THE CULLING OF ROMNEY STUDS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 230, 22 June 1908, Page 3

THE CULLING OF ROMNEY STUDS

NEW PROPOSALS CRITICISED. , ; OBJECTIONS' THAT A BREEDER SEES. Concerning the. proposed • rules for the . compulsory culling of Romney sheep studs, to be- discussed., by '.the Breeders' ••Association-' during tho Palmerston Show, a correspondent sends The Dominion a lengthy criticism, Tho proposals in question, which emanate from-tit. D! R. Buchanan,i are to forbid,the adding of moro than 35 per cent, of a season's owo lambs to tho stud flock, or their salo as Flock Book hnihials; requires tho calling of 5 per cont. of tho - previous , season's . breedings ewes (special. exceptions may bo ; made, under inspection); and to ' provide , for. inspection and approval before transfers may bo recorded m tho Flock Book.- From , our ■ correspondent's criticism we quote the • following:—"Breeders, and /those interested in the welfavo of the country's stud Romney Marsh flocks, aro, in. tho ' , Question of adoption of the proposed rules for culling, confronted with „what may have a\serious offect upon the present , highlysatisfactory and working of, the Now Zealand Romnoy . Marsh Sheep Breeders' Association.,, . . .. .. " ; "In the foregoing rules it is proposed to embody in an official formula, and reduce to c question of restrictive inspection,' the practice of expert breeders in an art which, by • its nature, requires the free exercise of individual principles and taste. The present , high 'standard'of perfection, to which- tho Romney Marsh breed of sheep has advanced in Now Zealand is oiying. to tho'skill and perseverance of a . small circle of . expert breeders who have reaped the success and. : practicability of their. unrestricted and, Tier- . Laps, secret proceedings, not only in'tho , show rings and by thoir grading, or stamp on , the country's flocks'in general, .but in the fast-growing,, reputation which this particular breed is. establishing, overseas. 1 " Tho adoption of the proposed new rules would, place the_ Association in a position ~ strictly in opposition to its first principles, V;. and fend it to a-policy of inspection and inquisition, .whero.Such is riot only useless but extremely harmful,- depriving:tho: owners!-of iheir right,, and..rolegating the work..to the r€ 2fcnctcd capacity orthe averago inspector. ' n- 0 P ra P oS ed Rule I provides! that the cuUmg of a registered stud flock is. to bo practicajlly taken out of the hands of tho breeder, and ■ hia -judgment interfered with, and partially or! wholly dispensed with, and substituted'by the barren commission of an : inspector.,;. It, gives very littlo scope for consideration of a salient point in stock breed- 1 ing—atavism—and absolutely ignores tho ■ fact which is always presenting itself to' tho ' breeders notice—, a bad specimen from a ] good breed is'more desirable than' a good ■ specimen :irom,.a ; bad . breed.' . ■ A I specimen ~, of-\ good ■ pedigree is very . throw , back qualities of 0 / progeny equal or even superior to' those '• J? " s fprebears; and moreover,' a sheep at i .the prescribed, cullablo age (yearling) 'is not always,.certain to develop on the lines then apoarent. . , - .. .... ,

. A breeder having a small property,/ and consequently;, a small flock, • after devoting perhaps, a. lifetime■••.to the- attainment of quality, raJior than quantity, and havint: established possibly, a perfect flock, .would- bo compehed by the action of tho rulo to subject himself to an annual loss'of fifteen' nor cent, and great •interference, in. his subsequent operations. -.i'Sf Rnlo II _a prospective studbreeder ■ wishing to start .with the.best as a ; founda+LP^9n P ®° U i, s in an!ma,s cos ting.from £5 ori J l^ e ' would be, coijipcllcd annuallj to discard the prescribed 15 per cent ', ■ '? h ™? olf t0 -an'- immense loss: directly, and_ a still greater; loss indirectly 1 in tho late effects on his purpose.- A breeder ir rA 3 OTO; accord reduces his flock by . culling 50, per cent ,or even 85 per cent...inwlti B^ ill. bo..forced in compliance with Rule II to. continue' to rcduco his flock m. subsequent years at. the rate of 15 per cent. • •< •:■,.■■ -■ ; . -. ■ u P tJ . "A breeder having a,'first-ciass flock of of,a'mistaken selec- ' d 7 ca , r s cr OP of ewe lambs i P St^ ard; After culling:the' wholo of them, ought he to be retardod.in Sir "in >,?<, ff 1 088 tbe enforced discarding, m his Jock: of breeding ewes, of tho Xo ( per cent, demanded; by the regulation? ■ . • i , .the..event - of* importations, the iin- ■ porter, having, after expense and risk, landed 'of .ewes in tho country, is ■ £ T 1 -P L - °ntei' the- samo in his TnsLpt'i - 5U A ra - ,g tllem to inspection. Inspection in such a case means ignoring the , sufficiently .implied guarantee of quality as shown by the expense incurred, not to speak -of export restrictions'liable to be impost by feS ng :regu,atos of the ' 111 provic l es that when two sheep bi eeders arrange ;a transfer, of ownership- for a, jino;.of ; ewes, although both be', expert judges and foremost prize-winners, ■ yet bc- ? r< ii u 8 er ls accorded, their judgment shall bo subject to official, inspection, a S nd at tbn T B+-WBO,I.8 + -W BO , I . la pursuance of the samo two breeders on a showground ° a transfer, of ownership of a owe (first and champion) would ■' t6 this unnecessary expense anti inff' S iJlAn+;fV SP 1011l 011 °- f Siuti s!lce P for counting, identifying etc.,-js necessary, but to inBtituto proceedings' of official inspection on qnestions of quality potency, type, atavism, etc.—not. to speak of . the different tastes of authorities • and their contending ■ principles (which make the art of stock-breeding almost an empirical one)—js to reduce the practice clown to a-ridiculous matter of hard and fast rules and official iormulae. " Tho question of inspection is in the end , a practical one. iVhere are tho inspectors to come from? What qua ities constitute an inj Epoctor for such-an office?- Tho best and' lilo3t sueccssful breeders in-tho country aro 'tho,only possessors ,of qualifications for the ofhco, and ' it ' is-not likely that they would lend themselves to so invidious an occupation. Tho duty must then descend to men,of lesser jedgemnt and experience. • , "In addition to the pernicious interference with: private judgment in one way, Rulo 1 assumes the anomalous duty, of taking care of a prospective buyer, by seeing that lie 13 not called. upon to use his own judgment in the stud sheep markot, and that nothing but the exact thing he requires shall be offered to him decided, as usual, by tho übiquitous inspector. A .nullifying relaxation of Rule II is allowed by appeal to. tho inspector, which permits that/sheep which, in the ordinary ' course of procedure, would bo discarded, can : be selected specially for breeding—a reflection ' in which provision proves tho uselessness of ' the whole rule. ; , '' The operations of ordinary economy and judgment, together with friendly criticism, are die ample and only reliable safeguard against the propagation : of inferior stock. The submitting of such, stock to the sale-ring iudg- s ment of practical men is tho best way of 1 apprising breeders pf their errors. Associa- 1 tions and corporations, in a stato of pros- 1 pcrity, aro, as a matter of course, desirous '■ to erect a fancy-work superstructure of rules and regulations when there is nothing else to do, but it is to be hoped that there are many adherents to the fundamental and welltested rules on which the Association has been reared, whoso influence will counteract ( thesn projects of the moro visionary.—Yours,' ' etc., Prospectus." ' it