The Station.

Otago Witness, Issue 1419, 1 February 1879, Page 15

The Station.

SHEEP FOR SMALL FARMERS.

Tho following article from the Sydney Mail is commended to tho attention of the Bheop farmers of this conntry :— " Jt would prove more profitable to the, sraalj sheep

farmer if he paid more attention to his first sheep— the sheep on which his future stock is to be built, and, it Deed not be stated, on which his future success depends. Truthfully speakinp, the bins 11 sheep-farmer at the oatset aims at too much. He wants fine wool, long Btaple* and a big carcass, the last being his main desire. To get all these great ends he employs various means in tbe way of crossing, doing all soits of wild things in this line, which, defeating one another, make matters perplexing to the owner of a flock which under proper management might have proved a valuable source of income. Repetitions of this system have only led to what might have been expected, and what a number of selectors, particularly those in the Southern districts, have got, and that is a bad, useless lot of neither fine, coarse, short, nor long wool, with small bodies, long legs, and flat sides, and however well looked after, and wherever placed, always poor and restless, consequently never thriving. Success with aheep means breed, good feed, plenty of water and less doga— important rttniß towards condition, although w« must not forget that well-bred sheep are tho3e that keep their condition best. It seems that the majority of farmers who have gone in for a few she-p have all, with few exceptions, been mesb auxious to at once set about increasing the carcass, and in following out this couree have been led astray a good deal by the ndvica of others or their own ideas ; and in following either of these out they may hive committed many blunders, and have done much damage to what might, under other circumstances, have been good stock. Attempts to increase the carcass with little or no detriment to the wool are no new features in sheep farming, and much capital has been embarked in favourable sheep-breeding localities, in the hope of securing bo desirable an end, without any corresponding advantage. The ideas of the farmer to be a gainer both ways, carcass and wool, have not in tho Southern districts been been very profitable ones, but prob ibly the contrary j and the series of errors which have been made, apparently as experiments, on some new farms Bouth cannot but resulo in disappointment and loss. There are many instances to be met with en a travel through a good sheep country, in the county of Goulburn for example, wnere different; varieties of coarsewoolled sheep have beea made use of in one flook to achieve the wished for ends, when much loss of time would have been saved and more pounds sterling would have been gained, bad the good old merino (ihe stook sheep everywhere on these farms) been kept pure ; and, instead of risky crossing being gone into, had pains been bestowed to increase the valuo of wool. By judicious culling and the use of good rams, a very superior sheep would have been met with, far more profitable to raise, and less expen sivo to maintidn, then the heterogeneous lot which is becoming so universally plentiful among selectors. As a general rule, the indifference to quality is the mistake common enough amougst the class which has been formed be;e "small sheep farmers." Appearances are in favour of one holding the opinion of the selector being conteat with anything in the thape of sheep, as long as he gets some sort to start with ; and it may be mentioned this is the great error. It would be fouud eventually far more economical if the selector going in for sheep were to procure a few really superior than a lot of indifferent or bad. A few good sheep have before now formed the nucleus of splendid flocks. It takes many yews to wipe out bad bio >d from aflock or herd, audis uu excessively slow process when quality exists on one side only. The use of good rams, another selector's omission, is the key to /;ood stock. Would it not pay better to get the best rams procurable, rather than continue the use of a description which is bought by the selector because it is cheap? What is to prevent two or throe farmers, neighbours if possible, from clubbing together and procuring a wellbred animal for the use of all ? They would oblain a much better btact than it each were to act separately. One iirst-e.lass iatn would be found of for greater benefit than three inferior ones, and it in a proved fact that those who pay high figures for their ranis obtain, as a rule, full value for their money. The rock the small sheep farmer splits upon is evidently carcass. He docs not; seem to bo content with breeding for wool, and content ing himself with a smaller figure for his fat btock, but to the dostructiuu,of his whole wool returns, he endeavours to brted his sheep so that hia surplus Btock shall command higher figures— singularly enough losing sight of the facts that a sheep can be made mutton only once, aud that its fleece is taken every year. Mutton, again, is ofcen low in price, whilst wool is valuable, correspondingly so to quality or weight, or partly in both. The small sheep-farmer must place faith in good blood to expect success. His wool returns should yearly increase iv valua perlb., not resting content at. a standstill price, generally theforeruuuer to a decrease; but strive to maintain and improve prices. This can only be done by constant attention to one all important item — namely, the use of goodVaniE. The opportunities for acquiring well bred animals of all descriptions are nob wan 1 ing. In the great sheep-breeding districts of the Colony rums may be procured suitable to the most fastidious buyer ; and securing rams from some acknowledged good breeder will prove far more serviceable, and, m tho long run, far more economical, than attempting their breeding at home. With rams, bo >with ewes ; and at this time thero is nothing to prevent any farmer who is com raencing sheep farming from laying tho foundation of a future superior flock, if he will only go about it in the proper way, and bear in mind that a few good sheep are preferable to a greater quantity of an inferior sort. Wha f evor number of ewes, to make a start with, are procured, let them be good, and by using nothing but buperior rams, the basis of a valuible flock is laid, which will pay better than double thtir number of a poor quality.