BREEDS OF LIVE STOCK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22084, 14 October 1933, Page 3

BREEDS OF LIVE STOCK

CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES XI. BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP Leicester. sheep are particularly and essentially British in their origin and, in fact, form one of the foundations of the pastoral industry of the United Kingdom. The breed is so old in England that no real attempt has ever been made to determine its actual origins. There were at first three distinct types of Leicester sheep, and at the close of the sixteenth century these were classified as follows:—Forest Leicesters, so-called because of their locality, the Chavnwood Forest; the “Old Leicesters,” which were regarded as springing from a more ancient type than

the Charnyood breed; and the Dishley Leicesters, which derived their name from the locality of their breeder and improver, Robert Bakewell, of Dishley. , It is from the Bakewell sheep that the Border Leicester of to-day originally came. Bakewell, who was born in 1725 and began experimenting in cattle and sheep breeding at the age of 2,0, when he was sole manager of his father’s estate, conceived the idea of breeding to develop weight iii the best joints, and general evolving animals which would respond most rapidly to feeding. By the most careful selection and by a long system of in-breeding, he produced a type of sheep- which soon became renowned all over the country. His motto was “ small in size and great in value," and the points he sought to develop werfe:—Beauty combined with utility; quality of flesh, and a propensity to rapid fattening. In 1750 he had made his name as the producer of the New Leicester breed, a fact which was demonstrated by

the return of SOOOgns which he secured for one year’s luting of rams. Many of the characteristics of the pres-ent-day Border Leicester's were to be remarked in the Dishley breed, but it was actually not until 1800 that the Dishley Leicester forked into two distinct breeds —The English and the Border, The Border Leicester, it is claimed, was a result of a cross between the Dishley type and the Cheviot, but there is not much confirmation of this, although it is regarded by authorities as. highly probable.

The name Border Leicester came to be applied owing to the fact that the breed was long bred in the borderland between England and Scotland, chiefly in Northumberland, and although the breed has been distinct for over a century it was not until .about 35 years ago that the

Border Leicester Sheep Society was first founded. After Bakewell, Lord Polwarth was the. chief improver of the Border Leicester breed, and as a matter of fact practically all the present-day Borders had their origin in the Lord PolWarth’s Mertoun strains.

The breed has attained high favour in both New Zealand and Australia, mainly on account of its extreme hardihood and consistent fertility. The Border Leicester can withstand the severest conditions in Otago and Southland, and is as good a "doer” as any breed in the .Dominion. It possesses one of Bakewell’s most cherished characteristics, a tendency to quick fattening and early maturity. The breed is among the most popular in New Zealand, and is generally more hardy and more reliable than the English Leicester. In 1915, less than 20 years after

the first Border stud book was issued in Great Britain, Borders in New Zealand numbered 81,000, while to-day registered and unregistered Borders total twice that figure. The Border Leicester is the most stately and symmetrical of the longwools, and also the most attractive in style and gait. As a carcass sheep, however, it has a tendency to lay too much fat on the back and on the rump, but owing to its quick fattening qualities and early maturity flesh it is very popular with graziers. An average of about 115 per cent, natural increase annually may be regarded as typical of the breed and illustrative of the fecundity of the Border Leicester. In England the most prolific ewe is the progeny of a Border Leicester ram and a Cheviot ewe. This halfbrod is usually put to a Border Leicester ram, and great percentages, up to 150, are very common. POINTS ABOUT THE BREED. The Border Leicester has a very distinctive head, with a sharp profile, dark and full nostrils in the ram, with a black muzzle and Roman nose. The face carries a covering of hair, and the crown should be pure china white. A bluish colour on the crown is a serious blemish. The ram should carry its head high, on a strong neck set on broad, deep shoulders. The chest should be deep and wide between the forelegs, the ribs arched and round, and well sprung rather than deep. A broad muscular back and a full rump are typical, and the legs should be flat, clean, and covered with fine, white hair. The back must be wide and firm handling. Border Leicester wool is of the long variety, and should have a reasonable length of staple as well as a good pirl. The wool does not extend quite to the knees, and must not cover the crown. The belly should be well covered, however, and the usual points of evenness and quality apply to this breed. The wool sping at from 36’s to 46’s, with a tendency, in New Zealand at least, to the finer count. The mutton of the. Border is not by any means the most popular on account of the tendency to heavy laying of fat on the hack and the rump, hut when the breed is crossed with some of the finer breeds the resultant type produces excellent mutton, and even better lamb. Among the faults which must be watched hi the Border Leicester is an inclination to legginess and splitting up in the hind quarters, while many judges also remark a tendency, even in show stock, to undue bareness about the points. The breed has done particularly well in Otago, and some very fine flocks have been built ;up in this part of the Dominion, owing, no doubt, to the ability of the breed to withstand cold and wet conditions, and the most unexpected variations of climate. The breed forms the basis in Otago of most of the finest crossbred flocks, which are among the finest sheep of their kind in New Zealand,