PAPAKIHAU STOCK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 18

PAPAKIHAU STOCK.

•—-— 1 SOME HIGH-CLASS JERSEYS. ■ MR. PAUL HUNTER'S HOME-' STEAD. ■ There are few names better known in the agricultural and pastoral world of New Zealand than that of Mr. Paul Hunter, of Papakihau. As a Jersey breeder and a breeder of English setters, his name is known from one end of tho Dominion to the other, and he also, has some fine Shetland pony stock bred from a pony taken. from ,his father's Island' Bay farm thirty years ago. Mr. Hunter has also, a fine Romhey-Lincoln flock running into something over 20,000 sheep. As. has .been stated before, Mr.' Hunter:'did iiot adopt. Jersey breeding for auy ; special purpose 'demanded by tho climate or'country,' but practically' because. he required. good milk, and partly as. an .instructive hobby. As a matter of fact, his most valuable Jersey cattle have been imported, and in many ways. Mr. Huuter, however, has a genuine love' for breeding dairy cattle, and the result of his enterprise in this direction has been tho enriching of the Jersey herds in all portions of New Zealand. He started tho herd some twelve years ago with Lord Bountiful, which was afterwards killed by a Shorthorn hull, and other sires included King Bountiful, bred by Mr. O. Day, of Auckland,'and siro of Fortune. Then followed tho wellknown silver-grey bull Magnet's Boy Xlll,'who was bred by' Mr. Jas. M|Cullouah; of Barholm, Oakleigh, Victoria, and who was landed in Wellington in February, 1301. This bull was shown .witli : success !at' the Ha'wkd's Bay; Palmerston, aud Mastorton Shows, and his stock have proved- great prize-winners. His sire, Angler's Boy, was a bull bred by Mr. T. M. W. Avrie,. S)t. Owen \ Jersey, and'imported to Australia hi Mr. M'Cullough, of Victoria. Amongst his Australian stock wero Angler's Girl, Angler's Maid, and Larkspur's Angler.!! Mr. Hunter's present siro is Larkspur's Optician III; which was calved in April, 1904, aud bred by Mr. M'Culloch. His sire was the imported bull ■ Optician, bred by Lady Rothschild, of Aston Clinton, Thring, England, and who had a great,reputation. Larltspur's Optician has sired a large number of winning heifers in Now Zealand. Mr: Hunter himself has bred, amongst others, such sires as Oculist, Claribolle's Magnet, and Optic. 'He has had a good deal of success with his heifers, and he has now 'about-thirty-five purebred -Jersey calves. Thd. heifers are descended' from somfi of Mi'. M'Cullough's estpek, notably Milkmaid XXI, who was calved, in 180S, and whoso ancestry may bo traced back to the Gipsy, who was imported as far back as 1555. Other cows included Milkman XXII, Glaribella V, and Arrabella, Angler's Maid, Angler's Girl, Magnet's Maid, Primula, Buttermaid, Little Tulip, Rosebud, Little Roso, Magnet's Rose, Magnet's Pet, Magnet's Bell, Magnet's Flower, and a number sired from Larkspur's Optician, having been' previously crossed with Magnet's Boy XIH. Amongst the heifers aro Optician's Flower 111, calved in 1908, Specialist 11, Electro Magnet, Oculist's Queen, Specialist, Optician's Maid V, Specialist 111, and others. Mr. Hunter has at the present timo some very valuable stock, which no doubt will attain further successes on tho show ground in various parts of the' Dominion. , 'I " ' " .' As a Breeder of English Sottors. Mr. Hunter commenced breeding English setters about a quarter of a cen-' tury ago, and sinco that timo. ho has shown his dogs all over New Zealand and also in Australia. Ho has won hundredslof prizes, and, in fact, his successes |n this line were so continuous that eventually lie could not get anybody to show against him, and ho retired with honours. The best dog ho ever had he considers to have been Belton Rock, and the next best Belton Shot. Belton Rock was shown all over Now Zealand, lie was a champion on numerous occasions, and wherever he appeared he simply swept tho board. Belton Shot was also a noted champion. His best bitch was Belton Bell. Amongst 1 Mr.' Hunter's many, . prizes was the Philadelphia Dog Association's, medah for the most points in setters. Shetland Ponies. Mr. Hunter has a fair' number of Shetland ponies. They thrive well on l ' the rough-clad hills, but they aro not' , at present heing exhibited at the shows. < It is interesting to noto that the first - Shetlands wero imported into Welling- | ton fifty years ago by a Mr. Jenkins.