Dangers In Scientific Approach

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31262, 7 January 1967, Page 9

Dangers In Scientific Approach

T’HE vice-president of the Ryeland Sheep Society of New Zealand, Mr G. E. Gumbrell, of Geraldine, has recently had some interesting remarks to make about sheep breeding and sheep breeds. Writing after a visit to Australia to judge at the Albury show, Mr Gumbrell said that with the rising generation of farmers relying more and more on a scientific approach to every day problems, it might well be that studmasters generally would have to keep records of growth rates, twinning, and wool weights, etc., and be able to provide purchasers of rams with a factual record of what they were buying. “This has much to commend it provided that it is all kept in its proper perspective,” he says. “The danger is that a slavish use of ‘the scientific approach’ could well lead to disaster. How, for instance/ can you measure constitution? How can you measure flavour and texture? Also — and this is very important—we must end with a well balanced animal and not a freak. Eye appraisal must still be a major factor, and no matter what the ‘boffins’ say, this appraisal can be remarkably accurate. We must treat science as a means of obtaining knowledge and not as knowledge itself.”

In a reference to the Albury Show, Mr Gumbrell noted that the Australian breeder was very much against big, broad headed sheep—h e argued that this

characteristic had no commercial value and only led to trouble at lambing. “I think we in New Zealand could well take a lesson from this observation.” And of his own breed: “I often feel that in New Zealand not enough publicity has been given to the use of the Ryeland. Apart from its value as a sire for prime lambs, the use of Ryeland cross ewes as mothers of prime lamb* is an avenue that has not been sufficiently publicised. The mothering qualities . of the Ryeland ewe are superb and no other breed of sheep can surpass them in this respect. Accordingly it would seem only right to make full use of this valuable trait. With this in mind and following some experiments of my own, I was very interested to see in Victoria some Ryeland Merino cross one-shear ewes that were heavy in lamb. These sheep were magnificent —there is no other word for them. Big bodied, active and carrying a good fleece of 60/64s quality wool, they auger well for the future when more intensive farming methods are called for.” New Breed And of the Zenith, which Mr Gumbrell says is a new breed evolved in Victoria “it could best be described as a fixed type of quarterbred. Clipping an exception-

ally attractive fleece of 64s quality and long in staple, this new breed must have a future on improved Merino country.” Incidentally the Ryeland society reports that it has recommended the appointment of a well-known overseas judge for the 1967 Canterbury show and it is intended to conduct a public demonstration of Ryeland sheep during the show. At the annual meeting of the society when Professor I. E. Coop, of Lincoln College, spoke on progeny testing and sire selection schemes, it was agreed that the time was opportune for Ryeland breeders to ally themselves with such a scheme.