OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

(FnoM Otjb Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, July 3, 1908.

SHEEP AT THE ENGLISH ROYAL.

This has been one of the finest weeks that Great Britain over enjoyed, incessant sunshine and Italian slues being of daily occurrence. As luck would have it, the English Royal Agricultural show has been held 1 at Newcastle, and if it is not a huge success no fault can ba put down to the weather. It is always a treat to the writer to visit any exhibition of live stock, and naturally, being an enthusiastic woolm&n, the sheep pens offer to me a speoial attraction. Thie year there waa a magnificent show of England's very best in the sheep world, and great keenness was displayed at the judging. I fancy one op two leading breeders or world repute felt a little disappointed that their stock did not figure more prominently es championships and firsts, but the excellence of their cheep was still in evidence. The entries compare favourably with those of the last few years. In some sections there was some tremendous inoreases^ — notably, in the Border Leicester, Wensleydale, Scotch Blackface, and Shropshire, — but the entry of Lincolns showed a. eluonp compared 1 with 1907, there bein^r only 53 compared with 145. This, no doubt, is due to the fact that tho Royal last y-ear was in the city of Lincoln itself, whereas to-day a considerable distance separated the Lincoln breeding areas and Newcastle. It is not my intention to go over the whole of the claeees of English sheep, confining my remarlcs to those breeds in which my radere are the most interested 1 .

First of all came the LLncolns. and perhaps no other breed hae done for the mutton and wool world what" this sheep has done. Both for size and quality the exhibits were equal to former shows, though, as already stated, one missed the number that wo have been accustomed to see. It was generally stated that, while there was strength and character of constitution, yet from a wool standpoint there uas a decided improvement. I have said for half a dozen years that our Lincoln breeders were paying all their attention to carcase and neglecting wool, and it is high time they considered fineness and uniformity a little more. In the two-shear class Mr Tom Cass- ' well, of Pointon, took the first prize with a -(frand ram, whioh made its first appearance in the show ring, this evidently being a surprise for not a few. To knock a man out of the stamp of Mr H. Dudding, of Riby Grove, who came second with a cheep I tKa-t was placed first at the Bath and W««t I of England, was a wonderful accomphen- | m«snt. Messrs S. E. Dean a,nd Sons, of Dowsby Hall, came third, this also bo ing the second prize-winner at the above show. In the shearlinjr ram class the coveted position went to the Dowsby Hall flock, the jjhampion a wa.rd offered by the Lincoln Longwool Sheepbreeders' Association being taken by this ram. The came exhibitors won the first for the pen of five shearling rams, and bhird for a pen of five ram lambs with sheep shown for the first time. Mr H. Dudding took the second in the shearling ram class, and Messrs Dean the third. In the pen of three ram lambs Mr Duddini? took both the second and third, and also first in the pen of three eyre lamba, Messrs D«an the second, and R. Dixon third. In the pen of three Lincoln yearling ewes in wool the first goes to M.r O. E. Howard, the second to Messrs Dean, and the third to Mr J. E. Cassweil. The above results show that the usual breeders of note are still to the front, all their aheep being in fine form, and maintaining all tho characteristics eeen of recent years in the Lincoln breed.

Leiceeters are essentially a Yorkshirebred sheep, tho East Riding giving epeciaj support to this class. Megsrs J. E. and 0. l£. Simpson, Pillmore Hou?e, Hun ma nhy, are wejl- known ram breeders, but seldom have they done go well at a Royal. In the shearling ram claee ilesSrs Simpson

tootc the first, Mr E. F. Jordan, of Eastir burn, Dr infield, the second; the third! going* to Mr George Harrison, of G&inford H&l>, Darlington. There was little to choosy between the three exhibits. Messrs Sfm]s» son's ram was a grand, eJI-round, well-mad^ sheep, with & good fleece of wool. It was in a pen of lambs which won & prize at last year's Royal. Mr Jordan's ram. showed some excellent points, and is a typio%l Leicester sire. In the pen of three i&m lambs the first goes to Mx G. Harrison, second to Mr J. Cranswick, and the thiwi to Messrs Simpson. In * the pen of three Leicester shearling ewes Mr Jordan ta-keal the first, Simpsons' second, and Mr J, Oranawick the third, the special going to Mr G. Haw-ison. Shropshire were never better represented l both as regards quantity and quality, some of the sheep showing speoial merit. In the two-shear rani class Mr A. Tanner, Shrewsbury, took the firet; Mr T. S. Nin*oiK Shrewsbury, second ; and Mr A. S. Berry, Lichfield, the third. _ Mr Tanner's ehees was a very fine specimen, which has previously won honours at the Hereford and Shropshire shows. The red ribbon in the ehea-rling class was won by a very likely sire, the property of Mrs Ingle, Thorpe, Tarn worth, which had previously taken a first at Nottingham and second at Hereford, In this class there were no fe.wer than 30 entries. Sir R. P. Cooper, of Shenstonfe Court, Lichfield, was at the top of the prize list both in the pen of five shearling ramg and three shearling ewes, And also tho speoial selling (auction) shearling ram. Mj? E. Nock took the first in the pen of three ram lambs, and also the pen of three ewe lambs. " -

The "Wcnsleydale is about the most useful sheep to thousands of North of .England 1 farmers for crossing with a blackface ew^ for the production of half bred lambs, and naturally this section was strong. Lord 1 Henry Bentinok, of Underlay Hall, Kirlcby Lonsdale, figured conspicuously in the prize list. He took the second and third honourjs in the two-shear ram class -with grancP. typical sheep, standing well, And well covered. In the shearling ram class he was the winner with a well set-up sheep, witJi splendid 1 carriage and finely-formed heady and with three ram lambs he scored with, a lot whicih look like growing into useful sires. The executors of the late Mr T. Willis 1 , Qarperby, Yorke., is Always his keenest competitor, hut this time they only took second in the shearlinuf ram class, and first in 4 pen of three shearling ewes, while Mr W; J. Wheatley took the first for the twoshear ram. In the Bolder Leioesters the three classes contained no fewer than 76 entries. Tha handsome sheep, with their soft, silky wool, looked well, though among colonial breeders, I hardly think, this aheap is. aa profitable aa the Ijeioeater. The Right Hon. A. J. Balfour is the fortunate ownei? of the first prize aged ram, which xnad& its first appearance. He was closely followed by a sheep belonging to Mr W. RoK-. Bon, to whom was awarded a special prize of £20, given by the Northumberland amdl Durham Society for the best Border Leicester exhibited by a tenant farmer. In the Southdown olass hi* Majesty the King waa a very successful exhibitor, talcing firs* in the shearling ram olass and pent of threa rain lambs. In the three shearling ewes the first and medal went to Sir J. Colman, Bart. All the Down breeds were well represented. - i Th© Romney Marsh section was fairly

Wrong, And some nice useful sheep were On- show, In' the' two-shear ram claea both the first and second prizes went to Mr C. Fox the shearling ram. 3&C H. Rigden took first honours, being tsrell backed tip with, a very useful young tup from the first-named breeder, -who took the second premium. In the section for three ram lambs that showed! considerable fSharacter, Mr^ J. B. Palmer took the first, ■tne second going to Mr Milieu, of ITaverfeham. ; This same breeder was given the - firßfc honours for a pern of three shearling ew.es, the "second being taken, by Mr O. 6. Swindells, of Horton Park. Several New , Zealand flookmaste-rs were on the show ground, and one competent to judge said to in© afterwards that in New Zealand BeTeral Romney prize sheep "were to be found that were quite as good, if not better, than those at the Royal. Continuing, lie Eaid that -the -English breeder loses eight somewhat of the fleece in his effort to produce more mutton, and the combination of both does not appear to be so thorough As the specimens seen at the New Zealand shows. COURSE OF PRICES. The week's business has shown some ex,^pansion/ and, generally speaking, the tone is healthier, ' with several descriptions the turn higher. Al\ the movement is at the , Wool end, things remaining still very quiet in 'other departments. The- following table shows the course of values during the past month:— -

I „ Description. « OS d. I1I 1 I1I 1 9 8 Si 7J 8 9i 9 9 8h 10 9i ff {I s ? '51 10 22 18 15 U* 10 PI i | i-s ci >> d. ? JLipcoln hops... „, „, Xiccoln wethers •„. „, Kcn-thhcgs ... „'. ,'., NorUi wetVers .'.'. Yorkshire hogs „. ..-, Yorkshire wethers... Half bred hog* ... . 0?. Halfbred wethers ... .„ Sent wethers Eastern Counties Down tegs Eastern Counties Down ewes Irish hogs, super Irish wethers, super Picked Shropshire hogs ... Picked ShropHhire wethers SoiUhdown tegs .. „, Southdown ewes ... .., Wiltshire Down legs ... Wiltshire Down ewea „, Cheviot liogs, super ,„ Scotch Bkckfaced... v . .Turkey average mohair ... Cape firsts mohair ... , „ 7')' a, colonial tops ... „. nit, colonial tops ... 60's, colonial tops, super ... 66's, colonial tops 50*8, colonial tops 46' i, colonial tops ,40'b, colonial tops , 136's, colonial tops ... „. 32*8, colonial tops ..<. d. 8i 8} P 8 8 P 9 Si 10 9* m 12 m ii ?' 16 18 24 23 21} 18 15 P d. 71 7 91 P P l ! 9 8J 10 12J 12 Hi 11 f 15} 10 24 22^ 81} 18 15 !J' ? 8 » 8 81 7j 8 9^ 9 9 8: 10 ni 12 11J 11 5 )5 10 24j 233 S2J 18 15 J?