Miscellaneous.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7696, 19 March 1887, Page 6

Miscellaneous.

FICTITIOUS PEDIGIIEES.

(Canterbury Times.) nectioi^Y&PtKMrado in live stock from Now Zealaud to Australia la the great number of complaints that have . been, and are still being, made in Australia, that the stock, particularly Ayshiro cattle and Olydeodalo marcs, turn ont very unsatisfactorily, considerIn" the hißh-class pedigrees whioh were attaolerl"to~them at the time of their sale in Melbourne or Sydney by the importers. Fur a longtime wo doomed the complaints to bo the idlo grumblincs of discontented purchasers, who had not found'lheir own ideal standard of type or quaUty to be realised m their New Zealand bred animals on oloser acquaintance with them. During the last few months the allegations that the pedigreeß of a large proportion of the stock imported into Australia have been fraudulent, and concocted only to impart fictitious values to very ordinary animals, havo been so persistent and direct that we hare taken an opportunity of enquiring what foundation there is for such serious imputations. Wo were aware that a nnmber of very good Clydesdale mares, ahipped to Melbourne from Otago some six or eight months ago, were advertised for sale in the Australian -papers as having been stinted to a sire who is the champion Clydeadate ot New Zealand". The whole surroundings of the business appeared most genuine. A Dunedin firm of atictioneers, well known and of the highest standing, were advertised as being tho oonsignors [of the horsca-though it afterwards transpired that they acted only na shipping agents in tho matter —and equally respeotable tradesmen disposed of the consignment in Melbourne. It is some satisfaction that the owner of tho entira alluded to heard of the misrepresentation!! that were beiug mado in timo to give- thorn , public exposure before the .sale. Sevoral New Zealand bred draught entires havo gono to Sydey and Melbourne whoso pedigrees also are regarded with the gravest doubt, find the consequence is that the name o New Zealaud has falltm in the esteem of the ordinary breeder in Australia. The breeder of what may be designated "select" stoufc has nothing to fear, dealing' as he does direct with men whose probity is beyond suspicion, and who would not imperial the reputation of their studs by any transaction to whioh the slightest d6ubt could be attached. With oattk-, and especially Ayabire cowa, the evil practises have assumed far larger dimensions. We hear of a large mob of reputed Ayrshires bsing landed in Melbourne some ~~time back, and advertised as being bred by ono tho most celebrated breeders of that variety, when in fact not ono of tho animals had ever set hoof upon his estato.o* could even claim relationship with hia stock, although printed extended pedigrees, including the moist beautiful of hu lineßof breeding, were circulated among intending buyers. In Sydney the asme thing has happened frequently, and it is from thence and. Queensland that the most recent and strongest complaints proceed, The demand during tho last year or two for well-bred oows to form the foundation of herds In New South Wales and. Queensland to replace those broken up by the lon's drought, seems to. have afforded the unprincipled dealer an opportunity, of which he lias availed himself to the ' full, of palming off upon the less experienced among tho herdsmen of those . colonies a quantity of cattle sometimes not even of ordinary quaUty, under tho representation that they were well and purely bred. No greater wrong than" this can be perpetrated upon the -honest stock - breeder, be he buyer or seller. Those in Australia who know, who is who in New Zealand are far and far between, and the reputation of this colony as a whole is made ■ to "Bnfrpr, for the aots of a few unprincipled individuals. If is a matter of vital importance to our breeders of live atook that siioh impostures should be rendered impossible or nearly so ; and the detection of any such fraud should be furnished by the sevens punishment of the evil-doer, even if the proceedings should be attended by considerable expense and trouble. We have it on the authority of the representatives of Queensland— a practically uristooked colony— at the recent stock conference at Sydney, that it is to New Zealand they look for now strains of blood for old herds, and for animals of undoubted purity of breeding to form the nuoleus of new herds ; and our • stock- breeders cannot hopo to maintain their standing as a source of supply of this character, so long as they allow the nefarious proceedings which we havenaraod to jjo unchecked. The matter is well within '.he province of the various Agricultural and Pastoral A'sßociatious, and it is surely worth their while to take joint action to proteot one of the most important interests of the colony.