Of Horses, Dogs—and Men

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 552, 20 January 1950, Page 12

Of Horses, Dogs—and Men

HIGH arf DAYS, by Peter Newton; A. H. & A. W. Reed, 15/-. THE SHEPHERD'S DOG, by C. W. G. Hartley; Whitcombe & Tombs, 6/-. FIFTY YEARS SHEEP FARMING IN CANTERBURY, OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND, | by C. F. Overton; Whitcome &' Tombs, 15/-.

(Reviewed by

L. J.

Wild

| ETER NEWTON has followed his successful Wayleggo with | another first-class book about the high country of the South Island. He describes it as "an attempt to place on record the work and lives of that hardy fraternity whose lot is cast in the more remote fastnesses of New Zealand’s southern mountains." He has done much more than that. His book is a glowing tribute to the men-

} | the shepherds and musterers — whose | arduous work makes possible the annual | contribution of wool and surplus sheep , that the high country makes to the mar- | kets of the South Island. The wool goes | direct to the mills, local or overseas, but the surplus ewes have a further contri- | bution to make "down country" as the | mothers, or mothers of the mothers, of fat lambs. The lowland farmer depends ) on them. e No. conceivable mechanisation of farming can ever displace the musterer /and his dogs from the high country. We | of the cities-do we know what a muserer is? He musters sheep! What sort 'of a person is he? What does he do? Peter Newton puts the answers on ‘re- | cord; and the record is a book that all | of us may well read, not merely for our interest and delight, but for our edifica- | tion. The musterer on high country is a | man of superb physical fitness, a man | of integrity; he is half-artist and halfadventurer; though he would probably | recognise in himself only toughness, and boast only of his dogs. ‘ | The run-holder always excites our | imagination-the occupier of thousands /of acres-of mountains. Wool king in | good times, forgotten in bad. But the

musterer-most of us know about as much of his work as we do of a coal-miner’s-and hear much less. He merits an appreciation, and Reter Newton’s book will evoke it, not so much by design as by the sincerity of a first-hand presentation of the drama of high country days-days that include comedy and tragedy; the company of good fellows and the solitude of the hills; fears, hopes and disappointments. The illustrations, which include some simple line drawings, are well chosen and beautifully reproduced; the glossary is very helpful. But could not "pakihi’’ be included in the next edition? Mr. Hartley’s little book is a concise and orderly treatise on the training of sheep-dogs by one whose writing pro-

claims him an expert. The author evidently believes in the "new" education, or at least in the "play way"; for he recommends training early by taking advantage of the fact that the pup exhibits in play all the canine reactions that will be in evidence when he later works live sheep. Mr. Hartley is evidently a psychologist-indeed one chapter is headed "The Psychology of Sheepdog Training." "The pupil will do willingly that which is a pleasure to him, so when commands are taught while ‘working the rubber’ they become associated with pleasure also.’ The final chapter on the judging of sheep-dog trials is contributed by "a successful trial judge and competitor of 50 years’ standing." The book is illustrated with "action" photographs which are as good as can be expected of "still" pictures. Any dog lover will find Mr. Hartley good company; the owner of sheep-dogs will ind his book invaluable. Mr. Overton’s book consists of autobiographical material built up from the diary of a member of one of the wellknown families of Canterbury. "I have tried to set out the experiences of an ordinary young man starting on the land without: much capital during the last fifty years.’ Notwithstanding that the

book is mainly a family chronicle, it has some value for the student of settlement in the South Island. The concluding chapter contaifis some sound, though not profound, advice to the young nran starting sheep-farming. The illustrations are reproductiens of old photographs. Some are good and of general interest; others are not.