NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8535, 15 July 1893, Page 4

NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

By Straggler.

Weekly Press.

I .have received the following letter :- Kaikora (N.), Hawke's Bay, July 7th. Sir. —In late issues of your paper letter have appeared which £ have been please to see, if only for the fact that they ca! attention to a question on sheep-breeding which deserves greater consideration thai it ha« hitherto received. So far an th general public are concerned, any reilabl information showing results should, think, be more interesting than the ques tion, Who was the first to establish i useful breed with a permanent type Still, " Honour to whom honour is due.' I also haye lived in Arcadia. IE m] success had been so decided as Mr Little*! I should care precious little'who had:tb< etart. Mr Little .emphasizes the non success of Mr Brydone with only 3001 ewes after a lapse of sixteen years breed ing. As I understand Mr Brydone , ! company have inye'eted. a.lar,ge capital it several old-established breeds, it is easy tc understand his limit to any special breed, and if he has a^xe*y i; standard he must cull very<" fireely : . ;il :* J jJ.l>.'': asks, "What was the nature of the prejudice t The prejudice is that which baa been experienced by everyone who has attempted an innovation, an invention, 01 a reform, and the reason is the nonability of the average mind to make a logical deduction. - Any reasonable stock 'farmer will . concede that a ■godd specimen bf ■ the first cross Lincoln merino will give higher results, wool and mutton combined, on average country than any other breed. Some may be inclined to say this is a large order, but my own experience and observation (Ihave been thirty-five years occupied with the care of sheep) justifies mc in expressing this opinion. I readily admit that in first class country (suitable conditions) that the Longwool would probably be found most profitable, but in two-thirds.of our pastures; which are not suitable for the development of a perfect type of Lontcwool, the crossbred merino will do well. I should here say that I have been breeding half bred Lincoln-Merino, half bred rams to half bred ewes without any out crocs, and have now the ninth descent from original cross. I have no reason to be dissatisfied to this time. My experience has been similar to that stated by Mr Brydone, wool getting finer; not having gone outside my own flock, a change would be beneficial. To argue that we cannot perpetuate the type is to assume that there fa some inherent defect in either of the breeds, and is contrary to experience with all the modern breeds. I should like here, if you will allow mc, to quote from Mr J Tabart, Chief Inspector of Stock iv Tasmania :—•" In these days of progress all things are possible for those who practically understand their business. .Theoretical knowledgeis useless when applied to stock breeding , ,: -practical experience are requisite, embracing keen observation, patienbe, and determination, to carry, out. successfol'letqcfc breeding, of any description.- Parfei-eularly is it desirable where wishing to produce a distinct type of sheep for cross breeding which can only be attained by exercising great judgment and judicious selection of progeny combining 'all the requisite points aimed at." I thoroughly endorse every word, and recognizing the law of atavism we most reject all sheep which j do not conform to our standard, feeling no discouragement when finding many, which differ from the type sought £ they will be useful sheep but do not breed from them. I feel that I cannot longer trespass on your space, but would have no objection to recur to this subject and send you results from returns If you think it desirable.—l remain, air, m Tours obediently, W.H.S. fl shall be very pleased to have any results my correspondent cares to send mc at his convenience, and certainly trust to have some more of his views.] '

The cable news of the Sydney sheep sales have,T think, f ullyrealised my expectations of a fortnight ago. The results have alike disappointed" the too sanguine and the too doleful prophets, . A; careful analysis of my own feelings leads to the conclusion thaturar prospects are quite as good as we had. any reason to hope for. In fact I think we have no grounds whatever for viewing, the business of the sales from a dismal point of view on the information before us. As I said before it is much more satisfactory for ns to start with steady solid ousiness and look for gradual improvement than to open up the new outlet with a " boom ". which, at present, is by no means justified and would not, therefore, be on any firmer basis than some of the Victorian financial. institutions* This, I consider, is exactly what has taken place. Business appears to have been quiet but steady for average sorts, and thoroughly strong' for good sheep/ What more can we wish at present ?

It is perfectly' natural that Lincolns should have found most favour. The Lincoln breed is and has been for some time established in Australia, aad other breeds come to our friends iv an experimental light. Hence the present preference. But the sale*, I think, clearly indicate that there is a future for tbe Border Leicester type on Australian pastures. I shall not be the least surprised to find the tendency in the direction Of Leicesters grow stronger with our friends each.year. In fact, I may say I quite looked for this move mentioned, for

I am well aware that the Australian delegates who attended the recent-stock Conference went away greatly Impressed with the merits of our English and Border Leicesters.,."

But Australia must always be a firm home for the Lincoln. Though. I cannot claim to be very fully up In the business of our cousins, I think we may take it for

granted that they WUI want strong healthy sheep to stand the kaodringliboat which they must necessarlfy , encotmter in the journeys they must pas?" before arriving at their last stopping place In this world* Australian aheep will not for some time to oome be coaveyed ao tenderly to the freezing chamber as our "own Canterbury» is. It is, therefore, quite possible that the mutton raisers of the "other side "will give their sheep the benefit of a little maturity before putting them to their ultimate use. Now our friends will in all probability discover that in nine eases out of ten the Lincoln cross is the most suitable for their purpose, for I fchink it is pretty freely reoogaiead that where * sheep has to be shorn twice or more, the cross is decidedly the most profitable. lam quite prepared for about fifty columns of wrath to descend on my head for venturing on this statement. But I know we have some apace always at the disposal of our critics, and I may add we hare a few Lincoln men with plenty of ink handy, so I tremblingly assume this air of boldness. At the same time, Ido not for one moment infer chat other types are not going to enjoy along and successful career ia Australia. Certainly not, I see no evidence to justify such a conclusion. I merely think we shall, for reasons I have mentioned, find Australia one of the Lincoln strongholds. This, to my mind, helps to explain the most encouraging results obtained by Mr Henry Overton. Buyers evidently wanted something good in the Lincoln type. They got ib and apparently were contented to give fair value, as is shown by an average of over £10 being made. lam especially pleased Mr Overton has done so well this time because ha did not take anything with what he considered stud pretensions, and the buyers' estimates of the value of his hoggets gives promise of a bright future for his scuds. If Mr Boag had gone to the trouble of making an early selection and specially preparing it for exhibition he would in all probability have made a big average. As it is the which he makes is to my mind a very satisfactory criterion of the opinions which bis sheep have gained. Mr Threlkeid's prices are a little mixed in the form they have reached us, bus I think that, oo the whole, he will be satisfied. Eventually he should, for I am pretty certain Australians will soon learn to appreciate the merits of the Inglewood flocks, Mr Haydon emerges from the fray much better than might be expected, and will be encouraged to try again. Messrs Henlove and Rutherford have jzot good figures for their ewes; in Mr Menlove's c»se, the ewes, as I pointed out, when they left here, are an exceptional lot in lamb to stud rams. Quite a large—l won't say strong—contingent of sheep went from the North Island. Mr Tanner's breeding seems to have found admirers, but I am afraid some of the other averages:do jio« warrant (his conclusion being applied id all the North Island shipments. However, I will hot attempt to comment tujrgoods I know nothing about. .' " \ One hears all sorts of opinions of the prices obtained. It is <juite impossible to attempt to reconcile eonoe-1 have heard to a reasonable conclusion. For my own part I am thoroughly with some wellinformed gentlemen, who tell you that there is every possible prospect of getting good sound value in Australia. They reasonably argue that because rams have been abnormally high in New Zealand for * couple of seasons, that is no reason why we should expect our new buyers to give 75 per cent, more for, what cases are, the fag end of our season's supply. Quite right, I say. I may not hare to give seven guineas for my Border Leicester two-tooths next year, I am told. This is something to cheer one. Does it mean that rams will be cheaper next season f I am informed that there is not a small, bat a large, fortune fn buying dairy cow a in the North Island and bringing them t 0 i Canterbury. Where are the local cow fanciers? - ■•■•.■' ■ ' ; -.' . --h ;.- •/. [' J "We are not, lam told, to have any more I market reports on a Friday morning. This is bad luck for roe, for out of the seven or eight columns of contradictory opinions I sometimes managed to get an idea of how the markets were going. But "'tis an ill wind,"&c. The farmer's young daughter who weekly had to read aloud through this mass of matter to papa will smile, the newspaper editor will chuckle for the next twelve months, and the travelling public will add to the general satisfaction by cheerfully remembering thai! the usual Friday's joke will not in future be found under the heading of " Market. Reports." They will get it in these notes on Thursday Instead. At least I thiuk so, for lam asked to take up things in general and give some attention to the fowl markets I am now endeavouring to purchase a dictionary on credit. If I menage this'l may begin at once. • '" ' '

I have received from the Sydney branch of the -New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company a copy of their" Stud Sheep Sale Catalogue. Among the Hat of vendors are Messrs H. and J. Goodfellowi Waikato; J. G. Rutherford, Auckland; Herbert Pickering, Waikato; J. W. Baker, Waoganui; Robert; Hall, Auckland; William Boag, Canterbury ; S* Garfortb, Canterbury; W. J. Hunter, Waikato; . Overton, Canterbury ; William Grey, Otago; P. C. Threlkeld, Canterbury; Joseph Barugh, Auckland; and Tanner, Hawke's Bay.

Mr Tanner, I notice, took over two halfbred sheep, which are described as "by Vermont merino ram oat of a pore Lincoln stud ewe, seventh generation,** for the purpose of showing the value of the Lincoln-merino cross.

A Sydney broker's advertisement states that the consignor of a shipment of sheep from the south for the recent sales in New Sonth Wales "is well-known throughout New Zealand as 900 of the foremost breeders, both of Pure Merino and the improved Lincoln breed of sheep, and as the possessor of the most successful type of cross-breds in that colony for meat export purposes." 1 should like to express my thanks for this information and apologise for my previous ignorance of tho fact.

An English, batcher states that! the tendency of New Zealand sheep-breeders is to produce too much fat, and this he attributes to the use of Lincoln and Romney Marsh sheep. He thinks the New Zealand breeders ought to be content with less wool and better mutton, considering the English consumers go more for lean meat of good quality nowadays than formerly, and he recommends a more extensive use of the Down varieties of sheep, which produce by far the beat description of mutton.

The only flock of pare merinos now in England is said to be that Iα Kent belonging to Mr Sturgeon. There are descendants of the Kew flock of George 111., from which Captain John Macarthar obtained ! the few from whleh he bred so successfully, and which were the chief progenitors of the Australian merino. Two of the rsms from Mr Sturgeon's flock were brought to Sydney some time ago, and were disposed of at auction, one being purchased for Tasmania and the other for a station near Coonaa. We understand that the latter Iβ to be presented to the.Sydney Technological Museum, and. that ultimately it will go into the hands of the taxidermist, to be preserved and exhibited as an object of interest to all who study the development of the pastoral interest In Australia. Australasian Pasforalistf Review. Regarding the vexed question of regulating the sex of offspring M. Thury, of the Geneva: Academy, formulated the following law for stock raisers :—lf you wish to produce females isire the male at the first sign of heat; if you wish to produce males give him at the end. of the heat. A celebrated Swiss stock raiser, in DublishJna .*

his experience of the accuracy of this htw says .->' ln the first place, on twentymo successivei occasions, I desired t0 w! heifers. My cows were of Bchwit?b£_* and my buU a pure DwhamTi ,£23 ft in these cases. Having Durham cow, it was verY|£ ttitnt P f! one I had bought at great expenS. wiffeS? leaving to chance the productbn nfi !s P 6 So I followed the direction f?£ a i Bals - Thnry, and $I*'??*?* application of the law**l from my Durham ball six Z! £«»"#* field work and, havlug c^°/nhf_l M colour and height, I have matches of oxen. My herd Z« ,£2*? forfc- cows of every age; ? a Sort made in all twenty-nine the new method, ceeded in what I was lookluVJKmllfw female. I had not a a ogle failure "-1" traZewian JJerW 4v " _"?„_ fo ' l . owin « Information from the OWr for May 23rd wUI be rf interest :-One of the finest fiockr St «S wl ??^ P w N t w , decidedly _r?ni fe_* c North island, is that ofMr William Wilson, of Elslea, Patea River if the Taranak district. Mr Wilson n_s !r£ noted flocks in England. He has e_ee_? tional facilities for maintaining his |W\ up to a high standard, his pastures beSu? perhaps unequalled for rlohaess any wh«£ south of the line. Elslea was one of the floats visited by the delegates to the kS Stock Conference, and Mr Wilson b*» forwarded to Mr Gordon, the CbJet Inspector of Stock for the colony, several fleeces of his wool for distribution samples. These fleeces are up to the highest average, in weight, lustre. aM length of staple; but are deddediT superior to the average samples here in the breadth of the staples, that peculixrify being, as all breeders of Lincoln ehee. « 0W ' ? ne °* the mosfc Q h? n ly prised poiate of the breed, it being a sure iudicatioa of the soundness of the wool fibre, and, to a large extent, of robustness of constitution of the sheep. Those who take an Interest in the subject can have an opportunity ef examining these flesces at Mr Gordons office.

The American Shsepbi-ceder says:—"ta regard tofootrot the nockmaster ought to keep a few facts distinctly in mind and act on them: I. Blue vitriol (sulphate cf copper) is the one recognised infall ble cars for it. If it does not curs, the aheaherd may set it down that it was the fault of the manner and mode of application and not of the medicine. 2. The vitriol canust penetrate to all the remote lurkiog-plaess of the virus unless it is applied in the fcna of an active solution, as in water, aad set mixed with any such viscid, gummy substance as white lead or tar. 3. It will opt reach the spot aad do the work unless that spot ia laid bare by washing, or paring, if necessary. It is impossible for any medicine to accomplish any results through a mass of crust or hardened pus or blood. , After an active experience of thirty years | with sheep we practically discarded aU medicines except bluestone, turpentine er tar, copperas and sulphur. , A Northern contemporary reports ta interesting case at Feilding'ln connection with the destruction of a cow, by order ef tbe Inspector, suffering from tuberculosis. For the defence it was shown that Ute cow was in good condition previous to the sale. The witnesses were of opinion that the cow was in good health, moreover It was denied that any warranty had beea given at the time of the sale. In review* ing the case his Worship commented cp the fact that the plaintiff had made m complaint to the defendant as to the cow being diseased, also that he had given Mm no notice before the cow was actually killed, so that he could have appealed to s Justice of the Peace against the inspectaft order for the destruction of ihe cow, If tij« defendant thought fit to take that coarse. He could not find the defendant liable fee the loss of the cow, taking into consideration that the plaintiff had used it for ten weeks without complaint, and the want of proof it was diseased at tbe time cf aalfc. The plaintiff was non-suited with costs. '