse comes along he gets every opportunity. An indication of this was given at the recent Southland Show, where in the vearling fillv class. all ihree winners were sired by Mr Alev licid’s imported punure Footprint horse. Myroe Footprint. This Scotch bred horse is likelv to be the premier sire of Ins day. for he has tilled the juvenile classes in the south, at almost every show, with quality youngsters that take every prize. His oldest: gets are yet but two-vear-olds, and two of these, a colt and a filly, from Mr Roberi Kennedy’s Drummond stud, where both the winners of championships at the Wallace Show. Myroe Footprint himself was shown at the Gore Show and there was made champion. and on tlie same day the yearly iilly by him was made champion in the female section also. Successes of this nature t»tv most unusual in the Clydesdale world and Myroe. Footprint is in every one’s mouth today . The only parallel case that can be remembered here was when Mr IT. E. B. Watson’s imported mare, Eileen, was placed champion at, Ashburton, after go-

ing to the top of a class of sixteen other good mares, and then to haw lu-r two-year-old sou returned as champion liorse. Southern breeders are to be congratulated on having a liorse of tho merit of Myroe Footprint in their midst lor lie should prove capable of lifting the breed to a new level. In the older classes nr. the .Southland Show, Thomsons’ Ltd. were able to demonstrate at what a high level they maintained their Wairongoa stud during the lean years, as they had almost a monopoly of the first, prizes. Scotland/s._ Victor, their champion male now a five-year-old, won his first champion ship at this show as a two-year-old. The following year he was beaten by a son of General Douglas (Imp.), which was afterwards sold by his breeder, Mr Roberi Kennedy, and won the championship at. the Melbourne Koval. The. daughters of General Douglas are , lo „ breeding well to Myroe Poor print’ as are those of that other notable horse Huron Bold (Imp.). As showing how Hie breed is reasserting its place in the WA.rlo of agriculture, a grand-daughter of the latter sire recently sold in Mel

bourne for 950 guineas. Eight descendants of ’Baron Bold were also in the. prize-list at the .Southland Show. A point of note in addition to tin* fa.-h----j„onble breeding (ami fashion in rhesc dnvs emphasises the utility value of the fret and legs of the Clydesdale) of Thon:sons ’ champion male. Scotland’s Victor, which on the dam’s side comes down from the great sire of the breed. Du mu re Foot pi inf. and (hat famoti:- imported, u: ;r. YewlOjV' Chief arid Bun.lt V i.i. 'li ar... w:,A- the fuel that one of his iitsl ger** w; - Mireessful in winning the vearling roll class. All cl.aha dale fanciers will look- forward to seeing Boot land’s Victor contesting liehonours at the first Royal Show, and should lie meet those noted Canterbury champion-:, Messrs L. W. Stony’.-; Fa brikolf and. H. 11. B. Watson ami Leme ghan’s Ringleader, in addition to some of the. recently imported horses, it will be a battle royal. One of those imported horses. Air James Fa trick’s Eddie wood Topline, won the Clydesdale 31 o rse >Soc iety ’s principal trophy this year. Ihe Wright, Btepphonson Cup. ANOTHER VALUABLE IMPORTATION. Another horse that promises to furnish .into a great show-yard winner is the lalosi ins imitation, Dunn re Hazlewood. Mr Alex. Reid, who did -so much for the Shorthorn breed when manager of the Knapdnle Estate for the la»e Hon. Robert MrXab. is now showing a similar enterprise in the importation of Clydesdales, and that he i« bringing into the country just wlmt is required is shown bv the stork routing front Myron V’ootprint. His latest in ports lion, this four-year-old hor>e, Dun are H aide wood, has tlie appearance and qualifications of one that will go far in this country. Of short descent from the greatest of the breed, lie provides n «uf ficicTitly g.*od oiitcross for the stuck of many of the horses now breeding well here, llis sire. Dunmv Essential, by *h«» great Dunum Footprint, is leaving not. able Tii-i/e-winning slock, and the ’dam of iv.—■«• n 11:i 1 i-s the Barr.jisoii mare, lum gene, sister *»• no less than two of the Cawdor Cup winners (Cawdor Cup was the greatest honour that: a Clydesdale can win in 'Scotland. I’mogeno is from rite Baron’s Pride" imi re. Oh os tor Princess, considered to be i lie best mare that, ever won the Cawdor Cup. and that she was the dam of the great Cawdor Cup vyinner and breeding horses, .Scotland’s Yet, is a speaking monument do the worth of this family. The dam of Dumtre Hazlewood is bv Mont rave Mae who did much to perpetuate llm good qualities of iho Mossrose family during his long life of 2d years. Mares bv Mont rave Mac. who was by the famous McGregor from another Cawdor Cup winner in Muutravo Maud, by Prince of Wales, are in the front rank as brood mare to-dav, while Audieallower. who stands right among the very top . ires of the day, is a son of Muntrave -Mae. And following .further back in the pedigree of ihe dam still another Cawdor Oirp winner will be found in Royal GartJey, sire of svnoflier of the Yost breeding horses of th» day in Royal A dear definition of hjs descent from the.best of the brood is thus established, and as the horse himself has the right outlook ana is built on lines combining weight with quality, he should prove a good advertisement. for his selector, who, man of great oxperiem e as lie is, could be relied upon to send out a straight ami true goer. In thk box he looked to be right from the ground up. and i£ nil turns out aSMvelwas appearances jironiisc. the inen' in tUe south will have an other big asset ip addition to "Myroe Footprint. Til I! BREED'S GREATEST S I KB. It is remarkable to note how Lhc stamp of the great Dunmv Footprint is being placed on the Clydesdale all over the world. Here in New Zealand, Thomson*‘s Lt.d- have placed much value on it, and in addition to their six firsts and two championships at Invercargill, both the Canterbury and Auckland male champions wore drawn from their stud. They have lost nothing; by their allegiance _ i:o it, ns most of their winners were either by Du mire Fabric, l>v Foot print, or from his gets. Although this old mrc apply to the champion horse, Scotland’s Victor, the grand young champion mare. Lady Scotland, was by him, and this pare was dam of the first prize two-yenr-old colt, which was also reserve champion male. Of course, it, is a great, privilege for any horse to secure an opportunity to mate up with such mar.*. Should the elect of the south visit the Royal Show next veur. and the present: mood of southern breeders is to .;do so, there will be work to do in the judging ring that will call lor the service only of a liiglilv qualified and strong-willed man. THE BELL BREEDS. it: Jias been one of a series of lean years as far as competition in the beef breeds’ sections til our shows is concerned. Apart from the Hawke’s Bay .Show --the home of ihe beef breeds in the ’Dominion- -there has been nothing of outstanding merit out. Invercargill. Iwo and three years back, was pulling on a notable lshowing built of Shorthorns and Herefords, but since the Ivnapdale Shorthorn herd was sold, the showing by tlie Shorthorn men lacks fire: in fact, iuost of the prizes went to the exhibits of Canterburv dual-pur-pose types, although in those few classes in which, they were represented, the progeny of the’ Scotch bred bull, Diamond Prince, were quite able to win. Diamond Prince is still doing work in Southland, and he undoubtedly is leaving a lusting impression behind him. There wore few Hereford* at Invercargill, .just ns there have been few in the north, but that is not to say that the merit of the great grazing breed is less appreciated to-<jay. As a matter of fact, tiling has been; few in the north, but that is not to say that the merit of the great grazing breed is less appreciated to-day. As a matter of fact, there has been n better demand, and far better prices, too, thap for several years, and ihe outlook is Viewed with more kindlv feelings by breeders ami grabiers. The far famed Waimalmka Estate is still in tlie front rank, and although their showing of Hereford* was a small one, these were of the. class required to day, low-set, well He shed, and with the meat carried well down, and that; mellow appearance that denotes the quulitv of the meat underlying the skin. But before ihe show-yard can exorcise its power of bringing al;>ou1 improvement in any breed, there must be the zest, of conipet'tTon which b the inspiring force. Uie opportunity for comparison and discussion is not self-acting in bringing fins improvement, the impetus is given (Continued in Hex; Column.!

through the ambition to win. It should not then be overlooked by the respon- J siblo authorities that there is a feeling I right through the country that the j Royal Show should be set on a plane ( far above the status of tiny local show. I If this is realised, the ambition of men | will make it a fixture whose standing will be felt in many foreign countries. J The schedule of classes should lie a wide . one, and the aid of the whole of our | breed societies should lie called in by j the Koval Agricultural Society so that • the interests of each breed wall receive j due consideration. The judging ques- ■ tion is also one in which the co-opera-tion of the Breeders’ Societies should be sought,