THE RIGHT SHEEP TO BREED.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3128, 2 August 1892, Page 2

THE RIGHT SHEEP TO BREED.

In the " Warwickshire Herald,'' of May i 26th, under the head of " Agricultural Notes," written by a practical farmer, the following remarks are made upou the changes of breeds in sheep, and by thn return at foot it demonstrates very clearly that the short-woolled sheep are \ most in favour at the present time in | England—due, 110 doubt as the writer 1 says,to the preference given to small lean mutton, which suits the present taste of the British public. "It may truly be remarked that the var--1 ious breeds of sheep have during the present century been upon their trial ; and 1 with the fierce light of public opinion upou them, intensified by the universal practice of showing, breeds to stand the test mu3t have merits of no mean order. In the latter part of the period, especially certain facts have had to be recognised, namely, that taking England throughout big-trained mutton and heavy-fleeced sheep have not been in favour in this last generation. The public give the preference to small lean mutton, and they have to be catered for, and what they don't so much require suffers in price ; besides, the large imports of mutton compete to a certain extent with that class of mutton which does not command the top price. Then, the wool being so low in price for several years has often led a farmer to consider whether it pays him so well to keep his long wools, when wool, so long in demand, will probably not compensate for the inferior price which he has to accept for his big mutton. The result has often been a change from loug wools to short wools or " Down •' sheep. Take the Leicesters, for instance. We hear of " Ireland for the Irish," of " Wales for the Welshj Jl and we might have heard 30 to 50 years ago of " Leicester for the Leicesters," but we don't now for there is scarcely a flock of Leicester sheep kept in the whole county of Leicester. So it has been throughout the Midland countries, and the Downs, principally Shropshire."), hare supplanted the once favourite Leicesters,which have now been driven into Yorkshire, which is their present stronghold. Lincolns are pretty well confined to their own county, and Gotswolds, being a very ancient breed, have fairly maintained their position in. their own native county, but do not extend much beyond it. The difficulty of giving figures regarding the class of sheep kept is evident,as the agricultural returns do not classify the sheep. In ISOO it was. estimated by Lubcock that there Mere of. Loug-woolled sheep 4,153,358 Short-woolled sheep 14,854,219 Although after that period there was a very considerable increase in the lougwoolled sheep,it is probable that the proportion is now very much as it was then,, for we may fairly estimate that the shortwoolled outnumber those of a long stapler by at least three or four to one. At present we do not see auv prospect of the long wools again becoming the favourites, as tin; immense importations of wool sq keep down the value that the considet;ation of a valuable fleece will not be thought important."