THE CORRIEDALE

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22906, 30 December 1939, Page 6

THE CORRIEDALE

WORLD-WroE DEMAND AUSTRALIAN APPROVAL The history of the Corriedale in Australia shows that It is much less susceptible to many of the common diseases than the merino. A writer in an Australian stock journal last week enumerated some of the virtues of thcbreed in this respect, and the remarkable demand for It in practically all i.ie main sheep-breeding countries of the world. The writer states in his introductory remarks that it took the excessively wet conditions this year in Victoria (and the abundance of feed) to demonstrate the marked resistance of a breed like the Corriedale to such troubles at footrot and foot abscess, which are proving a very serious problem for flock masters. What has been shown this season in the pronounced resistance of the Corriedale to these and other diseases is likely to prove an important factor in increasing still further the popularity of this very useful breed. As the pasture lands o£ Australia continue to be enriched by the application of fertilisers, and by sowing down (both performed with the object of producing more wool and meat, and so making properties more profitable), there will continue to be a proportionately greater demand for Corriedale sheep, which are recognised to be the dual purpose sheep, with the added recommendation of being less liable to attack from various quarters —under the headings of which come the, blowfly and footrot. The reason why the Corriedale is less susceptible to attack from the blowfly—a menace which -cpgts Australia about £4,000,000 a year—is that the body being free from wrinkles, and the’ wool from excessive grease, its attraction for the blowfly is greatly lessened. Similarly, because of its 50 per cent. British breed ancestry (British breeds being notably less susceptible to foot troubles), the Corriedale is less likely to get footrot or foot abscess. The average clean yield .of Corriedale wool when scoured is from 65 per cent, to 75 per cent. —a very high figure for any one breed—while the average clean scoured yield of the whole Australian wool clip is from 50 to 52 per cent. In the course of the annual reports which he furnishes to the Australian Meat Board, in regard to the work which he has been doing for some years past, as standardising grader of export meat for all states of the Commonwealth, Mr Ross Grant, Commonwealth veterinary officer (Victoria), has commented on the merits of the Corriedale type of ewe when mated to a suitable sire, as a producer of the most suitable type of lamb for export, / , ~ In the course of these comments, Mr Grant has observed that “In districts with heavy rainfall preference would be given to first cross ewes of the strong wool type, though, even under these conditions, the Corriedale gives excellent results. In districts of medium and lighter rainfall, which constitute the greater part of the lamb-pro-ducing areas in Australia, observations extending over a long period of years point definitely to the merits of the Corriedale ewe as a mother for the export type of lamb, both from the point of view of the type of carcase produced and the value of the skin and wool. The merits of the Corriedale are particularly marked during seasons of subnormal rainfall, such as, for example, 1938.’’

High Commercial Baling All over the world is to be found this advocacy of the Cofriedale as the product for the man who requires a comparatively trouble-free sheep, with a high commercial rating for both wool and meat. , The United States have taken many Corriedales, and to-day the numerous stud flocks in America show the extent to which this New Zealand breed has flourished in that country. The Soviet is said to imported various shipments ■ from North America, but so far it Is not known how the sheep have fared oft Russian soil. In South America there is a preponderancy of Corriedale bloody m millions of sheep which run on widely different types of feed and under diverse climatic conditions. After exhaustive tests, Japan has bought many Cprnedales. The breed was decided upon as the most suitable sheep for the majority of Japanese purposes. , The Corriedale combines with its great commercial value a remarkable constitutional vigour and ability to acclimatise to almost any condition. From the extreme cold and wet conditions of the Island of Tierra del Fuego, the most southerly sheep-pro-ducing area in the world---withiri 2 degrees of the Antarctic Circle—to the heft of. Kenya Colony and Northern Australia, the Corriedale flourishes.

A step has been decided upon which may mean a recovery m the pastmal life of the Highlands of Scotland. This is no less than a decision to reduce tnc number of deer in the country, A deer controller has been appointed, and the Secretary of State has also made an order giving agricultural tenants certain powers to destroy deer.

The standard price of wheat in the United Kingdom has been in.creased under the Government acquisition scheme from 45s to 49s 6d a quarter of 5041b, and the price of oats from 24s to 27s a quarter of 3311b.

Superphosphate charges m England were increased by 9s a ton for November, and 11s. a ton for December deliveries. The Minister for Supply has Issued a statement that the cause is that the cost of raw materials and shipping freights show an increase, and owing to the exigencies of the war considerable Internal transport costs have frequently to be incurred. These are to be pooled so as not to place an undue burden on individual firms who may be affected. Bags, Wages, and working costs ' all shew an increase.

Ah English Lelcester-Corriedale ewe recently gave birth in New South Wales to quadruplets. All were “doing well" alter the event. The lambs were by a Corriedale ram. The case was described by Government experts as a “remarkable one." The performance of a CorHedale ewe in the Dunsahdel district some years ago in giving birth to seven lambs still remains a world’s record, as far as can be ascertained. All the lambs survived on that occasion; but the ewe died.

Ayrdale Rosie, a pedigree Ayrshire; bred and owned by Mr W. Oates, a North Islahd dairyman, has the distinctloh of being the highest producer for the season, in the New Zealand Co-operative Herd Testing Association. She produced 13,6501b milk and flOflb fat in 310 days; A feature of the performance is her remarkably high average test of approximately 6 per eent. The merit in this case Is enhanced by the fact that throughout her test she has run with a herd of 60 on a farm that is carrying a beast to the , acre, and was milked only twice a day by machines. Moreover, she was down with milk fever at the commencement Of her test.