POINTS FOR BREEDERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 135, 2 March 1908, Page 2

POINTS FOR BREEDERS.

ABOUT RAMS. . • •".Tho- life of a ram,"/said- a well-known Wairarapa breoder to oiir. correspondent,': '." it usually years.Some: rains,,-,-howeverj/jdc? not last that tiirio because, their owriers are' .somewhat careless of their services at- breed-. mg time. I -mean that- tho animals 'are. . placed--indiscriminately-; amongst , consequently an unnecessary strain if placed upon their virility.lt is' iiot ustial;' for: this sort of thing to happen with expensive rams. They.are isolated,till the ;ewesiare;:.trjed byother ranis, and are .tlion given ono,serve. ' .'How, is , it |p6sfciblo~,toVtry '<jjves'?' tHe ; lisiial way' is; to 'a . TO of'the rani,' arid then raddle it. -Tho raddlo marks arc loft'Au every ewe covered, -and : the femalo is their taken to the pion with others. It'-is oft«n ; tho'practifld to raddlo the as : by this manniep.the sheepowner knows- when-to - femovo': tho ' ewe. It is usual to allot fifty ewes to . oho ram, 1 but I run , tho number. of. .'ewes-.u p to eighty. I have- found this proportion njort satisfactory ; much better " than one rani to fifty ewes, .when,- owing to til© small' ♦ tho. rams_ often- fight.among. themselves, onu receive" i. good - deal, 'of^' ; fough treatnient. r ' les, I liavo ■ been Very successful iii iSijr breeding last season ti a fleck'of-"6000 ewes, my percentage'-. of i lamb's, was ■ p.-"little '-, .fiver 100. : ■■'.-.a ' '

THE PRICE OF ArRAM. : : Are rams-really worth ■ the- big prices thoy often bring? A certain ■ stud man•; thinkfl ' thov aro not : - " It often happens," he told a Dominion' roprcsontativo, " that there are two breeders wlio wish for the" same type of animal;, and consequently the price is run lip out of all proportion to' the worth of the animftl. There Triis'a' case here't-he other day when- r number'.pfstu'd' rams: from'a certain''flocjr wero boing' sold'.' at':, about fifteen'-' guineas - : apiece. 1 •; Presently ■'.there ; weird V rtofe into ;-the • : - ring, two rams, which two owners-had-before ' mentally decided were just'the typo to pri* duco 1 the necessary; requirements ' in'' tneif '' own flocks.; •> Each man ' thought ; ''th"at'' hd' '' v ' woiild; ; get la' I 1 nibble! 'at _ about' -. twenty"; ''giuneaSi The resiiitwas, howxvor,'that-Mea''; 1 ■' int«nding- buyer i 'rah : tho price' up. untileven; tually it was '.something ' pcifram! i - Theii ' -av'oase ' at; tho same fair wheroone ofotir most ! famous shcep-nion absolutely..forced'the ( pride v ' from - tho, buyers!; who' appareiitly : ;rolied':pn ''; ■his own judgni'eht-.arid. personality;"in; onco to their oini opinions.. v However, 1 I do ; not: niean'.tb stat-s- that* the rains were" jiot worth 1 the'v prico feiven; for■ them, ' only' had : , not tho .'vendor taken; a mOstdtcidcd stand, ho' woiild' riot;'.have 'received '''within'-:'25 j iter '' cent, of 'tho'suiris at which; the 'animals:' wero ,ovontuaHy ''p,u'rchased;"f;'' : ' : ' '>'■'' .:'[],