CHEVIOTS AND THEIR CROSSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 4

CHEVIOTS AND THEIR CROSSES.

t By a Station SiikPiiEßD. The entire absence of entries in the merino ' classes at some of our leading shows last seasoni taken in conjunction with recent raluable ' importations of Cheviots, and an increasing demand for those bred on Casfe'ereck, would > seem to mark the beginning of a new era in. sheep breeding in this part of the colony. Though it is queslionable whether the Cheviots will ever to any appreciable oxlent supersede the merinos on very high, rough country, yeb there seems a probability (hab 10 years hence much of 'the second-class grazing land in Southland will be stoiked with Cheviots and their crosS(S. Would this at all diminish our wcol export c-ither in weight or valu? ? This is a question of much importance to cheep-breeders, as, notwithstanding the enormous increase of our . mutton export in 1895 compared with that of 1885, wool v sill our staple product;, and it is * nece=sary that wo should be cautious in making any new departura liktly to affect it. But my * answer to tho above query would be in the negative, as Cheviots, as I have known them, " rank high amou^st British breeds as wool pro« ducers. The following table from " Practice of Sheap-Faiming," by Chatlss Scofcfc. will bear, me out in this, giviuß as it doe* the actual clip of wool from 10 different breeds at the shearing in June 1882 on the CirccEcester College Experimental l*Vrn : —

The abrve figures renresent the aver«ge of threa ewes of each breed. The sheep of each lot were »11 fairly equal, and the treatment of all the lots during the previous winter and spring had beßn exactly alike. All the ewes, also, had reared one or more lambs during the summer. This shows ths Cheviot as a wool grower of a very high order, and altogether refutes & prevailing idea that Cheviot wool is light and "fluffy." Of course soil and feeding are most important factors in wool production, and possibly under other circumstances the positions of the several breeds might have been different. At the same time no amount of "might-have-beens " on our part can deduct from the impor* tance of the facts as they stand in this f:a:tioa« lar instance. I therefore submit thtu' we uro justified in assuming that there is t^ot any cea» - son to fear r decrease iv onr wool exports ' through the introduction of Cheviot blood. Next in importance lo wool comes mutton as, a soii'ce of revenue to the ruuholder, which very naturally leads us to consider a question of some moment — viz , Can we go on increasing the quantity and improving the quality of ous mutton for freezing without materially affect* ing onr staple product ? Now I have always ' adhered to the opinion that wool and mutton - productions in sheep are exactly similar to milk and beef propensities in cattle. Frcm no ono • breed can the highest quality or T*lua of both products be obtained, bufe we can, by judicious and syatematic crossing, bteed animals wHch

will give a fair return in -both. ShotthornAjrsl.iro cows are invariably excellent dairy cattle, while a bullock bred on the s»me lints ■will feed quickly iuto a good caiea-e of .prime beef. Aud iv sheep, starting wih tuc Cneviob as tbe foundation, we cvi, by cuseitg wilh Bomc of ths larger breeds — tho B-irder Leicester for prof ei fence — produce a sheep which will shear a heavy fleece of good wool, and will grow rapidly into a. neat circise of prime mutton. And, if I may be allowed the digression, I would say that if New Zealand is to maintain a premier position in the frozen meat marke',B "primo" will lvquire. to be the watchword. - B.i!. I may be askeJ to what cla3a of carcase • wou <l I apply tbe appellation of prime ? If for British markets, my answer is one containing the nn.x'muna of meat with a minimum of fat. Now I do not pretend to s'».y that the Border-Leiceiter-Cheviot wll yield ihi* in tbe tamj degree as some of tho Down eros es, but Iben the hslfbreds, as they are called, will give a much better return in wool, especially, I should say, if brtd from some of the grandly coverel Border Leicester^ which I have seen in Southland. Indeed, taking them all over, I would have no hssitatioa in giving fche pslm to the balforeds as being the very be^S allround commercial sheep which I h»ve seen in any part of tha world. Tho ewes for breediug purposes are the very ideal of wbab ewe 3 ought to be— deep milkers, fond mothers, and have plenty of size without any of tbe gros^neos of the 1 trger breeds. Their pivgeny either by Shropshire, Border Leicester, or tarns of their own kind are commerchl sheep of a very high order, and iv their yield of mult n and wool will compare favourably with any cthf-r bretd v or crossbred. To sum up briefly, then, while many may as a matter of sentioK'nb regret tho decadeuce of fche merino— a breed which has been such a source of wealth to the colony, — yafc I think most people who take .an interest in such matfers will regard the^flemaud for Cheviots as a token of the determination of New Zealand breeders to maintain their present high position in fche frozen mutton market* of tbe world, aud at tbe suno time continue to increase the wool production of the^eolouy.

Breed. (U O S Remarkt. * lb. oz. 13 2 3. d. 1 0 Lincoln I • . . . Long in staple and bright and silky A. Wi ol of medium length, soft & rich Longer in at.iplf and , more Justre than other Down wools . Not soeoft and silky , as Lincoln Equal to Shropshire in quality Similar to Border Leicester Longorin staple, but not co line as Downs A short, small- , haired wool Long and, rather ooarse lustre Short, similar to Southd'wD, loncer Cheviot 8 6 | ,1 0; Shropshire 7 5 1 1 Border Le'cester 6 13 1 0 Oxford Down... 6 10 1 0} Engl. Leicester 6 6 1 0 Dorset 5 6 1 0 Southdown .. 4 5 1 01 Cots wold 8 0 1 0 Hainp. Down ... 5 2 1 0 I stanle — not so fins