SHOWING PRIME STOCK

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30206, 10 August 1963, Page 6

SHOWING PRIME STOCK

not big contribuA tors to the fat sheep markets at Addington these days, the Hoods, of Somerton, have a long and distinguished record of fat stock production. Many years ago the late Mr William Hood was sending early lambs to Addington, and on many occasions he topped the sale. Mr K. V. Hood, who now manages the 833-acre property for his mother. Mrs F. R. Hood, recalls that the lambs out of Corriedale ewes by Shropshire rams were drafted through the race by his father.

Mr Thomas Hood and his son, Mr William Hood, acquired the Somerton property between 1890 and 1900 and Mr William Hood took over about 1901. Mrs F. R. Hood, whose father was Mr George Vucetich, of Pendarves, has been living at Somerton for 62 years. Mrs Hood, who will soon be 88, still has in her sittingroom a blue ribbon which her father gained for his champion Shropshire ram at the Ashburton show in 1902 Her memories of childhood days at Pendarves include one of a terrifying day late in the last century when dust blown by a north-west gale from the Highbank district blackened the sky Candles had to be lit in the middle of the day so that lunch could be taken. This was the occasion when at least one child is alleged to have been buried in soil against a gorse fence. Mrs Hood says that this storm underlined the need for tree planting on the plains.

Mrs Hood's first memory of a motor-car was when she was in an Ashburton street in charge of a governess's cart while her husband was away doing business. Her terrified horse kicked the front of the cart. A wellknown Ashburton man of those days came to her rescue.

In the days before many mechanical aids Mrs Hood remembers an inventive brother rigging up a device using horsepower for churning cream for butter, but his plans went astray when the horse bolted, sending the butter flying. Mrs Hood’s father is believed to have be n the first to bring blue lupins to the country from Europe. Mr William Hood established a Corriedale flock at Somerton in 1920 when he bought 214 Merino ewes from Bayfields and Lincoln rams from the North Island. In 1947 his son, Mr Keith Hood established a Corriedale stud on the place and in his firsit appearance at the Christchurch stud ram fair in 1949 he gained second highest price in the Corriedale section with a natural condition ram making 130gns. Sheep out of the stud have

gone to Peru and the Argentine.

But it has been in the field of fat stock that Mrs Hood and her son have had most conspicuous success since the war. Up to 1957 Mrs Hood won Ute Corriedale Society’e trophy for the best pen ol two-tooth Corriedale wethers in the Grand National Fat Stock Show in Christchurch six times in succession, and she has won it once since. Mrs Hood has also supported the show by giving a trophy for the best pen of Corriedale or halfbred ewes in the show and it is at present held by Mr D, J. Stewart, whose daughter recently married one of Mrs Hood's grandsons. Mr W. A. Hood, who with his brother, was an exhibitor for the first time at the Show this year.

In the first year that a fat stock show was held at Ashburton, Mrs Hood gained the Stock and Station Agents’ Cup for scoring most points for sheep and cattle, and in 1958 and 1959 she won he Master Butchers’ Cup for the best pen of hoggets. Mrs Hood also gave a trophy for Corriedale lambs at this show which has since been won outright, and she has also given a trophy for flock ewes at the Methven show On her mantelpiece Mrs Hood has a jug and cup won at the Methven show with fat stock

Flock Contest

Sheep from the property have twice won the twotooth section in the flock ewe competition of the combined Mid-Canterbury agricultural and pastoral associations, and in the last Mid-Canterbury district export lamb competition a pen of SouthdownCorriedale cross lambs from Somerton was among the seven pens sent to London.

Corriedale two-tooth ewes from the place shared top price at the last ewe fair held at Rakaia in 1961, and in the following year they shared top price ait the Tinwald fair In recent years the Corriedale wool from the property has regularly been close tc the top price at the Christchurch April wool sale. In 1961 it was top. About 1800 sheep are now run at Somerton, and a notable recent addition to sheepitandling facilities on the property has been a two-stand concrete-block shearing shed largely designed by Mr C. Robinson, of Te Pirita, and built by Street Bros., of Rakaia.

For some 20 years Messrs Campbell and Hart at Rokeby, who are on the site of the old Rokeby homestead, have also been consistent supporters of the Grand National Fat Stock Show at Addington. A few lambs are usually kept back at the end of the season for the com-

petition, and they are generally among the place getters. Earlier wethers were also entered.