BRITISH LIVESTOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21881, 17 August 1934, Page 4

BRITISH LIVESTOCK

ROYAL SHOW CLASSES ENTRIES AT IPSWICH SUM OF £15,000 IN PRIZE-MONEY [by our agricultural correspondent] LONDON, July 10 England is now in the midst of tho agricultural show season, when exhibition follows exhibition in quick succession all over the country. The show system has undoubtedly exercised immense influence in tho development of British farming, and especially livestock brooding. Its greatest achievement —tho fostering of now breeds of livestock —took place in the last century. By the standards set at the leading shows during that period, the typos were fixed of the many breeds of cattle, sheet), horses and pigs for which this country is famous, and the influence of British stock spread throughout the world. In magnitude, comprehensiveness and value of prize-money, the five-day Royal Show, held early in July, and coming a fortnight after the itighland Show of Scotland, stands far and away first. It is not merelv a farming exhibition, but aims at giving a full representation of the manifold activities of English rural life. An Expensive Fixture The "Royal" has no permanent show ground, but is held, at a cost of some £50,000, at a different oentre each year, housing itself in a temporary city of wood and canvas, on a ground of 100120 acres. This year's meeting, held at Ipswich (Suffolk), in eastern England, has been a great success, for the numbers both of exhibits and visitors —the latter exceeding 100,000—were higher than in any recent ydax. The total prize-money awarded was over £15,000. Suffolk, with the adjoining counties of Norfolk and Essex, possesses, livestock breeds that have won world-wide repute—Suffolk Punch horses. Red Poll cattle, Suffolk sheep and Essex pigs. These were present in strong force in each case, and, with tho exception of Essex pigs, they came first in numbers in their several sections. Red Poll cattle, a valuable dual-pur-pose variety, medium in size, had 207 entries. Of other cattle, the Dairy Shorthorn (195 entries), Jersey (149), Friesian (136), Guernsey, Beef Shorthorn, Ayrshire and Aberdeen-Angus showed thei most heavily filled classes, among the 21 breeds represented—the relative strength of the dairy sorts indicating the importance of, tho milk industry. Among the 22 sheeip breeds, the Suffolk, with 130 entries, naturally led, followed in numbers by Southdowns, Romney Marsh, Hampshires and Oxfords. The 11 breeds of pigs were, as usual, easily topped in numbers by the Large White Yorkshire.

Beef Shorthorn Breed For the beef Shorthorn championships, there was keen competition between English and Scottish exhibitors. Male championship went to a magnificent two-year animal, shown by Mr. A. J. Marshall, of Strauraer. Scotland, who owns the largest Shorthorn herd in Britain. But the cup for the best of the breed, irrespective of sex, was awarded to the female _ champion, also a two-year animal, exhibited by the Bapton Shorthorn Company, of Wiltshire, This animal took the premier award at last year's "Royal," and was also breed champion at the 1933 Smith field Fat Stock Show. In the heavily-filled dairy Shorthorn classes, the champions of last year, both male and female, were apain unbeaten. The champion cow, seven years old, and shown by Sir William Hicking, of Nottingham, is of ideal dairy, type. Friesians came to the front as usual in the milking trials, where thie winner of the inter-breed championship was a five-year Friesian, which, in 2>i hours, gave 91Jlb. of milk, with 3.5 per cent fat. This breed, located only in the south-east of England a few years ago, now rivals the Shorthorn in ime wideness of its distribution in Britjain. The male champion at Ipswich camp from a Scottish herd, and the female champion from northern England. Jerseys and Guernseys, though little kept in England by ordinary {farmers, always appear in large numbers and superb quality at the Royal Show. They come mainly from the herds of'well-to-do people, who favour these broeds for their private dairies on account? of the rich milk and fine-flavoured butt&r they yield. A delightful little broken-coloured Jersey cow, 11 years old, frpm the famous Wotton herd of Miss Evelyn Dorking, became female champiqn, and also breed champion. In the tytilking trials, a five-year Jersey yielded 51$lb. of milk in 24 hours, containing (*.25 per cent fat. The cup for the best Ayrshire cow was won—in face of much Scottish competition—by a south of England farmer.

Variety of Sheep Types The sheep exhibits showed their usual wide variety of types, Down breeds, longwools, and Marsh sorts being well represented. From such a vailed assort- ] ment of sheep breeds as were sieen at Ipswich, it might be thought that every farmer could select a type to sutt hhnself. Yet cross-breed in 2 is the general rule with our lowland crass farmers, who now produce nearly all the homeraised mutton and lamb. Flocks of the hill breeds exist mainly to supply breed in c ewes, while the chief purpose of our diminished arable flocks is to provide Down rams for crossing with the hill ewes in the production of lambs for early fattening. The great feature of the horse section —indeed, of the whole show —was the magnificent display of Suffolk Punches. Formerly a local breed, chestnutcoloured Punch is now winning appreciation in many other regions of Britain, helped by the growing preference for a clean-legged horse, apart from the- qualities of power and docility. Clydoedales were few in numbers, though high in quality, the two-year colt Watchword, sent by Messrs. T. and T. Templeton, of Kelso, being selected as male champion. A son of the renowned Benefactor, ho achieved the same distinction a.t the recent Highland Show of Scotland. Importance of Pigs Pigs, which have gained now importance to British farmers of late, formed a stcpng section. Tho Large White, so much recommended, on the male side, at least, for tho production of baooners under tho marketing scheme, h«d no fewer than 203 entries, compared with 121 of Middle Whites, the next most numerous sort. Lord Daresbury, from his Walton herd, bad the distinction of providing both the champion and reserve champion Jjargo White boars. The Large Black, now chiefly recommenxled as a medium for crossing on the female side, had over 100 entries. But Bevkshires —relatively out of favour these days—numbered only 40. ' Tho utility classes for crossbred baiconers and porkers represented the one departure from the rule of catering fk>r pedigree stock only at the Royal Show. These classes drew an excellent response, and excited much interest. ,A variety of crosses were entered, but tine award of tho first prize for baconois to a pair of pigs of the Large White— Largo Black cross, and for porkers to pigs of the Large White —Middlo White cross supports the general opinion iof what are the best crosses in each case 1 .