ENGLISH SHEEP

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 31 December 1924, Page 8

ENGLISH SHEEP

COMPARISON WITH NEW ZEALAND

MR. J. KNIGHT’S VIEWS

Mr J. Knight, of Fielding, who lias just returned from a seven months’ trip to Britain, was interviewed by a Standard representative regarding Ills inspection of trip Southdown flocks Hi the Home. .land. Mr Knight said that the sbrifridown Association had placed all the information .possible at Ins disposal and. Hie secretary. Mr .Stride, hnid per. soniilly conducted rinirtf on his tours ap'd done everything possible for him. He wohld advise any breeder going home to‘ : ket into .pergonal touch with Mr Strum.'Mr Knight inspected some 15 Southdown flookb 'a.nd. could not sto much, if any, improvement'since Iris lest visit to England. There’ were few cutstanding sheep offering and he considered the New Zealand sheep were now quite on a level with the English ones. New Zealand, along with, outer * countries, had picked the eyes out of

the Homo flocks and, being prepared to pay high prices, had secured 'he best. The absence of outstanding ;.dung

slieep was a feature. The tendency at Home was to keep to the darker sheep, while in New Zealand they were inclined to a lighter colour. In Irene and constitution the NeW Zealand sheep were quite as good as the English, while wool was much ahead in quality. Mr Knight ventured the opinion that there were Southdown?, of both sexes in New Zealand which could more than hold their own with the best English sheep. On account of the prevalence of foot, and mouth disease, there was no export of stock. Mr Knight, however, purchased two lambs, and arranged for their feeding tor twelve months, in the hope of the embargo being lifted. These youngsters were bought solely c-ri account of their strain of blood. Asked as to the Romney sheep, Mr Knight said lie had seen the Romneys at the Royal Show and the Royal counties in England, and had attended their annual show and sale at Maidstone, and found in bis opinion that the Romney she'ep breeders were still practising too much'fake shearing and trimming, many sheep having two years’ growth of wool. So tar as wool was concerned, the English sheep could not compare with New .Zealand, while their carcase and bone were not oiie whit better, so that- he considered there was no need to send to England any buyers - f.c-r this purpose. The flocks generally were not as good as they were when Mr Knight visited England in |9lO. The Argentine breeders had, no boubt bid high prices for' some of Iho best English blood, with the result that there was not the stock to breed from. Mr Knight considered that the New Zealand sheep could more than hold their own in the Argentine, and this was proved at the late show in Palermo, where a sheep .with seven months’ Wool had to compete with one carrying two years’ growth. The general opinion of the sheep'breeding people there was that the New Zealand sheep was the best and the auction sales proved it, as Mr Perry’s ram brought the. highest price. Mr Knight was of the opinion that there was no need to . eross the Romneys with any other breed, not even the Wensleyctale, with its poor constitution, but if they studied the quality of their wool there was no reason why the Romney should be displaced as the sheep of the North Island of New Zealand. Tliat was Mr Knight's considered opinion after .at-

tending the wool conference at Bradford. The breeders of New Zealand should keep their eye on the Argentine, as a very large opening existed there for our best stock.

WOOL PRICES Speaking of wool, Mr Knight thought that there would be very good prices, for some years to come, as he had found in his travels that consumption was greater than the supply. He was informed by a Boston buyer that, at the opening of the season in Boston there were not 500 bales available. This, after the largo accumulation of Bawra wool, was remarkable, r but the demand had been so keen and sustained that tliis stock had been soon depleted. One of the reasons' for. the huge consumption of wool, was the striking poptilarity of winter sports such as skating and skiing in Switzerland and other countries where most of the hotels were better patronised in winter than in the summer. These winter games necessitated the wearing, of woollen garments, and this materially helped the consumption.