[Extracted from " New Zealand Farmer."] An Auckland Jersey Herd.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 224, 15 October 1887, Page 3

[Extracted from " New Zealand Farmer."]

An Auckland Jersey Herd.

We recently enjoyed a vory pleasant, visit to the farm of Mr F. L. Wright, of Bombay, near Briny. Taking the train to Drury we were met at the station by Mr Wright, and after an enjoyable drive of five miles along the Great South Koad behind a pair of smart ponies, arrived at Ravensthorpe, known foy many years as" Martyn I sFarm." The road was in excellent condition, as havd and smooth as the most exacting Jehu could desire — a great contrast toother portions of the same road nearer Auckland. The land in the immediate neighbourhood of Drury is of poor quality, judged by colonial standards, being a heavy stiff clay. _ Land of this nature cannot be well cultivated without much labour and expense for ordinary croppingpurposes, although, if the necessary capital were available, we have no doubt it could be made to produce excellent crops of wheat or beans. But while more tractable land is easily obtainable and prices for all farm produce remain so low as at present, there is no encouragement to spend time, money, and labour in bringing soil of this nature into cultivation. The district, however, is well suited to the purposes of the fruit-grower, being only 22 miles from Auckland by road, besides possessing the advantages of railway communication. We noticed a fine new hotel in course of erection and nearly completed, which shows that, little progress as the place has made for many years, it is not altogether stagnant. Not far from the station we passed some nice looking paddocks, the property <£ Mr Alfred Buckland. These were well grassed, but at the cost, we were informed, of a lavish expenditure in bonedust about every second year. Mr Wrights property is beautifully sit- ' uated, commanding, from its high position, extensive views of the surrounding country. It comprises 200 acresof undulating land, a part of which is still covered with native bush, which its owner wisely preserves. The quality of the soil is good, partaking of a semi-volcaniccharacter, and althoughitisnot so rich as the best of the Bombay land, many a man would be pleased to own as good a farm. For features of natural beauty it would be hard to find a property rto surpass it. It owes niuch of its present attractions to the fact that it is now many years since it was first token in hand by a European owner, and he was evidently a man who took a pleasure in beautifying his property by the tasteful planting of trees both English and native. Thus it is now adorned by numbers of fine oaks and elms of about 28 years' growth, such trees as probably would not be produced in the old country under 50 years of development. We noticed also several English walnut trees of large size, which Mr Wright informed us produced hundreds of bushels of walnuts last year. Then there are numerous fine young totaras of about 18 years' growth, and we thought, as we looked at these handsome specimens of our native forests, what a pity it is how few settlers think it worth while to ornament their homesteads by preserving or planting native trees. At one time scarcely anyone thought of planting on their farms any trees but blue gums and willows : now the monotonous pinus insignis and macrocarpa are generally planted to the exclusion of almost ever}' other kind of tree. Almost from end to end ol Ravensthorpe runs a beautiful rocky stream, whose clear waters rush and foam with gentle roar down many a picturesque waterfall. Within a hundred yards of the house you reach by a winding path, ehadovved by trees and ferns, one of the prettiest of these falls, where the water nosily tumbles over a perpendicular wall of rock about twelve feet high into a deep and wide pool, over which fern trees hang their graceful fronds, and to which the light of sun or moon can only come broken by the shadows of shelter ing trees growing thickly around the romantic spot. But we must now come to the special object of our visit, which was the inspection of Mr Wrights herd or pure-bred Jersey cattle, numbering some eight or ten head. After lunch Mr Wright showed us round the paddocks, and the first animal to claim our attention was a four months old bull, that has been christened Bondsman. He is a decidedly well-shaped and well-grown youngster, fawn coloured, by Chopstiok?, dam Beauty, by Pride of Australia. He gives every promise of developing into a handsome bull. His sire Chopsticks was bought about two years ago from his breeder Mr T. Morrin, having been got by the imported bull, Cicero 2nd, out of Milkmaid. The sire of the last named bull waß the well known Cicero Ist, who was sold inEnglandfor 600 guineas to go to America. Chopsticks is light fawn, in colour, and shows in his points the well-bred animal iie is. He is not a good doer, however, Mr Wright told us, being of a restless temperament, which has the effect of keeping him rather low in flesh, so that he did not look at his best. He shows a- nice golden hue of skin, and has thrown some capital stock which, it we mistake not, will surpass their sire in good looks. Another bull, that we like better, is Grasshopper, bred by Mr Wright. He is by Cicero 2nd, the sire of Chopsticks, from Gazelle 2nd, to be noticed later on. In colour he is a dark, silver fawn, and he was calved in June 1886, and is therefore about 15 months old. He built more stoutly than Chopsticks, and is evidently of more robust constitution. In this animal Mr Wright has a bull which we believe will give him every satisfaction as a breeder. Gazelle 2nd, the dam of Grasshopper, we regard as the second best of Mr Wrights cows. She is by Pride of Australia, resembling her son in colour, with awell-shaped bag, rich golden coloured skin, and a good head. She is perhaps a little wanting in silkiness of hair,, but in early spring, after taving been running out to grass all the winter, is not a favourable season for judging such a point. We now come to Beauty, a fawn and white cow, bred by Mr T. Morrin in January 1883, by Pride of Australia, dam Dairymaid, by Duke. This is a nice shaped animal, surpassing the last named in silkiness of hair, but she lacks the rich golden hue of tho skin seen in Gazelle 2nd, and has a rather bottle-shaped bag. At the two test South Franklin Showa she has been placed by the judges before tho latter, but mistakenly so, as wo think. Another cow is Ma/.urka 4th, bred by Mr T. Morrin, by White Socks, dam Martha. Beyond the above we find we have omitted taking notes concerning this animal. Moochie, a two year old heifer, by Cicero 2nd. dam Mazurka 4th, we consider the pick of the herd. She calved her first calf about half an hour after our arrival. When we went to see her in the paddock wo found that the calf, a bull, had unfortunately been badly injured apparently immediately after birth. As the injury must evidently prove fatal, and the poor thing, was in great pain it was mercifully put out of its misery. Moochie is fawn coloured, rich golden skin, with a beautifully shaped bag, and splendid milk mirror. A very handsome head, with

beautifully even well-turned horns? fioe limbs and tail, and well proportioned body, go to make up as pretty a Jersey "heifer as any breeder woula wjten to see, She will, we believe, compote at the next South Franklin and Ellerslie shows, and will behard to beat if all goes well with her in the meantime. As showing her docility of disposition wo may mention that directly her calf was removed v>q saw her driven up to the stockyard, and she went into the bail almost as quietly as an old cow. She was milked in our presence straight away, with never a j leg-rope on her. We may mention tha.t all { Mr Wrights hord, both Jerseys and half- j bredp, are as gentle and docile as any j animals can be. Several of them allowed us to walk right up to them in the paddock and handle tliem quite freely. Of course, this is the result of kind treatment, which animals alwaya repay with perfect confidence and gentle behaviour in return. There now only remains to be noticed Gossip, a handsome, light fawn, heifer calf, by Chopsticks from Gazelle 2nd, third dam Martha. •' Besides these Mr Wright has several grade Jerseys. These make capital milkers, and most of them come very dark in colour, which is probably a reversion owing to th<3 cross to the characteristic dark colour of the Brittany cattle, which are generally believed to be the original ancestors of the Channel Island breed.