NEW SHEEP BREEDS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29956, 18 October 1962, Page 20

NEW SHEEP BREEDS

Stock classes at the Rangiora show have been widened in recent years and the show on Saturday will feature another first—the introduction of two new sheen classes. These are the Dorset Down and South Dorset Down breeds. The response by breeders has been excellent and the number of entries exceeds that in some of the breeds which have been featured for lengthy periodsThe Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association may be only the second show in Canterbury providing classes for the South Dorset Downs. The pioneer in this field Is probably the Winchester and districts show, which is believed, by one of the North Canterbury exhibitors of the breed, to be the only show in the province that has catered tor the breed. Introduction The first Dorset Down stud in New Zealand was established in Southland during the late 1940’s from sheep imported from England. This flock was bought by Mr J. R. Butt, Seddon, in 1951. In the same year T. W. Stevenson and Sons, Ltd., imported 12 ewes and a ram from England to establish the Branston Dorset Down stud at Hornby. This was followed by other importations from England and Australia. When the company disposed of the Hornby property in 1960 the stud was sold also and sheep from this were used to establish many of the Dorset Down studs now in Canterbury. A further importation of Dorset Downs was made by Mr A. C. Wright, Waimate,

about 18 months ago when he bought one of the four studs of this breed in Australia. Until then there had been only 800 stud Dorset Down ewes in this country but the breed is growing in popularity. The Dorset Down is gaining in popularity in North Canterbury and a strong nucleus of breeders is growing n the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s area. Among the advantages claimed for the Dorset Down is that it gives a fairly large, early maturing lamb, although the wool is slightly stronger than that of the South Downs. The South Dorset Down breed has been developed in New Zealand by mating stud Dorset rams with stud South Down ewes. A South Dorset Down society is now established with a membership of 39 in the South Island and three in the North Island. Although stronger in South Canterbury the breed is developing in the rest of Canterbury. South Dorset Down rams crossed with South Down ewes are claimed to result in early maturing lambs, even carcase conformation, with few tail-enders.