SHEEP FARMING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 14 June 1939, Page 8

SHEEP FARMING

) CONDITION’S IN ARGENTINE I j VIEWS OF AUSTRALIAN MINISTER |IC P A —Hv Electric Telegraph-Copyright’ | (Received 14th June. 12.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. 13th June. The Queensland Minister of Agriculture. Mr Bullock, after an extensive ; lrur of South Africa and Argentina told ; the Australian Associated Press that j while hj was convinced that South Af- ; rican sheepgrowers could not hope to I become successful competitors of Aus- ! iralian growers if the merino embargo i were maintained, he felt otherwise concerning the Argentine. Mr Bullock i pointed out that African growers were j apparently breeding by sight and not from the book, and they were not mak- ! ing any .special effort to supplement or j maintain the necessary blood lines. They were rapidly finding that their ' rams were showing undesirable reccsJ sive characteristics. On the other hand I Argentinian conditions were different. I Certain sheepowners of Australian naj tionality having drawn their stud from 1 some of the finest breeders in Australia j and carefully maintaining their blood I lines through constant importation of Corriedales, were producing sheep cunj paring favourably with Australia. | These breeders were having some difficulty owing to lack of calcium phosIpbates in the soil, but in certain respects | gained an advantage from this cause. | Mr Bullock considers that Argenten- : fan cattlegrowing leads the world, although the finest Argentinian processing j plants are not better than the finest ’ i Australian. Argentinian cattle marketj ing is excellent, but sheep marketing is I wretched. He felt that Argentinian * cattlegrowing is at its peak, and henceforth would suffer from the economic I law of diminishing returns.