PEDIGREE MERINOS.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 11

PEDIGREE MERINOS.

A CHAT WITH A BREEDER. The Monowai brought two splendid stud merino rams over from Melbourne en Wednesday for Mr Watson Shcnnan, of Puketoi Station, and one for Mr W. S. Rutherford, " Opawa, Canterbury. Mr Shennan attended the Melbourne ram sales at the beginning of the present month, and bought two rams ■for the Puketoi stud flock. These animals' arrived in splendid condition, and are without _ doubt equal, if not superior, to any merinos ever imported into this colony One of the rams was bred by Mr Herbert Gatenby, Rhodes. Tasmania, sire Tertius out of Primus, dam by Captain, by Nejson. The other ram was bred by Mr Thomas Parramore, Beaufort, Tasmania, and is a grandson of the celebrated Royal Hero, acknowledged to be ono of the finest sheep ever bred in Tasmania. Stud sheep of the Royal Hero strain are at nreaent in great demand by flock-owners in" Australia. Mr Shennan's purchase is remarkable for its immense size and sp'endid symmetry; carrying a dense fleece of lcng-staplefl, silky wool, estimated to weigh 41b or 5Jb more than the ordinary type of merino fleece. Tnere is a difference in the size of the tiro rams, but this is accounted for by the difference in the ages, the big ram being two years older than his companion. ! Mr Rutherford's importation is a *" merino ram from Mr Thomps Millar's well- ; known Deniliquin stud farm, New South ' Wales, and differs somewhat in type from ' his shipmates, being somewhat rougher in fleece. He is a large, upstanding animal, and was chosen doubtless for the soecial requirements of the Hurunui country, where a robust constitution is an important factor. r J he Deniliquin ram possesses this characteristic in a* marked degree, and should prove a valuable addition to a flock in which size of carcase, combined with a heavy fleece, is a desideratum. In the course c| a conversation with one of our reporters, Mr Shennan stated that during the course of a very pleasant trip he had attended tha Sydney sheep show and sales in July, afterwards visiting South Australia, where he inspected some of the best flocks, returning; to Melbourne in time for the big ram sale. Mr Shennan said : It is mo;t interesting to -see the large number and great variet3' of merino sheep that are gathered - there, and also at the Sydney _ sale. Almost every stud flock in Australia is represented, and the merinos vary prreatly in type. being bred to suit the special requirements of the various sheepbreeding localities in the Commonwealth. Tasmanian flock-owners have found in Australia a' splendid market for their surplus stud merinos for some years past, pedigree Taemanian stud sheep being in steady demand owing to their high average standard of excellence." Asked if the demand for high-priced rams was as keen as formerly, jlr Shennan replied: "No, I don't think so. At anyratc breeders are not now raying such high prices for them as formerly. A few change hands occasionally at about 200 guineas or a little over that figure, and a few very superior animals changed hands recently at 500 guinea?, but that is an exceptional price nowadays." Is the type varyine greatly? " Well, the wrinkly type i= fast coing out of fashion. Wrinkly merinos "produce very heavy fleeces, but are difficult to fatten; consequently fleck-masters - now favour a bulkier type of merino, combining good fattening qualities with a fairly heavy fleece." How do New Zealand flocks compare with Australian sheep ? Australian long-wcolled sheep are distinctly inferior to our own, with "the exception of Down sheep, and their best types of merinos come from Tasmania." Is there a marked increase in size? " There is. I never saw such large merinos in my life as I saw over there this trip, and I was fortunate enough to secure one of the two largest rams offered for sale. What were your impressions of Australia, Mr Shennan? " I was very favourably impressed with present prospects over there. I visited a number of sheep stations and found flockowners prosperous generally. One thing impressed me particularly, and that was the absence of what we would call 'winter feed,' and there appeared to be no provision made for a drought contingency. If New Zealand farmers were to trust to luck or Providence as Australian farmers appear to do they would fare rather badly I am afraid." Does that apply to Australia generally? "It applies to what I saw of it. I saw a good deal of the country, and the absence of emergency fodder impressed me very much. Upon inquiry I learned that lucerne was oominff greatly into favour in some parts, but I saw none of it in my travels. Having sown it at Conical Hills last season i I was anxious to note its success elsewhere, i If the present season a favourable one? ! I believe Australian farmers are going j to have a very good season. There" has been a copious rainfall everywhere, and the soil is- well saturated. That means ample grass and easy times for the farmers ; but I I am afraid the latter take things much too. easy for their own welfare, and I would have been better pleased had I seen more haystacks dotted about." What is the prevailing impression of Australian farmers concerning New Zealand? " Well, I had many inquiries in that direction, and the general impression seemed to be that farmers with small holdings were much better off here than those of a similar class on the other side. I formed a very poor opinion of Sydney. The streets are poor and dirty, and I saw large numoers of unemployed sleeping in the parks, and the city looked dirty and poverty-stricken compared M'ith Melbourne and Adelaide, where the streets and public buildings presented a striking contrast. In regard to train services over long distances, we are much better served than Australians. There the trains appear to run to suit the convenience of commercial travellers. If you want to go a iourney you generally have to travel at night." One more question, Mr Shennan, please. I understand that a good number of Puketoi 'stud merinos have been shipped abroad for -foreign flocks? " Oh, well, if you desire it you can say that they have been sent to South Africa, Central Africa, Patagonia, Monte Video, *nd the Argentine." It will thus be seen that the noted Puketoi stud is famed abroad, and it is to be hoped that Mr Shennan'c untiring efforts and enterprise in keeping up the quality of his flock will ere long place New Zealand on a level with Tasmania for the production of merino stud sheep of the highest standard in the colonies.