DOMINION STUD STOCK FOR AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 93, 14 January 1936, Page 6

DOMINION STUD STOCK FOR AUSTRALIA

Shorthorn Sire Sold

ABERDEEN ANGUS BULL FOR TASMANIA

Australia is making a continuous effort to improve its beef cattle and is importing high-class stock steadily front Britain, North America and New Zealand. It. has just been announced by the Commonwealth authorities that this year importers from Britain are to receive a subsidy that is anticipated to cover the cost of the freight ami charges on each animal taken into Australia. A cable message from Sydney, published in “The Dominion’’ on Friday, stated that this assistance constituted a plan to encourage the importation of pedigree stock from Britain to improve Australian herds.

There are no restrictions in the Commonwealth against: importing from Britain, and large shipments of various breeds of live stock, particularly Shorthorns, Herefords and Aberdeen Angus, are now en route to Australia. Several large shipments of polled llerefords and Shorthorns are also on their way to Australia from North America. The unrestricted privilege of importing from Britain enjoyed by Australian breeders has to a certain degree affected the Dominion’s export trade, and although a large number of females, particularly of the Shorthorn and Ryeland breeds of sheep, are still finding their way across the Tasman, the demand for sires from the Dominion is very limited. The sale, however, of the imported polled Shorthorn bull, Highland Stamp, at a very high figure is announced. Two years ago this bull, then considered the best of his breed in North America, was imported from lowa, U.S.A., to head Mr. John Donald’s polled Shorthorn herd at Westmere, Wanganui. After two season’s use Mi-. Donald was tempted to sell this bull at a very high price to a New South Wales breeder, the sale being utade through the agency of Wright, Stephenson aud Co., Ltd. Highland Stamp, who was champion at the 'Wanganui Show on the only occasion he was shown in New Zealand, is being shipped immediately. Mr. Donald hopes to replace him with a younger bull from North America. Tasmanian breeders of Aberdeen Angus have met with consistent suc-cess-in the use of the sires of this breed ' they imported from New Zealand. At

the Aberdeen Angus breeders’ sale in October, Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., purchased sires for two Tasmanian breeders —in both cases these were repeat orders —and as a result of the satisfactory selection made, a further order for a Tasmanian breeder has just been filled by Hie purchase from Mr. G. V. Smith, Gisborne, of his yearling prize-winning bull, Apollo of Waitaria. In addition to being an excellent type k of his breed, Apollo of Waitaria is bred on very popular lines. His sire, Acute of Akitio, formerly at the head of the noted Gwavas stud in Hawke’s Bay, is now heading the Massey College stud, while his dam is the former royal champion cow, Dahlia of Gwavas, by Quality of Maise More (imp.).