REPLY TO "MUTTON."

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3125, 26 July 1892, Page 2

REPLY TO "MUTTON."

TO THE EDITOR. Sik, —Aβ your correspondent '' Mutton " seems to think I retrained from going into the question of "Freezers" becausej!?|f I am too honourable a man to intention ally mislead my brother farmeis, I beg to assure him aiy sole reason was, that not being a grower of " Freezers " myself, I felt 1 had neither the right nor the desire to in any way dictute to those who were. Another error into which "Mutton" has fallen is iu nupposiug that I slight the opinions of Mr Grigg and others. On the contrary, from their own point of view, and situated as they ar>; in a very rich and highly cultivated dMrict, their views are mainly correct. Mr Grigg is such an oxcellent farmer and grazier that he can produce sheep for oxport of choice quality of whatever breed he likes, providing they are fine in their breeding. Mr Grigg, Mr Cayerhill und '' Mutton " ussert that the black-faced sheep mature— or more rapidly fatten—earlier than the white facec. My own experience as a breeder of Shropshire Downs in England, and Sir J. B.Liwes' report given in the Royal AgriculturalJonrnal on the comparative fattening qualities of different breeds of shejp, go to prove the contrary. The position in Waikato I take it is this : Our largest growers of sheep, find they have to embark in a manufacturing business, viz, the production of frozen mutton. The first necessity of every manufacturing industry, is, that the raw material must be available at a minimum of cost. The cheapest raw material in Waikato, and most other parts of the North Island is, the Merino, and crossbred Merino ewe. A writer to a most excellent paper—the Farmer—Mr Taylor White says. " we want a Bakewell to fix up a permanent type of sheep of permanent characteristics, neither too large or the reverse, of a muscular or fleshy character, and one to arrive at the required atandaril of weight ;uid condition in eighteen months' tune." Surely, we should be wiser to make tiie best use we can of the breeds we have, and be thankful that such au excellent sheep as the Merino is ready to our hands; pure, they are too small; but, if crossed with mi English lougwooled sheep, having fine lustrous wool and a broad back, they can be made to produce a first-class "freezer" within eighteen mouths, aud the ewe Hock will cany i fleece, of higher value than any pun ored English sheep, and the cross-breedg are adapted to a great variety of soils and ecuations. Some breeders, J. think.c any these crosses too far, until they become almost a longwouled sheep. "Mutton' says cross theso sheep with a pure-bred Down, I thoroughly agree with him, but think that the produce should he frozen, part aa lambs aud the balance as shearlings. Some yearn ago several breeders used Down rams indi.-criminiitely, and it was sad Iα see the total a'osence of type in many mobs of sheep, hardly any two of them being alike, tb«y were simply playing into the hands of the wool buyers who made them pay handsomely for their trouble in sorting. I must not forget to thank " Mutton" for his kind assurance thai, 1 have still a few years left wherein to clear out my Lincoln flock, the moro so, in that I have been at great pains to breed to type, but let me assure him there is no cause for any anxiety, the Liu'»ln wool sheep under the name of Lincoln, or improved Leicester, or some other name will be a most necessary breed of sheep for, may be, centuries to come.— 1 am, etc. Saml. Tiios. Seddon,