THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1912. THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10711, 17 September 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1912. THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

j The proportions assumed by the, frozen meat trade are causing investigations to be made into the disparity I between the marketable values of the J different breeds pf sheep. These have | been demonstrated time and again,! 'and yet farmers continue t<s • breed 'sheep which are of an inferior quality, ' and which do not produce the best re- , suits. The climatic conditions have not the same influence in the maturing of sheep as either breed or feed. ■ Both of the litter are essential". But ' probably the most important element is that of breed. A writer to the Auckland Star deals with the subject as follows:—"New Zealand mutton I and lamb has a good reputation, and j it must keep that reputation up, or go down in the battle with such conn.tries as the Argentine, which can put I its meat into the London market at , less than a quarter of the cost of freight that \ve have to pay. We are not going to maintain that reputation by growing animals that a ret narrow, long, lean, and bony. No. we must produce them with width in the rib, loin and breast, with as little bono as possible, with good constitutions, and with good fleeces. The leg must not be too long, it must be short and dumpy, and tho whole animal must not have coarse bones and meat. We must .not SO in for breeding from ewes which were cull lambs, poor, weakconstitutionod, ill-doing animals that would not fatten for the freezing chamber. There is far too much of that f»ort of thing going on. Ewes of that description can be picked up cheaply; j indeed, they are considered to be I all Tight just a.« lone as they will .breed a lamb, although that lamb .may take a deal more fattening than i n good. well-bred animal would do. Tt is not only, however. in the ewes that we must pay attention to our breeding. The rams also count for a good deal more, thin some farm•nis will admit. 'farmer? must learn the first principle*; of mating, and must give up the practice of accepting sire.? practically without seeing them, if they come from a well-known stud flock. There are good and bid animals even in tho best breeder's paddocks, but more than that, a ram that will suit one lot of ewes may be al-

together- unsuitable i"' r .".nether mob. t A brooder, in choosing hip ranis has I i to remember wh t kind of ewes he ' possesses, whether large or fjimill, compact or bony, coarse or hue, and go on. And in all eases, he must avoid thin-woolled, razor-backed aiiimalsf. He must le.irn the art of selection, and must study the laws of breeding | much mure closely than he lias done. /! Tlio matter is a most difficult one, ' however. The piiv that will suit -the farmer who purchases his owes each year, and sells off his lambs as fir,, will, most probably, not suit the man who grows his own ewes, keeping a certain percentage of his own lambs for that purpc-sa. The farmer who sells off all his lambs may find the Border Leicester surt him best. It produces rather a coarse type of lamb, with a heavy, bony, tallowy carcase. The lambiug percentages ?ro however, usually good. The Border Leicester matures quickly, and gets to a big weight early in the season. It is not, however, suitable for keeping on the place for breeding purposes. II quickly becomes ver ybaro of wool on the points, and the fleece trots very light with age. The English Leicester. though a good freezing ram, nico in shape and. colour, does not mituro so quickly a-s the Border Leicester, and does not put on weight so fast. But it is a nicely-woolled sheep, and is a good breed to keep on a farm where the ewe flock is kept up by putting hi two-tooth breed on the place. It possesses a good fleece of wool, and is a ( good breed to go in for, except that it i« not as robust as some other kinds. Probably the hardiest sheep in the Dominion to-day is the Romney. It is said ihat in a snow camp, J where sheep have sometimes to re- ' main for weeks, without food, the Eomney will be found standing alive, while representatives of other breeds I are dead all round it. . Some'farmers i who have crossed the 'Romney with I the English Leicester state that'iheir ' I death rate has gone down wonder-. , fully since the Eomney strain was j introduced. The Ronniey also grows 1 a fleece of good wool, but as a.fat lamb j ! producer he is a long way behind i some other breeds. The Southdown i is probably the bod fat lamb producing breed in the Dominion. It produces a large number of fats in the, first draft, and also a ve ( ry nicely) shaped carcase, with a good percentage of meat to the* weight of. tin body. The Shropshire is another good fat lamb producing breed of sheep, early maturing, although it does not i usually fill out well as tho South- ■ down. But for keeping on the place las breeding ewes the Shrops and Downs are not at all to be recommenced. The sheep are small compared to man yother breeds, :v>d they do not j out a good fleece of wool. Neither the weight nor the quality is any- ; thing like that ""of the English Leicestcr or Roinney."