SYDNEY SHEEP SHOW.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 17

SYDNEY SHEEP SHOW.

PASSING OF THE MERINO. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, July 4. The character of the Sydney Sheep, Show is changing. It is becoming every year more of a mutton and less of a wool show. The merino, the pride of Australian pastures and a groat source of Australia’s wool supply, w r as represented this year by only 196 out of 508 entries in all sections. British breeds predominate af the show, and were of a quality that has never been surpassed in the 20 years’ history of the exhibition. Mr C. H. Ensor, of White Rock, Rangiora, _ the well-known Corriedale breeder, giving his impressions of the show to a representative of the Otago Daily Times, said that what had struck him and all the Now Zealand visitors most was the way in which the mutton-producing breeds had. come so largely to the front of late

years. The advent of,the freezing industry was responsible for this change. In New Zealand 20 years ago wool was the prime consideration, but now the call was for sheep for dual purposes. Ninety per cent, of the sheep in New Zealand were merinos a couple of decades ago, and to-day; there wore only about 10 per cent, of that breed in the flocks. The demand to-day was for the wool and mutton type combined. Some of the Lincolns at the show were the best he had ever seen. He considered that as wool and mutton sheep the Corriedales at the show had more than held their own. Some of the _ Corriedales bred in Australia from sheep imported from New Zealand equalled, if they did not actually excel, the sheep of that breed that had been sent over •from New Zealand. There were a large number of prominent New Zealand sheep breeders at the show, among them being Messrs A. W. Rutherford (Mendip Hills), Thomas Chapman (Mount Palm), S. Townend (Mount Laurie), J. _ Douthwaite (Waimate), D. Grant (Timaru), and J. Nixon (Killinchie). Mr Ensor will visit Queensland next week, ;.nd not return to Christchurch until after the middle of September.