FAT STOCK SHOW

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22318, 16 January 1936, Page 16

FAT STOCK SHOW

ABERDEEN-ANGUS ENTRIES SUCCESS AT SMITHFIELD [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Dec. 21 A novelty at the Smithfield 1 at Stock Show this year is an exhibit arranged by the Ministry of Agriculture, which demonstrates the Ministry's sales by dead-weight system. Live specimens are shown of the four grades into which animals sold by this method are classified —super grades ind grades L, 11. and IIL Farmer after farmer has come along, looked at the grade 11. beast, and said: " How can that compete with chilled imported beef?" Yet statistics show that 59 per cent of the animals consigned for sale by dead-weight fall into this category, and many of the senders consider these beasts are under-graded. The championship of the show has provided triumph for the Aberdeen Angus breed —and for Mr. J. J. Cridlan, who, for th;; ninth time, has carried olf the supreme honours. No one else aproaches such a record. He has done it with his wonderful heifer, Pride of Maisemore 55th., champion of Norwich this year and junior champion of this show last year. " I have never produced a better," Mr. Cridlan said. lie was asked how he did it. "By running my herd under as natural conditions as possible," he replied; " by 40 years of breeding, and by 40 years of learning something fresh almost every month." Pride of Maisemore is a fortnight under three years. She weighs 15cwt. and 81b.—a solid block of perfect beef upon four short, powerful legs. Her back, as she lies, is flat as a table-top and measures a yard across. She realised £250 at the auction, one of the best prices paid for a Smithfield champion. The reserve champion, G. G. Reid's champion steer, fetched the next price of £BB. These prices represented 331s 6d and 112s per cwt. respectively. The baby beef championship produced a notable Royal victory, for the King was both champion and reserve with his Angus-Windsor Belle 2nd., the latter being reserved crossbred champion also. The King obtained 96s and 92s per cwt. for his ■ crossbreds, and the Prince of Wales obtained 81s for a Devon steer. The 8 to lOcwt. beasts fetched the best prices on the whole, with baby beef realising no more than the heavyweights. Altogether 233 cattle were sold for £7,451, averaging 56s 4d per cwt. Th : s is 3s 4d per cwt. better than last year. The merits of Scottish beef were again the subject of conversation and interest was focussed on the competition for championship honours between the Aberdeen-Angus and Galloway breeds. Each had 10 Smithfield carcase championships to its credit, the Galloways having got level with the Aber-deen-Angus breed at last year's show. As the result of this year's judging an Aberdeen-Angus exhibit placed the breed a point ahead of the Galloways. The champion carcase was exhibited bv Mr. W. R. Board, Cardiff, and was that of his 21-month-old AberdeenAngus heifer. Estelle, which from a live weight of Bcwt Iqr. 191b.. gave a carcase weight of 78st. (of 81b.) 4lb. The reserve was Dr. Alfred Palmer's Galloway steer, Quentin, which had a live weight of llcwt. Iqr. 241b. and produced <a carcase of llOst.