EARLY MATURING LAMBS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 October 1938, Page 3

EARLY MATURING LAMBS

DORSET HORN CROSSBRED. An instance of the wonderful early maturity of Dorset Horn crossbred lambs has recently occurred in South Australia. Messrs W. S- Kelly and Sons, the well-known Dorset breeders of Merrindee, Tarlee, forwarded to the Adelaide- market of June 29, an outstanding draft of 66 suckers by Dorset Horn rams out of Dorset-Merino crossbred ewes, dropped in April, so that their ages would average approximately only 10 weeks. In the market the whole draft attracted considerable attention for their exceptional sappy quality and early maturity.

Fourteen were killed at the abattoirs as the first entry for the all-Australian export competition for 1938-39, Messrs Kelly and Sons thus repeating their last year’s position. The first pen scaled 701 b. live weight, and the rather wonderful average of 381 b. export dressed weights; the second pen 641 b. live weight and dressed for export 351 b. The first pen proved too heavy for the competition, which is limited to a maximum of 371 b. export weights, but will be sent to Smithfield for exhibi; tion and sale. The whole draff was outstanding for depth of flesh, and displayed remarkable conformity, being low-set and thick, of the true down type so popular at Smithfield. The lambs received no hard feed in the way of corn or chaff, and before a green shoot appeared at Merrindee their dams were fed on silage, made from a rank crop of “slender thistles” pitted last spring.