WHAT THE JUDGES SAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 113, 5 February 1908, Page 4

WHAT THE JUDGES SAY.

'• ' f 2 Ii SO,ME CRITICISMS OF THE STOCK. v:.„ PIGS.' ', '. v '\ 'S, ;R. • liiincastw, sjioaking .. to a Dominion . reporter, said ,'th'nfc in his opinion tho.pigs,. witlh. tho ; exception: of t,ho : Bp.flrsliii'cPi'ilicf net-come iip.tp last year's , ,fJtsn.(jays> J)p,.)in..<l'.nttqnti[)(J maiiy shows this r ®!jSQU, ,«nc] exhibited, a'ljd ; he. had • noucecV 'tliat ; inVariably. t)ie pigs' showed - a ' 'falllnft 'Qftvfp'r f, sgm<; unaccountable reneon. ! jThcf- ©ftvon'f'orowftwero largely., in .evidence, i' thwii .-all through they "'ere"not : n(»ss. ujri" the: Yorkshires, Mr. E, f "ft'lute, jp[,„E.alßip.v.stoii, showed the best .pig. ' on' the ground^\spw under 18 months. In Hfche''same class in the Berkshires Messrs, Slaok Bros., of Pnlmprston, also .exhibited a. fflne typß"of-pig,. Sqws and litters .wore, as . •3 : ;ivh9lpi: g003i.--.vTho class most suitable for . baeoii, under 12 inoritlts, brought out good ; CQmpatitionf and } t,a)vOn all rqund, thfi entries ' /frflroS'fery oron'and » fin? hard class, giving Indications 'gf"'good feeding, Entries as. a'j whole woro not umnoroiis. ' 1 <i:M- Av-y - SOUTHDOWNS. . . of.; the Southdowns', Mr. W. Little, ■gf.AVaipawa,'said it-would-bo difficult . v to"-fl r u(l T % pno.'really- bad sheep in all the pens. Ju' ViiS'highly' pleased with all .the'exhibits. lrVas matt'or to judge the iin- -■ ported sheep alongside the. others, as they had a better display of wool. The iinportod's H-ere exhibited by Mr. 15. Short, and, in the - well chosen. .He singled out a pen of two uwe sheep, under months/ by/Jlr/, S, K; Lamjn.i, J ter, ' and contended that if . they' hild' feu -shown with more wool' they .. jsjroftfifcSlwve.-bwju-t qnito equal to the itnporteds. In fact) it would tako a better "; judge"than him to deftnp any great differ- .- ence. ; r . . FAT CATTLE,

The'judge, Mr. T. Bowling, said that fat cattle/,as suowu::were a credit to the district-,

but, as is usual at nearly every-show, tho entries were lew. In this instanco, Mr. li). Short, pf Waitutia, had the field practically to himself. A NEW IMPORTATION. Air. F. Short took a Dominion representativo to see his latest importation in Romney rams. This ranu which, is a two-year-old, arrived from \Vollington .to-day, and was immediately taken to the ground. Mr. Short stated that when lie visited the Old Country he could not. have purchased the ram as a ■hogget for 200 guineas, but ho subsequently secured llim from Air. J. Palmer, of Kent, for 100 guineas,. The animal shows good length of body, breadth, and depth, and lias line, wool, THE BUTTER CLASS. ■Air. Dunford, of tho Makino dairy factory, who judged the butter exhibits,-states that strong competition prevailed in the leading lines. It was only what- lie expected to see, and tho quality was all that could be desired. Ho added that if factories could not produco good butter at this timo ot year, they never would. Tho first: honours went to tho Itangitikei Dairy Company with 93.5. Awahuri was second with P3, and Cheltenham third with 92.5. In tho farmers' fresh separator butter class Air. E. B. Binns, who has lieen successful, evidently understands tho Art of butterand for years past has been working on tho right lines. 'On this occasiouhe comes off with first and second'hondurs. Only one second prize was awi\rded in tho nonseparator class, and this went to Airs. H. Reid. Air. Dunford states that'all round ho could not-find any serious, defects in the exhibits. • .■ FAT LAMBS, Tho general opinion was that tho Foilding show has never beforo been favoured with such a splendid exhibit-of fat lambs. The judge, when asked for an opinion, stated'that it was liardly necessary to make any remarks, for the lambs spoke for themselves. In fact, they wore all good. Tho white faces, however, had io give preference to file, blacks for fattening purposes. . Tho entries wero numerous, and throughout tho day they were a source-of great; admiration. ' LINCOLNS AND LEICESTERS. Speaking about tho Liucolns and Leicesters,"the judge, Air.- Archibald, of Hastings, 'said that some of the sheep would have figured 1 better had-It:' not' been f.or brown .legs.; As a.-whole, the sheep were, a credit. Mr. Gadsby's sheep called.- for special men-i tion. Border Leicesters, as a whole, were ycry moderate, arid thp -younger stock, generally speaking, showed the best breeding. Tho English LciceHtors presontcd tho best 'apd •• truest'-types; 'of-, any- sheep:'that lie had jqdged in the show, 1 ■ . THF. DECADENCE OF PICS. ./Air. S. 1?. Lancaster was; the first to talk' to us about pigs, and there seemed to bo a hot® of sorrow in his yoi?e as be spoko. ''Tlio pigs. of Nenr.'-'Zealand,V he.said, -'are dpteriorating.-!' '.There'-'are -no' pigs loft, now to: compare with the pigs tfiat used to be showiv one or two -years ago, when Jarvis, Luxford, Batchelor, Standon,' and myself figured among the oxhibitors.' We aro, still breeding, but we have practically ceased to exhibit. There is, you know, a lot, of^work invAlvod in raising and; exhibiting a' champion pig. At .ono time wo, used to exhibit somotimes 50 or GO pigs, from my own herd, and averaged 10 or 20 'per show ih, all tho sho\i ; s.-—Messrs-.- Slack--Bros, and Mr. .White are now taking up the work of pig breeding, and; there is really- a splendid pponing for a few men to givo the "Dominion a-superior Berkshire,pig. No, I don't think /pigs:' mature, eavlier-i;.'lv-think ' the' ; larger .strains" reach .faotory'-.size sooner tliaii, the' smaller-pigs to which 'the-farmers are letting ■ their jierds degenerate." I am sorry to seo'it. It issimply because tho farmers are not giving-' ; thevmattei\ v tlie : .-th6ught' it deserves."

' > THE SHEEP OF FEILDING.; -Somebody remarked that tho Romney and ; the Southdown* werq: pre-eminently'tho sheep ;of'the, Feilding district. Mr. J. Knight, a great Southdown and Romuey specialist, and the winner, of t)Kv ( Campion Flock (Shield, :wasappealed to for; reasons why thb'Soiithrdown should raiik'as .a 'favourite. /V" Because," lie replied,it imparts quality. Tho Feilding flocks aro'largo and : coarsoi! They, are chiefly Romneys, and they thereforetiuirb.a ram that gives quality in order that the. lambs may be ftt for the ,fat trade. The Southdown answer tho purpose completely, putting good flesh and outline on the,,big Romney frame. ' T/iero is this, however, to be remembered: yon must nevor retain any of the lambs for the flock. They must ail go-off to the butcher, for their''fleeco will not be hoavy ' enough to justify' retention. They are essentially a butcher's lamb; and the mothers may used ,to- produce them for About flvo years beforo'being thonisclves fattened. Young Roninoys are wanted to take their places, aiid theso may; bo bred or bought from the. lulls. Como and seo tho difference between' the bony puro Romney lambs and tho plump half-bred Soutlidowns."