SHEEP FOR OVER SEAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 323, 7 April 1928, Page 23

SHEEP FOR OVER SEAS

HISTORY OF MERINO

AN ANCIENT BREED

ON Wednesday last ninety stud lambs left Auckland for U.S.A. New Zealand flocks are gaining recognition for quality and adherence to type, and are being drawn upon by breeders oT countries. The interchanging of sheep between the flockmasters of different countries is no new move. It is a trade that is as old as civilisation itself. The history of the Merino breed is sufficient indication of this.

The Merino is of Asiatic origin. Originally the sheep of this breed were covered with a hind of thin but hard hair. We read of the sheep in the Bible in which Jacob is reported to have won recognition as a sheepbreeder. The sheep of Jacob represented a decided improvement on the type up to that time, and. by the Lime that King David appeared, the Hebrews had won great fame with their production of white wool.

Their success in' the improvement of their wool seems to have been a mixed blessing, for while it may have been decidedl y lucrative'to many, it was the reason for frequent raids, for sheep yielding white wool were a certain source of wealth. When Nebuehadnezzer overthrew Pharaoh Necho on the banks of the Euphrates, he invaded Judea, and large numbers of the Hebrews moved with their flocks into Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar deported the whole of the Jewish nation into Babylon, and they took with them the balance of the flocks left after the departure of the mobs which forced their way into Egypt and Northern Arabia. By this means the white-woolled sheep were scattered all over Babylonia, and Egypt, and many were eventually taken to Carthage by the ships of Tyre and Sidon, thus eventually finding their way all over the north of Africa. By the time the Romans came on the scene these white-woolled sheep had found their way through Mesopotamia, Assyria, Egypt, and right along the African coast of the Mediterranean. It never seems to have occurred to the Romans to have imported the sheep Into Italy. They preferred to take the best of textiles in the form of tribute from their subject kingdoms, much in the same way that they drew their wheat from Egypt, Tunis, and Algeria. Not until the Saracens came into power did the fine white-woolled sheep gain a foothold in Europe. Strange to say, the rival %ourc-e of wool a.t i that time was Britain, and one old Roman

wrote that the wool oE Britain was as fine and silky as the gossamer of a spider’s web. When Tarik invaded Spain and overthrew the Gothic kingdom, the Saracens introduced their own sheep from Africa, and, to maintain the purity of the breed, undertook a systematic slaughter of the Spanish flocks. The various Sultans maintained their own stud flocks, and the improvement of the breed went on steadily during the 782 years the Saracens occupied Spain. As tlie various Saracen sultans were overthrown, their stud flocks became the property of their conquerors, who were quick to realise the value of their loot, and it was actually made a capital crime for anyone to export the sheep alive. This savage law remained in operation for a long time, but when the Spaniards took possession of the Netherlands they took some of their sheep to Belgium, from which place in time they drifted into France and Germany. When the Netherlands revolted and gained their freedom, the sheep remained in the country, and it was from this source that the foundation flocks of the Dutch colonists in the Cape Colony were drawn. In 1788 some Merinos were smuggled from Spain into England, where they seemed to flourish. Later the Bourbon king of Spain presented King George the Third with q small number of choice rams and ewes from the Royal stud flock. Thus we see that it must have been only a short step toward sending representatives of the breed on a longer voyage round tlie globe to the new world when these southern colonies were first opened. Now, to-day, New Zealand is being called upon to supply other countries less fortunate in the quality of their flocks. Not only are Merinos called for, however. \\ ith many breeds New Zealanders have proved themselves capable of holding their own. It is certainly pleasing to realise that, with some of the Dominion farmers at least, quality plays a high part.