BREEDING MERIONS FOR HEAVY FLEECES

Otago Witness, Issue 3017, 10 January 1912, Page 16

BREEDING MERIONS FOR HEAVY FLEECES

S me A merman views about Australian merinos, in which th° good influence of the discarded Vermont is claimed as contributing to excellent standards, arc given

by the Breeders’ Gazette of Chicago, in these terms: —That high-class merinos in Australia are more than holding their own is evident by the extraordinary prices recently paid at the Sydney Show. Comedy King, a Falkiner ram, ©hanged ownership at a high figure, some M’Caughey rams sold high, a Bonooke ram changed hands at a record price, <£nd Havilah rams also brought high prices. What surprises us is the constant talk that tire wrinkly merino is passing out —that the Australian breeders no longer favour him, but are inclined towards plained-bodied animals. According to the photographs of Australian rams that are winning laurels in the show ring, the wrinklies are very much there—in fact, a number of them would be strictly out of place in our B class, and most of them would 'be A merinos. This year’s grand champion ram in the housed section might go for B class, but the grand champion unhoused ram looked more like Baby Lord the world’s heaviest fleeced) ram, bred and raised by Reynolds amd. David, of Kansas, and, bo sure, looked like a washboard. The grand champion ewes in both housed and unhoused classes are certainly corrugated enough to suit the meet fastidious Vermonter. Anyway, these Australian folk know what a good merino is, and they are sticking to the kind that raise heavy fleeces. The extremely plain-bodied merino, with an oilloss fleece, ie not wanted in Australia, South Africa, or South America, or any other foreign country, as far as that is concerned, and as for America —-his days arc numbered here. Far too many of our plain fleece-breeders have gone to extremes in this direction, apd they may just as well get back to the first principles, which means wool, and wool with oil enough to hold the fleece together. The Ramboui!let-breeders are coming to it. They have read the handwriting on the wall. They are already making two classes for Rambouillets at some of the State fairs. Of course, there is a happy medium in all things, and when the faddists got to extremes e'.ther way they have to get back into the middle of the road. There is also a, place for the small wrinkly merino. We will always have to have him to “ sober down ” the big, long, light, dry fleece of the eo-called mutton merino.