SHROPSHIRE DOWN SHEEP IN SOUTHLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10621, 17 March 1896, Page 6

SHROPSHIRE DOWN SHEEP IN SOUTHLAND.

The Monte Christo flock oE registered Shropshire Down sheep, flock No. 2, page 126, vol. I, New Zealand Flock Book, was founded in 1886 by the purchase by Messrs John Reid and Sous from tbe late Mr Andrew Grant, Temuka, of 32 carefully-selected ewes—the pick of his flock—in lamb to a ram from Mr Bickman's stad flock, Mr Grant having for the previoos eight years used came exclusively from/Mr John Grigs'a Longbeach stud. In 18S9 15 ewes and huggets were added by the purchase of Mr Rickmau's Danedio Show prize sheep; and in 1891 12 more grand ewes were secured, being the four too pens at his Asbburton clearing sain. In. 1893 20 specially high-clues ewes wera added, being the progeny of two rams and 20 ewes imported by Messrs Rowley and Hamilton from the following well-known English breeders:—Messrs Joseph Beach, The Hattoua ; Crane and Tanner, Shrawardine ; and Miuton, Evans, Hansdl, and Farmer, »11 of Salop. Excepting one rsm purchifed from Longbeach iu 1893, Rowley ar.d Hamilton rams, from their imported sheep, have been exclusively used in the Slonte Christo flock until 1894-95, when the following important arid valuable additions were made :—Fioin Me Charles Lewis, M.H.R . his imported ram Outpost (bred by Mr W. G Cooke, Horseheath Park), by Fieldbarrier (5183, vol. 9, Shropshire Register) ; his dam, by Frontier (454-6, vol. 8); her dam, by Foggaihorpn (2036) ; Frontier, by Lord Ashley, by The 'Dean, by The R?ctor. From Mr John Borton, his imported ram Duke (6627), bred by Mr James Whitaker, Hamilton Hall, Shrewsbury ; sire Son Jubilee Ist (4831). dacu by G.0.8. (553); Son Jubilee Ist (4831) by Royal Jubilee (3702), which took first prize twice at the Royal Agricultural Show of Eogland and champion prize for the best sheep in the yard, and was never beaten. G.C.B. was bred by Mr T. S. Minton, sire Marquis of Bs-th* (822) ; Marquis of Bath (822), sire of Hontford Hero (165), twice winner at the Royal Agricultural Show of EngJswid ; also his imported ewe Quteo, by Harrington's Moments (4-573,1, dam by Bristol Duke (SS3) ; and hia imported ewe Fairy, by Son Jubilee 3rd (4333), dain by Crusader (3007). Thesa three ohecp were bred by Mr James Woitaker, of Hampton Hall, Shrewsbury. Also the following picked ewes, bred by Mr Borton out of his imported ewes by his imported rams:—No. 20, by 6626 out of No. 8; No. 29; by 6626 out of No. 10; No. 33, by 6627 out of No. 17; No 35, by 6627 out of No. 19; and No. 48, by 6627 out of No. 16.

The imported ram Oatpoat was the medal or champion ram at tne Christcburch Show ia 1894, his dam being the medal ewe, the imported ewe Queen, the medal or champioa ewe in 1895. Messrs Reid and Sons' last year's show record—lß9s—beginning at CbrisUshureb, 383 miles by rail from Wright's Bush, the nearest railway station to Monte Christo, ana showing also at Dimedin 153 miles, Gpr« 54 miles, Thomburv 6 miles, and Invercargill 14 miles, the firm wore swarded for the season 8 spacial, 8 cbampion, 29 first, 23 second, 1 third, and 1 highly commended prizes. Messrs Reid and Sons commenced to show from Monta Christo first in 18S9, and since then to the end of 1895 Ihfly hnvehaii awarded them a total of 13 special, 29 champion, 90 first, 77 second (chiefly to their own firsts), 13 third, and 1 highly commended prizes. Shropshire} should not be confounded, as they too often are, with other Dowa breeds, as they carry double ths weight of » more valuable wool than the Southdown, for instance ; and as proof of their early maturity and quality of mutton specially QstiDg them for the freezing and export trade, it is only necessary to mention that Messrs Kekis' Shropshire Down crosses—by Shropshire rams out of ordinary longwool crossbred ewes—carried all the principal prizes in the freezing and fat sheep classes, where shown, during last show season' —1895—viz., at Duuedin, Gore, Thornbury, and Invercargill, and received very flattering notices from the press from inrarcargill to Auckland. At Invercargill Show their pen of five fat sheep were selected for a weight-guess-ing competition, and were killed and weighed under the auspices of the society, end averaged within a fraction of 148ib each. At the Dunedin Show, for a pen of 10 freezers in the wool, their two-tootb crosses were awarded 25 points (the maximum) in value and 18 points fot weight in wool, 20 points (the maximum) for early maturity, 10 for quality, and 12 for suitability of mutton, and weighed 71^b freezing weight, tieing with the New Zealand and Australian Land Coflspsny's Totava Estate four-, tooth Lincoln-Mer£»o crosses, which gained 18 points for value and 25 for weight of wool, 12 for eirly maturity, and 15 esoh for quality and suitability of mutton, and weighed 73-i-lb, or 21b more than Messra Reid and Sons' twotooths. In a similar competition at Hawke's Bay CapUin Russell's two-tooth ShropshireLincoln crosses were first, as were Mr John Grigg's two-tooth Shropshire-Lincoln crosses at Chrislchurch, showing clearly the superiority of the Shropshire cross in this respect over other breeds.

Year by year the Shropshire continues to make steady progress at Home and abroad. They quickly become acclimatised, and easily maintain their English' title of " the goUenhoofed, sent-pnying sheep." They are alike a{ home iu New Zes.lx.iMi, Tasmania, and Australia, the O.pe of Good Hope, South America, Canada, and the United States as they are on the Continent of Europe »nd Great Britain. As economical producers of the highest quality of mutton, lamb, and wool, as also for crossing purposes and early maturity, the shortlegged, compact, close - woolled Shropshire stands unrivalled. Commencing as Messrs Reid and Sons did witn carefully selected ewes of the highest excellence and undoubted breeding, aud using none but the very best rams, coupled with careful, intelligent management and liberal culling, the Monto Christo Shropshires claim to rank second to none in the Australasian colonies for high quality, purity of breed, and hardy, healths constitutions. Monte Chrhto is in the Western district of Southland, 16 milea by road from Invercargil), or 14- miles by rail to Wri;-hf s Bush, on the Eiverton line, and consists of 958 acres of rioh reclaimed swamp land on the bank» of the Waims-taku Kiver, intersected by the Wniinatiiku Flat road, the Middle Crsek, and the Waiauiwa or Spar Bush Creek. It ires awarded Sir John Beonet Lawes's Chr.liengs Shield and the Ot&go Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Gold Medal for the brat managed farm of 400 to 1000 acres in Ofago and Southland in 1894, and placed second in 1895, receiving the Society's silver medal and 10 tons of lime, being only one point below the winner, the executors of the late ffir Williem Scoular, of Almoudell, the adjoining property. It is very fertile land, all flat, and haviug no natural shelter, and being in the extreme south of New Zealand settlement, stock bred on Monte Christo have in consequence hardy robust constitutions which will transplant kindly to any other part of New Zealand or Auotralasio. This season the firm have 63 acres shut down for grass seeds, 150 acres iu wheat, oats, and barley, 50 acres in European flax, 56 »ores_in turnips, and 100 acres summer fallow ; leaving 539 acres in pasture, carrying 2348 sheep and lambs, 89 head of cattle, and 23 horses. They dip the whole flock annually in February, sheep and lambs, using Cooper's dip. Their wool was sold privately at Bj:d per lb on tracks at Wright"a Bnsh. Four hundred purebred ewes will be served in 1896, and limiting themselves exclusively to Shropshirea, the ficm avoid tha mishaps which occur-where plurality of breed* arc kept.

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