THE BREEDING AMD FATTENING OF LAMBS FOB EXPORT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 7

THE BREEDING AMD FATTENING OF LAMBS FOB EXPORT.

At last week's meeting of the Geraldine Tannera' Club Mr R. "Y. Ferguson was appointed to .read a paper written by Mr E. Haxdcastle,- of the Ohristchurch Press, on the " Breeding and Fattening of Lamias for Export." "We quote from the Timaru Herald : " The paper slated that the rapid development of the export of lambs from New Zealand during the past few years showed that this branch of the frozen meat trade would to a considerable extent supersede the practice of sending home matured sheep ; at least that ■would be the case so far as Canterbury and other districts in the colony favourable to the production of early lambs were concerned. The number of carcases of lambs shipped from New Zealand in 1892 was 219,739, and five years later — in 1897— the number had increased to 1,104,966.- In 1892 the number of carcases of .mutton exported was 1,319,862, and in 1897 it was 1606,3*1 ; these figures showing that the lamb trade had expanded * in great proportion. With a better regulated system of' feeding the Home market there was no i eason why even very much larger numbers than were sent Home in Jubilee year should not be disposed of annually Tyith profit to A the grower and the exporter. If only due regard were paid to the quality and ' condition of New Zealand lamb it should continue to command the frozen lamb market in which it had largely to itself, at least in the early part of the season, though. ,with the competition, of Australia and the Areentiae to iace and create? boine

given by farmers and graziers at Home to means of retaining their own trade, it wa,3 hardly likely that we should ever see the same high prices as ruled a few years ago. This ! led to the question of what was the most pro- I fitable sheep, to keep in the South Canterbury ! district, where both climate and soil were suitable for breeding and fattening early lambs, or for grazing and finally finishing off the two-tooths that could not be got away as lambs The sheep that laid the foundation of the successful export" trade in frozen mutton from this part of the colony anu made the well-known name ' Prime Canterbury ' was the halfbred — the English Leicester-merino ! eross — and undoubtedly it was an excellent i combination of both wool and mutton quali- i tie 3. Unfortunately, however, when mutton ! was bringing a satisfactory price on the Home market wool fell in value, and so attention was more and more devoted to breeding sheep for mutton, to the neglect, to a large extent, of wool. Thus the Down breeds were introduced. The Hampshire had practically been discarded, owing chiefly to. the mild climat9 producing a sheep much too coarse in the bone and too heavy in the carcase for the export trade. The Southdowns, which produced the primest mutton, could be successfully used with large-framed Border Leicester or Lincoln ewes, but from the ordinary run of crossbred ewes the lambs were too small and took too. long to mature, while there was also an objection to the shortness of the wool. The use of the Southdown ram in Canterbury was therefore principally confined to a few breeders, who had achieved a great deal of success not only in producing crossbred lambs for export but in feeding the local markets with supplies of extra prime mutton. The Shropshire' had, from its hardy nature and early maturity, proved the most suitable for mating with long-wool ewes to produce a shapely carcase of the proper weight for export purposes. That had been the position for, the past few years, but now another change appeared likely to take place, and it was probable that it was tending- in the direction of a more settled- system of breeding. The value of mutton had steadily declined until quite recently, while wool had again recovered, and now more attention was being devoted to the production of an early-maturing lamb that would carry a good fleece forward to the next year if required. The English Leicester in its early maturing qualities had proved itself the equal if not the superior of any other breed, its supporters holding strongly that it would come in before the Shropshire, and it was to this popular longwool breed that the general ran of farmers and growers in Canterbury were now turning their attention as the best means by which both mutton and wool could be produced. The_ English Leicester, however, required refining both in its meat and wool, and therefore it was necessary to go back to the merino ewe as a basis to breed from. It was fortunate that with the general rise in the value of wool there had been a particular demand (for merinos, and this should encourage holders of the back country to maintain that most useful breed, and to supply the farmers on the plains merino ewes for crossing purposes, or good halfbred ewes from which they could produce their lambs for the export trade. The farmer in Canterbury had now become largely % dealer, and was content to buy his ewes instead of breeding them himself, and indeed it was necessary that he should be supplied from' some outside source, .so to speak ; for if the best lambs were to be taken for export — and g-enerally the ewe lambs were the first to' be fit for the factory — it meant that the culls principally would be left on the farms to breed from. That had already become an important question in North Canterbury, and had there been a. favourable season for' feed this autumn there would .probably have been a demand for -young ewes that would have been somewhat difficult to satisfy. In the future it would mean that;more would have -to be paid for breeding ewes; in other ■words, the breeders of ewes would look for a, share in the profits of the lucrative fat-lamb trade. In South Canterbury farmers - were fortunate in having at their back such a large I extent of country where merinos .were kept, and whence they- should be able to draw supplies. The English Leicester ram and the halfbred or fine "fchree-quarterbred ewe would give what was wanted in the shat>e of a lamb fit for the export trade, and if the ewes got too coarse or inclined to produce more tallow than mutton the best plan was to xise the Shropshire xam, and so fine down the carcase and improve .the quality of tliß meat. The crossbred ewe now kept in most parts of "South Canterbury was specially suitable for mating with the Shropshire ram. The district pos- . sessed some of the finest strains of English Leicesters and Shropshires to be found in the colony, and with "the large extent of merino country behind there was no reason "why every year a large number of the primest freezing lambs should not be • produced. An important matter in connection with the production of early lambs was the care of lambs in the spring. Lambing was now being- brought on earlier and before the grass had time to make much growth and unless fresh stimulating food was provided there was a risk of heavy mortality, as occurred last year. Experienced sheepfarmers in North Canterbury state that' since they have -adopted the practice of specially providing some green feed during the last month' before lambing they have never had more than an ordinary amount of mortality. The growing of artificial feed to fatten lambs was very much simplified from the fact that on most of the cultivated soils in the province rape could be grown, and the concluding portion of the paper dealt with the cultivation of this plant and the proper management of sheep-feeding upon it." On the motion of Mr M. C. Orbell, seconded by Mr Georg« Ward, % vota of

| thanks was passed to 2!r Hardcastle for his ; able paper. The paper was then freely discussed by members; Messrs F. R. Flatman, M.H.R., and Mr M. C. Orbell dwelling specially upon the question of the need of the Government appointing, inspectors and having meat properly graded before being shipped Home.