NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8929, 20 October 1894, Page 9

NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

» ■ * " Weekly Press. ,Bγ Sxkaggleb. "L.H." writes:— Referring to your note re wartiness on lambs nosesr-I don't know whether this is the technically correct description—l have cured some ot raineat the fires attempt. I had by mc a pot of black ointment made, I understand, of vaseline and iodine, and applying this to the lambv noses cured them. I don't know whether it was the iodine, in which case the vaseline merely acted as a vehicle, or whether it was the vaseline, in which case the iodine did no harm, but I have pub your correspondent on the right track, and he can experiment aud let us kuovv. One good turn deserves another. "An Englishman" writes:—Your correspondent "Another Englishman" did not apparently deem my last letter worthy of reply. If I remember rightly "Another Englishman" made a great point of rarely, if ever, having seen a hundred pound sheep exposed for sale at Home. In glancing over my Australasian Pastoralists' Review I dropped across the following comments on the London Meat Market. They read as under:—Picked pens of clipped sheep made per 81bs, as follows (sinking the offal): 7 J to 8-stone Downs, 5* 10d; 9-stone do,, 53 8d ; 10-«» tone do., 5i 6d; 10----stone half-breds, 5* 4d to 5* 6d; 10-stone Irish, 5a 2d to 5s 4d; 12 stone Liucolna, 43 10d to 5-4. Bto 9-ttone Canadian, 4s 6d to 4a 8d ; 10-stone ewes, 4s 8d to 4s IOd ; 10----stone Kents, 5a to 5s 2d; 5-stone fat Down lambs, 6i 8d to 6s 10J ; 6-stone half-bred do., 6s to 6* 2d. I am not much ot an expert in the market report line, bufc -this seems to mc to read as if ninety-six sheep were still a quotable article on the London market. I trust if lam wronaj «• Another Englishman " will oblige by correcting mc, "A Butcher" writes: —I imagine your correspondent "Bollock's Bladder" can only be a farmer, and a farmer who is anxious to get a great deal more than he is entitle! to by the laws of bueinese. I strongly object to any such idea as a weighbridge at Addington Yards or any other yards. I can't see where the guide would be. How would it act when a man came in and weighed his bullock after stuffing it all night and giving it a good drink before it came Iα at morning time. No, sir, the farmer has all the best of ifc now, and it is not the work of good colonists to be too greedy to one another. So, sir, don't attempt to use your influence in the direction mentioned by " Bullock's Bladder." A Wellington correspondent draws my attention to an extract from a Wellington paper, which reads as follows: — "Mr Hathews's imported Romneys, having served their sixty days quarantine, were brought back from Somes Island this morning by the Mana, in splendid condition, and were sent to their future home in the Wairarapa this afternoon. There is on the island at present a newlyimported magnificent roan shorthorn bull, belonging to Mr S. Williams, of Hawke's Bay. This animal secured champion prizes at Home in all the shows he was entered for, and cost about 700gs to land here. He is about two and a-half years old. Mr Stuckey, of the Wairarapa, has on the island a very fine Hereford bull, (Duke of York), eighteen months-old, and a Southdown ram. Mr Birch also has two Southdown rams there at present. All the above animals are in first-class fettle, and reflect great credit on the Stock Department and their employees. There is plenty of feed on the island, but the trees lately planted are looking brown, the effect of the late southerlies. Mr Stuckey.has brought down two young Hereford bulls bred Iby /himself; which will be shipped by the Te Anau tomorrow for Giaborue.lo the_order of Mr M'Lean of that district. From the report of last week's meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, which appears elsewhere, it will be seen that tbe committee of the association decided against a resolution, moved by Mr Hy. Overton, in favour of publishing judges' names previous to the show. I have already referred to this subject, and the.fact of the idea having been rejected by the committee does not supply mc with any fresh ground for argument. I must, however, _ confess myself disappointed that the experiment wssooctried, and I really cannot congratulate Mr John Grigg on the 1 wanner in which he faced the question. It is all very well for Mr Grigg to stand alone. He can afford to do so. But the A. and P. Association cannot, and, like all business people, they must endeavour to study the interests of those who assist them towards success. However, after all there is nothing very serious in the whole business, and it may well be allowed to rest until a general meeting of the Association, when doubtless steps will be taken to obtain a reliable!indication of the wishes of those whojgre largely responsible for the work which tends most to the welfare "of the Association.

By way of having another word'on this subject I would like to enter my protest against the argument that the publication of judges* names would enable breeder»to select their sheep so as to catch a judge a i fad. This is bat a weak straw to cling to. How many breeders are there in our l colony who keep sufficient sheep in show I order to enable them to-pick for this judge at one show, and that judge at another, and so on. Why, I don't believe i that oven Mr Brydone could do Ibj. notwithstanding all the magnificent flocks he has at his disposal. ' I learn that the Annual Amur! Wether Sale is fixed for December 14th. This, it) may be noted, is the date fixed for the second wool sale of the coming season; I am informed that Mr Henry Overtoil I has completed the sale of somelorty sheep to Messrs Williams, of Hawke's Bay, aft a \ very satisfactory figure. I When at Addington tbe other day I noticed a three-year-old Jersey heifer in \ the beef peas. Jerseys are not popularly I supposed to be beef-producers, buc as this ' beast made JS9 and was described to mc by a leading butcher as"Al quality," we may assume there ta yet some hope for the Jersey in other directions than milk. Even atthia early period of the season fat(?) lambs occupy a large amocnt of salesmen's time at Addington. In some cases it is really amusing to notice* the stuff which is gravely penned as prime lamb. In fact, it was quite a relief to come across some of the Cashmere Estate lambs. To my old conservative mind they iom lamb. Bat perhaps my ideas have become fossilised, and my only consolation is that they were good enough to "top the market by chalks." I wish everyone would follow Mr Hugonin's example, and when they send in lamb let it be lamb. Some of us would not be regularly given a bilious treat about the middle of September Iα each year. ho far no one appears to nave suggested anything better than ".Canterbury sheep" as a name for the inbred holf-breds. I may say that, in reply to a communication from mc, Mr Brydone advises that he coneiders the title mentioned would be quite suitable. I would therefore suggest" to Mr Murphy that when he i 3 reading his "Weekly Pkbss and comes across this paragraph, be should make a note of the suggestion for the benefit of his committee. It is with much pleasure that I read the following comment from theNelsonfifar:—>. The vigorous management of our Agricultural and Pastoral Association promises to bring Kelson to the front,' »4 a district well fitted by nature for, the raising;'of stud stock. Almost every day fresh importations of stud animals art chronicled, and the euterorise of local broaden is

taking a very commendable turn. Since the establishment of the freezing industry there has always been a pretty constant demand for Lincoln and Leicester sheep to produce the necessary stamp of crossbred, and although the pastoral area of this district is not great, there is no reason why oar etud flocks should not supply the wants of many sheepfanners throughout the Colony. Experience has shown that Nelson is particularly suited for raising iirst-class stock. The climate is everything: which could be desired, and the abundance of phosphate of lime in the soil produces herbage which gives a nice proportion of bone to the animals, while there is not the rapid growth which detracts from soundness, so noticeable in stock brought up on rank pastures. Unfortunately the want of railway communication prevents stock from outside places coming into the local shows, bat by and by, as the ample Crown lands in the province become settled, Kelson will not be far behind other places as a stock producing district. There is a wise tendency to breed a good stamp of coaching horses, a department greatly neglected in other part of the colony, and a high repntation for harness horses would greatly benefit the district. Similarly, the establish tnent of a couple of dairy factories in the Waimeas will speedily direct attention to improved breeds of milch cows* Meantime the importation of prize stock into the district is a matter for congratulation, and we hope that the A. and P. Association and settlers will continue to strive to make Nelson celebrated for its stud stock. Alfred Mansetl and Co., of Shrewsbury, England, on Monday, August 13th, conducted a highly successful sale of Shropshire aheep, consisting of forty-one rams and fifty-eight ewes. The occasion was Mr A. E. Maheell's annual sale at Harrington Hall, Shropshire, when no less than seven prize winners, including tbe champion ram at Cambridge Royal Show, were catalogued for sale. Indeed Mr A. E. Mansell's career in the Rjyal and other show-yards is this season without parallel in the history of the Shropshire sheep. In opening the sale Mr Alfred Mansell, who wielded the hammer, briefly alluded to the extraordinary show-yard career of the Harrington flock, and the remarkable success attending the use of Mansell-bred rams into other flocks, calling attention to the fact that both first and second twoshear rams at Cambridge Royal Show, as well as many other prize winners,, were sired by Harrington rams. He then commented on the general excellence of the Harrington flock, and the consistent line of breeding pursued, and he concluded his speech by dwelling on the value of pedigree if combined with a really good animal. Such an animal was, he contended, a really safe and good investment, and its value for breeding could noc be overrated. The first ram to enter the ring was "Double First," winner of Ist prize as a lamb at Chester Royal Show, a winner of Ist prize as a Shearling this season at Cambridge Royal, started at 60 guineas, successive bids from all quarters of the ring quickly ran this magnificent ram (by Strong Head, 7143) up to 200 guineas, his purchaser being Mr R. H. Stubber, of Queen's County, Ireland, who was loudly cheered when he sang out 200. The best prices were as follows:— 1 Shearling Earn—Mr E. H. Btnbber ... 200 ge. 2 „ „ Mr E. Nock ... .:. 110 „ 3 „ „ MrE. C. Wedlow and Mr E. Nook ... 60 „ 4 (Let) „ Mr P. Ererall 38 " 6 » „ Mr E. H. Stubber ... SO „ 7 „ „ Major Sandbsotx ... 60 „ 8 ~ „ Mr P. i». Mills ' ... S7 „ 9 „ ~ MrKenwortUy 40 „ 10 „ „ Mr FennandMr Harding CO „ 14 „ „ Sir G. Ohetmore ... 28 „ 17 „ „ The Duke'fWetminst'r 18,, 22 „ „ Jar B. O. Wadlow ... 2e „ 27 i, „ Earl of Liabourne ... 24.,, Ewes—l26s, W. Dicken; 94s 6d and $4s, Mr R. H.'Stubber; 94* Bd, v Mx, R. P. Cooper. Average of Rams, £30 17s 4d. Ewes, £4 2s 95.. Great spirit characterised the sale throughout, and again proved that really good and well-bred animals readily Ond buyers at remunerative prices. The Steading Mercury and Oxford Gazette says:—Very satisfactory prices have been realised at the recent sales and lettlngs of Oxfordshire and Hampshire Down rams, and the sales of ewes aud lambs from the principal flocks in this district. Very high prices have been made in some cases, and the average* are higher than those of recent years. At the sale from Messrs J. and T. Palmer's Hampshire flock, &fc Tallop, one ram -was let; for the season at 50ge, and the average of six ram lambs was £28 lis, while 90 ewes sold at an average of 59a each. One of Mr East's Hampshires, at liongsfcock, was let at 31g8. Six Hampshire ram lambs let for the season by Mr C. Waters at an average of £33 10s, one being let at 60gs, while 66 lambs were sold ab 5 to %c. The highest price reported this season at present is 150gs, at which Mr Brace, of Inverquhomery, N. 8.. purchased a ram at Mr John Tread well's sale of Oxfordshire Downs at Upper Winchenden, Aylesbury This Is the highest price, we believe, ever given for a sheep from the famone Winchenden flock. Several other rams were sold at 20 to 56ge, and the average for 60 shearling rams was £17 15s 2d.each, against last year's average of £12-9 a Bd.