Sheep Maintain Show’s High Reputation

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30288, 14 November 1963, Page 22

Sheep Maintain Show’s High Reputation

Although it is slightly smaller than last year’s exhibition for the centennial show, the sheep show fully maintains its reputation as one of the great sheep shows of the world, with 16 breeds represented in the sheep pavilion.

The show loses little by entries being down from 1297 last year to 1077. It means only that there is rather less pressure on space. Judges almost without exception confirmed the standards were comparable with previous years, and in some cases they said that they had never seen better sheep. Occasionally, they observed, the hard winter and early spring had left its mark on exhibits, but in the main as stud stock the show sheep have been insulated against the rigours of the recent climate in the province.

As is customary, the Corriedale section was easily the largest of the show, with 264 entries compared with 298 last year, and judging continued until about 5 p.m. The only overseas judge this year was Mr J. F. Litchfield, of the Hazeldean Stud, Cooma, New South Wales, the country of the Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme. Judging in front of a gallery of interested spectators, Mr Litchfield was impressed by the competition in the Merino section and the size and quality of the sheep.

Corriedale A six-tooth ram from the D. S. Johns Trust (Culverden) gained the top male honour in the big Corriedale section, which was only a little smaller than last year with 264 entries, compared with 298 at the centennial show. Mr A. G. O. Johnston, of Geraldine, who judged the aged rams and the fourtooth rams, said that the champion was an excellent specimen of a dual-purpose Corriedale. He had a beautiful head and top line. This sheep won at Christchurch as a ram hogget in 1961 and the same year won the Meat and Wool Cup. The judge was particularly impressed with the fourtooth rams, and said that they were the strongest class he had ever judged in Christchurch. Out of this group he picked the reserve champion, which also came from the Johns Trust. An extremely - well - woolled sheep, it was awarded the Killik Aike trophy for the ram with the best sire’s fleece.

Of the rams as a whole, Mr Johnston said that they were of very good quality, but some were showing the effects of the wet winter in their wool. The only fault he could find was that some good sheep were inclined to be overshot in their mouths. Champion Ewe The champion ewe came from the two-tooth class. It was exhibited by O. G. Evans (Hawarden). Mr D. L. Ensor (Rakaia Gorge), who judged the class, said that it had attracted disappointingly small entries, but the first four sheep were excellent and the Evans sheep outstanding. The same sheep won the ewe hogget class last year, was first at both the Hawarden and Amuri shows as a lamb, and was champion at Hawarden this year, and its fleece won the ewe hogget wool section at the same show this year. Of the older ewes, Mr Ensor said that this was a strong class, but in contrast to the two-tooth section the condition of most of the lambs running with the ewes was disappointing. The winner from the Johns Trust, which was also reserve champion, was a very goodframed ewe with a fleece that was on the upper limit for fineness and of a very nice colour, style, and density, and in this case both the ewe and lamb were in extremely good condition. The pairs of ewe hoggets were remarkably evenly matched, he said—the best that he had encountered in his experience—and the quality of the sheep was also very good. In this class there were unplaced entries that would have been worth a ticket. Mr Ensor said that he had one criticism to make: throughout the classes he had judged, sheep with good clean ears had been comparatively rare. Mr A. H. Kennington (Seddon) said that the single ram hoggets were extremely even and hard to separate. They were particularly good considering the wet season. Top place went to R. M. Thomson (Culverden) with a sheep which Mr Kennington said was a very big, square sheep carrying a very even good fleece. He had beaten others in the strongly supported section in his walking and standing. The ewe hoggets were of a similar quality, the wool being particularly pleasing. The winner, from the estate H. T. Little (Hawarden), was very well grown with a good head and a very nice fleece. Difficult Job

Mr D. A. Harvie (Moonlight. Palmerston) had a difficult job separating the shorn ram hoggets, many of which he said were worthy of an award. But apart from one or two, the shorn ewe hoggets were not quite so outstanding. Out of the pen which won the class for pairs of woolly ram hoggets was selected a sheep which was awarded the Wright Stephenson and Company Cup for the best ram hogget. The pair of hoggets were from Douglas Johnston (Mayfield). The award of the San Pedro trophy for the bestheaded ram in the section was made to a sheep from the estate H. T. Little. Mr R. B. Kellock (Hawarden), who made the selection, said it was a. sheep with a magnificent head, with a perfect

wool covering and no traces of wool blindness. It moved and stood well and handled well along the back.

Border Leicester

Generally, the standard of the Border Leicester ram classes was very high. Competition was good and the entries were very well brought out, the judge (Mr A. F. Ruddenklau, of Waimate) said. The Westmere Farming Company, Ltd., won the award for the champion ram, which was a very big sheep with a "great carcase” and a good fleece. In the ram hogget classes, the competition was particularly good and the sheep were of excellent quality, Mr Ruddenklau said. There was very little between the placegetters. The Border Leicester ewes were judged by Mr A. J. Edwards (Gore), who thought the quality of the section was very good throughout. The ewe hoggets were particularly good in both the shorn and woolly classes, and Mr Edwards said it was difficult to separate the winning entries. All the sheep were in wonderful order, very well brought out, and impressive. He thought there had been an improvement in the quality of the wool in the breed over the last year or two. The champion ewe, exhibited by H. W. Farquhar, in the 18 to 30 months class, was a particularly good specimen.

Hampshire Down

Competition in the Hampshire Down pens was surprisingly good, the sheep being exceptionally well brought out, according to Mr P. G. Stevens, of Christchurch, who judged the section. He said it was pleasing to see breeders keeping the breed up to form even though there were only small numbers. "The breeders have fully maintained a high standard,” Mr Stevens said. Most of the sheep would be quite acceptable in English shows, and the champion ewe, entered by J. C. Guinness, was typical of the breed and was in great order. B. S. Hunt’s champion ram was also a very good sheep. Cheviot There was only one breeder showing in the Cheviot classes, which were also judged by Mr Stevens. Most of the entries were ewes, and no championship was awarded for the single ram entry. J. W. Cleland’s champion ewe was a particularly good example of the breed, Mr Stevens said. Dorset Horn D. A. Booker’s champion Dorset Hom ram was an outstanding sheep and one of the best the judge (Mr E. H. Clifton, of Feilding) had seen. The ewe hogget classes were particularly impressive, and required some hard judging to separate the winners. Generally competition was quite strong and the standard in all classes was very good, Mr Clifton said. The champion Dorset Hom ewe, entered by T. P. Lowe and Company, was a very good sheep. Poll Dorset Mr Clifton also judged the Poll Dorset section, in which he considered the sheep were all very well brought out. Again, he found it very hard to separate the winning entries in the ewe hogget classes. The champion ram and ewe. both exhibited by A. G. W. Gardner, were good specimens of the breed, well up to standard. Entries in all sections were good, and competition was quite strong, Mr Clifton said. Suffolk Entries in the older ram classes of the Suffolk section disappointed the judge (Mr J. A. Lampp, of Marton). However in the classes where there was competition the entries were quite strong. All the entries were very well brought out and were well developed. The champion ram. exhibited by Mrs J. M. Jarman, who also won the reserve ram award, and the champion ewe, which was entered by the Pine Grove Suffolk Stud, were both good specimens of the breed. They were a good, meaty type of sheep, capable of holding their own anywhere in the country, and were the type of sheep breeders should produce, Mr Lampp said. The Pine Grove stud also won the reserve champion ewe award.

Romney Marsh The two-tooth ewe section of the Romney Marsh classes was particularly strong in both the woolly and shorn sheep pens, the judge of the ewes (Mr H. W. Cross, of Balclutha) said. He thought the hogget section was probably the best of the ewe classes. Over all the numbers and quality of the entries were good, and H. R. and D. A. Scott’s champion ewe had all the better and sound qualities of the breed. All the sheep had been brought out in really good show order. In the ram classes the entries and the competition among the hoggets particularly impressed the judge ■Mr J. C. Best, of Stratford). He thought the sheep were very well grown and capable of holding their own in most shows in the country. Generally, he said, the rams were well brought out and were in good show condition, with strong competition in most classes. The champion ram. exhibited by C. Burrows, was a very good sheep, very true to type.

Merino The size, quality, and competition in the Merino classes impressed Mr J. F. Litchfield, of Cooma. New South Wales, who judged the section. He was particular!} impressed with the ewes and said he experienced some difficulty in making his decisions. Entries were extremely good and competition was very keen. He thought the quality in the ewe classes was slightly more even than in the ram pens, but all the entries were good commercial sheep. The judging will be completed today, when the grand champion awards are made. Judging of the group classes will start about 9.30 a.m. today.

Mr Litchfield is president of the Australian Association of Merino Stud Breeders and the New South Wales Sheepbreeders’ Association, which organises the Sydney sheep show, and is a member of the Australian Wool Industry Conference shortly to reach a decision on Australian growers' contribution to the expanded promotional programme of the International Wool Secretariat. At Cooma he has a 12,000-acre property on a plateau at about 3000 ft, all of which has been improved, part by aerial seeding. Lucerne, phalaris, and subterranean clover is the basic pasture mixture in this country with an 18in rainfall. It is the site of the Hazeldean Merino stud, comprising some 9000 ewes and rams, which was established by Mr Litchfield’s grandfather in 1865. On the property there are also 1500 head of Aberdeen Angus cattle, including a stud which was founded on the importation of about 15 cows from New Zealand. Southdown One of the most successful exhibitors in the Southdown section was W. E. Moorhead (Southbridge). His exhibits won the ram championship and also the ewe championship and the reserve ewe title. Mr F. E. Holroyd (Wrights Bush, Southland) said that Mr Moorhead’s ram champion was a really outstanding animal with an exceptionally strong head, good length and plenty f meat in the right places. It reflected great credit on the breeder that he had brought the ram out in such good condition. The reserve champion ram was from F. W. Jarman (Darfield). The judge made special mention of Mr Jarman’s winning sheep in the open ram hogget class. This, he said, was a really top sheep—a nice, evenly balanced ram that had stood out in his class. This exhibit won a Southdown Society gold medal. Mr J. A. Brown (Oamaru) said that Mr Moorhead's successful team of ewes and ewe hoggets all showed a lot of breeding and were very true to type. Of the ewe entries in general, he said that it was very pleasing to judge at a show where there were so many entries. The top sheep had showed a great deal of quality and breeding and he was certain that most of the win ners would be capable of competing with credit anywhere in the country.

Lincoln AU of the Lincolns came from one exhibitor, N. Godsiff, Nopera, Picton. The judge of the section (Mr R. S. Dysart, of Seddon) said that while it was unfortunate that there was so very little competition in the section, the sheep exhibited formed as good a line-up of the breed as would be seen anywhere in the country. All were well brought out and a credit to the exhibitor. Mr Dysart said that the champion ram would be the best sheep in the section. He had a real sire's fleece, while the reserve champion was a particularly good carcassed sheep. The ewes were of a high standard and typical of the breed. Halfbred Competition was very disappointing in the halfbred section with only one entry in some classes, said Mr C. G. Cran. of Christchurch, who judged the section, but the reason for the lack of entires seemed to be that halfbreds were scarce and most breeders had a full book of buying orders and did not

need to send their sheep forward for public exhibition But though the entries were small, Mr Cran said, the quality all round was very high, and if the season was considered, the condition of the wool was excellent.

The champion ram and ewe were outstanding both in carcase and wool, he added. The ram champion came from L. G. Dollar (Seddon) and the champion ewe from C. Burrows (Culverden).

English Leicester

“I thought that they were as good as I have ever seen them,” said Mr T. L. Jenkins (Sheffield) of the English Leicester section. The champion ram from the class for sheep between 18 and 30 months, which came from the estate James Reid, Ltd. (Darfield), was outstanding in carcase and wool, the judge said. The same breeder’s champion ewe, also from the same age classification, had a beautiful carcase and a heavy fleece of wool showing a lot of character, said Mr Jenkins. All of the sheep had been excellently brought out, he said. Ryeland It was pleasing to see an improvement in the support of the Ryeland section, said Mr A. T. Heron (Five Forks, Oamaru). The section was generally of a good standard, he said. The champion ram from A. C. Greenwood (Southbridge) was a typical Ryeland and the top ewe from G. E. Gumbrell (Geraldine*, although an old ewe. was still a good type of sheep with a good lamb at foot. Dorset Down Although confined to a small number of breeders and to four classes, the standard had been fairly well maintained, said the judge of the Dorset Down section, Mr H. J. Andrew, of Maheno. The champion ram from J. Boyd-Clark (Waipara) was a good boned individual with a good hindquarter and carrying a good fleece. The best competition was in the one-shear ram class and the winning sheep here was a well balanced animal. It was rather leggy, but would be heard of again in the show ring. The champion ewe, also from Mr Boyd-Clark, was an old ewe very typical of the breed and a worthy winner of the prize for the best type of Dorset Down in the show. Mr Andrew said that some of the sheep were rather dark in colour and this was something breeders should try to avoid.

South Suffolk The South Suffolk breed had been well represented with the standard high right through the exhibition, said the judge, Mr J. L. Smellie (Amberley). The champion ram exhibited by J. D. Galpin, Ltd. (Southbridge) was an outstanding specimen of the breed which had also gained the award for the best sheep of the breed in the show, the judge said. Mr Smellie said that the class for shorn ram hoggets had been very strong with some excellent sheep being penned. The class for aged ewes with lambs at foot had been particularly hard to judge because of the evenness of the entries. It was from this class that Mr Smellie selected the champion, again from J. D. Galpin, Ltd. Though showing her age this was an excellent sheep which was full of character, said the judge. The class for woolly ewe hoggets also included some excellent sheep of which more should be seen in the future.