Mr Boag's Visit to Australia.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 184, 25 December 1886, Page 4

Mr Boag's Visit to Australia.

Mr W. Boag, President of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Society, has recently returned from a trip to New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, where he visited the establishments of all the principal breeders of draught horaes. He was present also at the Melbourne Horse Parade on August 2, whore 160 entires and 80 mares appeared, and at the Sydney Show. There was thus hardly a horse of any note m those colonies that Mr Boag did not '-cc, yet lie expresses the opinion that j nit ting aside perhaps half a dozen of the be-st Australian stallions, we have quite as uood as the others in this colony, while our mares are better. Few even of the horse? imported regardless of cost could ( urapare with Gladstone, bred by Mr E. Meiilove, by Mr Boag's thrice-champion imported sire Prince Charlie. This horse's are turning out well over there. The Must mare at the Melbourne Parade was laised by Mr Boag, though he disclaims buiug her breeder, having bought her dam when in foal. At a ploughing match at Ui-borne, A r iotoria, the best horse on the louml *\ as a gelding by Taieri Tom, Mr '''iti'c recent purchase from Mr Shand, Taieii. v atile did not engage so much of Mr Boag's attention as horses ; but there, us m .New Zealand, pi ices havo fallen very matoiuilly, and breeders' operations must be aei y unprolitable. The most interebting nature is the increasing favour in which l!«c hardy, thrifty Heiefords aie being held. In sheep we cannot, of course, compete with the highly -bred Victorian and Tasuianian merinos ; but in long-wools we are :ar in advance, and Downs are almost unknown -so much so that commissions to buy a good Southdoun lam could not be f.iliilled. (It may be mentioned heie that yi\ John Deans, who paid a flying visit to Melbourne Show, also failed to see a good Southdown sheep.) The condition of the middle-class farmers and btock owners appealed to be very unxiti^faetory. Very few of them were making any progress towards bettering themselves, while the rnajoiity were losing ground. Especially was this the case in Tasmania, wheie the palpable absence of ah) liie or cneigy was most painful to see. I. and -wa^ very cheap there, although a lower point had been passed lately, and it unly v anted the inhabitants to be wakened up for things to go ahead well. '• All things considered Mr Boag returns impressed with the great advantages of soil .u,c» climate we possess in New Zealand. We lia\ o come through bnd times and bad -cisous as well as, or better than our neighbours, and energy combined ■with a lit lie moie judgment and system than many of our fanners ha\e shown in the past will soon bling about a return of pio«perity. Mr Boag's interest* are of couibc more particularly centred in the noise tiade, and the outlook there gives him no cause for despondency. Faiming is increasing in Victoria, and will extend more rapidly as the inigation woiks aie earned out. This alone will absorb a large supply of faim horses, and it is NewZealand that is looked to for them. Potato glowers, however, willha\e in the futiue, evceptin cabesof the failureof the Australian crops, to prepare for a greatly diminished demand, as this article is being laigely planted in Victoiia. " At Burneide things are beginning to recover from the past twelve months' unfsvoura^s weather. Til© o»tt?s are rather j«oor, but are healthy and bright. The sheep aie in fair condition, and the ewo^are lambing a good percentage. The mares are in rather low condition, though tins is not a^ain'-t them afc this season. Taieii Tom, the celebrated draught '-ire, ha<= a full &ea?un I bofoiehim, Mr BoajrV Auckland pm charts ; aie veiy high-cla«-s fillies, especially l\ im-io-c, but even phe does not utieily ecli])^o some ot Mr Boag's o\\ n breeding. How e\ ci-, tne question ot superiority will probably be r,ubiniU-od to the judges at the Metropolitan Bho\v, and until then \\o Avill consider it atib jadicc, — Ganta bury Times."