North Island Display Of Export Lambs

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 62, 15 March 1938, Page 4

North Island Display Of Export Lambs

SMITHFIELD JUDGES’ DETAILED REPORT In connection with its annual district competitions for the encouragement oi the best type of export lambs, the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board secures the very valuable co-operation of the Imported Meat Trades Association of tho United Kingdom, which nominates the judges to make the awards at Smithfield. Ten districts of the North Island sent entries this year, each district comprising fifteen pens of three lambs each, making a total of 450 lambs in the competition. These made a distinctive display in the central avenue of the great Smithfiold market on Messrs. Weddel and Co’s, stall. The board’s silver challenge shield, as al ready cabled, went to Wairarapa district. “We have no hesitation in saying," reported the judges, in their detailed survey now to hand, “that Wairarapa was the outstanding district in the whole competition and we placed Manawatu second, Feilding third, and Poverty Bay fourth." The report is comprehensive, including comment on each district’s exhibit submitted, and the general conclusion of tho judges (Messrs. D. C. Messent, F. H. Dennison and C. Woodward) was that whilst the entries were, as usual, made up of a collection of excellent lambs, the display as a whole was not quite equal to that of last season. Short remarks on each district have been submitted by the judges as follows: — Feilding: A group of beautiful lambs —well built up on legs and shoulders. Except in the case of a few lambs there was no indication of excess i’at. Generally a very attractive exhibit of handy size. Hawera: A group of good lambs of attractive size to the butcher. The judges would commend these lambs for their fleshiness and good shape and make. Hawkes Bay: A group of lambs of good quality aud handy size. Short in leg, full of flesh and well built up on shoulders. Tho exhibit as a whole was rather spoilt by a number of lambs being weak on inside of the legs. Manawatu: A group of lambs of excellent quality—shape, make and finish leaving nothing to be desired. A few inclined to excess fat but nevertheless very fleshy. Just a trifle heavy—good butchers meat. Poverty Bay: A splendid run of good shapely lambs. Full of flesh and of handy size. Excellent butchers meat. Waikato: A run of good lean fleshy lambs, many carcases being of splendid shape and make. Generally speaking, quite a satisfactory group. Wairarapa (Winner of Shield): Magnificent group of lambs of splendid quality and condition, of ideal shape and make, full of flesh, and of desirable size. The branding of this district was conspicuous by its clearness. Wairoa: A run of lambs of most attractive size. The majority were of good build but a few were inclined to be a little thin. £ Wanganui: A line lot of lambs iu excellent build. A few inclined to fat across loins, but against this they were quite fleshy. The district, may be commended on its fine exhibit. The best three pens in the whole exhibit were also selected by the judges, who gave the following decisions: Ist, Wairarapa, Pen No. 12 (Wairarapa Training Farm, East Taratahi); 2nd, Manawatu, Pen No. 709 (C. B. Hunt, Kairanga); 3rd, Wairarapa, Pen No. 1 (Estate of R. Cooper, Gladstone). Highly commended: Southern Hawke’s Bay, Pen No. 10 (Mrs. C. B. Riddell)._ Comment on all the pens included m the competition has been supplied to the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board by the judges, and is bein~ circulated ’to agricultural and pastoral societies.