SOUTH ISLAND SHEEP COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 199, 20 May 1936, Page 15

SOUTH ISLAND SHEEP COUNTRY

Japanese Visitors Impressed

DOMINION’S CORRIEDALES PRAISED After being for a week in the South Island two Japanese sheepmen, Dr. K. Sakamaki, sheep-farm expert to the Korean Government, and Mr. Y. Nakano, who is spending two years at Massey Agricultural College, returned to Wellington yesterday morning, very much impressed with the sheep country they had seen in the south. They left for the north later in the day, where Dr. Sakamaki hopes to get an insight into sheep-farming conditions in the lower portion of the island. The visitors had a particularly full week visiting most of the leading Corriedale studs iu North and South Canterbury, and the high-country merino runs iu the McKenzie Country and North Otago. They were especially interested in the high country conditions, as they particularly resembled the country in which sheep are bred in Korea. The country in Korea ranges from 1500 ft. to 3000 ft. above sea level, that visited in New Zealand being from 2000 ft. to 5000 ft. There is a marked difference in the extremes of temperature in the winter, however, the thermometer dropping to between 25 and 40 degrees below zero for about three months in the year in Korea, whereas iu New Zealand in the winter there is only from 10 to 30 degrees of frost. This intense cold in Korea necessitates all sheep being housed for three months, and fed on concentrates during that time. Commening on the value of New Zealand’s throe tussock grasses, the blue, silver and snow tussocks, the visitors said they bad been very interested in their feeding value. The blue tussock was especially interesting in this respect as sheep quite readily fattened on this variety. The native grasses in Korea had very little food value at all. Dr. Sakamaki expressed himself as being well pleased with the New Zealand Corriedale breed iu contrast to the Australian Corriedales. While, he said, it bad to be admitted that the Australian Corriedale had much betterwool, the New Zealand-bred Corriedale was a much more compact, lower set, better car-cased sheep, which, while not carrying wool of such tine quality, carried;! fleece of great weight and seemed to be able to stand up better.to hard conditions.

While in the South Island a visit was paid to the Elderslie stud, .Mr. K. Austin entertaining the visitors. Dr. Sakamaki stated there that he raced five horses in Japan. Racing in Japan, he said, had become a popular sport in the last few years. It was interesting to note that a full-brother of a recent Elderslie stallion importation from England had been exported to Japan, the price paid being 3500gus, The Japanese Derby was a race with a prize of 30,000 yen. which was equivalent to about 43000. There were five main clubs in Japan, and up to 70.000 people attended a race meeting. The visitors saw a glacier for the first time while they were in the South Island.