FAT LAMBS

Southland Times, Issue 22770, 21 December 1935, Page 5

FAT LAMBS

EASTERN’S CHALLENGE DISTRICT COMPETITION ENTRY A RECORD A record for the province was established by the Eastern District’s entry for the annual district fat lamb competition, which was assembled and judged at the Mataura Frozen Meat Company’s works yesterday. Last year there were only 32 growers with sufficient confidence and enterprise to compete. This year, encouraged no doubt by the district’s success at Smithfield last year and, perhaps even more, by the facts that the lambs were collected by the Frozen Meat Company and that the Gore A. and P. Society did away with the 5/- entry fee. there was a wonderful burst of enthusiasm. The entries totalled 165, of which 155 were penned. The quality was beyond question. There was some unevenness, and the judges of the lambs on the hoof had to put out a number of entries because they were over weight, but the carcasses on the hook made an impressive display. Their bloom was superior to that of the carcasses judged at Makarewa on Wednesday, and it was obvious that the 15 pens sorted out by Messrs W. Falconer and R. Hutton to represent the district at London will provide Southland with the biggest threat to its supremacy that it has yet experienced in the competition. Eastern has been second with its only two entries so far, being headed off by a narrow margin by Southland in 1934 and 1933, but it would not be in the least surprising if the positions are reversed this year. Great interest is being taken in the competition this year right from Nelson down throughout the South Island, but the displays at Makarewa and Mataura have been of a standard to indicate strongly that even if Southland should not score its fifth consecutive win, the premiership will remain in the province. The Southland and Eastern entries will be very hard infeed to beat. The judging in the pens yesterday was done by Messrs J. Watson and A. Taylor, and their awards were as follows: W. Cunningham (McNab) 1 John Burnett (Waikoikoi) 2 A. Cockburn (Mataura) 3 More Care in Weighing.

Both of the judges were pleased with the general quality of the entries. “Some of the lambs were a bit too heavy,” they said, “and competitors will have to be more careful in future to send in iambs of a weight that will be eligible.” The most serviceable : weight for this competition was from : 301 b" to 341 b, and the aim should be to ■ get as near to 32’s or 34 s as possible. A number of the pens were of excep- ■ tional quality for show purposes, but they were too heavy for the eompeti- ; tion, several of them being 401 b and ; up to 421 b. The selection of 12 pens from which the first three were chosen made an exceptional!j’ good display, the judges said. The quality right through was very good, though, and provided proof, if any were needed, of the improvement being made by growers throughi out the district. Both judges were enI thusiastic regarding the keenness ot ! the competitors. It was a wonderful competition, they said. They were appreciative, too, of the excellent manner in which it had been conducted by the Gore A. and P. Association and the Southland Frozen Meat Company. One of the difficulties of judging the lambs on the hoof was referred to by Mr Watson. Each competitor was allowed two entries, he said, but the judges were not allowed to interchange lambs. That could be done on the books, of course; but for the purpose of judging them alive some even better pens could have been obtained if the judges had been able to match the animals. There was room for further improvement in drafting by competitors. “We hope to win this year,” he continued, “but if we don't, we know that it will take a very good display to beat us.” He complimented the winners of both sections of the competition so far, and thanked the judges and the directors and the staff of the Frozen Meat Company for their management of the demonstration. “This is a different story from that of the last two years,” said Mr A. Derbie, who acknowledged the thanks on behalf of the company. “You had to struggle to get a full entry then. Now you are getting lambs from everywhere.” The company was proud to be in a position to assist such a valuabe competition. Mr Derbie referred briefly to his experiences at Smithfield in the course of his recent visit to Great Britain, and also to the growing challenge from Australian growers. His announcement of the judges’ awards was applauded. The district was congratulated also by Mr D. McDougall, M.P. for Mataura. It was a splendid display, he said, but he could not see that anything less should be expected of a district with such resources. “I don’t know a great deal about lambs,” he added, “but I understand that Eastern has as good as won the Smithfield prize.” Flock Standard. Mr H. Smith, a member of the executive of the Gore A. and P. Society, recalled Eastern’s first entry, when the country was scoured to find sufficient for the required total. The district’s success last year was very gratifying, and there was no doubt that the quality had been and was being improved wonderfully. He emphasized the necessity of maintaining the standard of flocks and of flock ewes. ‘That is of the utmost importance,” he said. “Growers have their future in their own hands.” On behalf of the judges, Mr Falconer expressed their admiration of the size of the entry and of its quality. A motion of thanks to all who had assisted in the preparations for and the management of the competition and demonstration was moved by Mr D. Dickie and carried by acclamation. “Some competitors are carried away by condition,” added Mr Taylor. “That is a tendency that must be halted. Growers should be much more careful in their weighing for a competition such as this. They should understand exactly what is required before they sort out their lambs.” District Representatives. Messrs Falconer and Hutton made the following awards on the hooks:— Weights. A. Dickson, Wendon (34, 34, 36) 1 C. Stirling, Wakaia (33, 34, 36) 2 W. Chittock, Waikaka Valley (34, 34, 36) 3 The other 12 pens chosen to make up the fifteen to be forwarded to represent the district at Smithfield were as follows John Burnett (Waikoikoi), H. Cockbum (Mataura), W. Cunningham (McNab), A. D. Dickie (Croydon Siding), S. Hargest (Charlton), R. R. Harvey (Waikaka), S. Lynch (Riversdale), Morrison Bros. (Waikaka Valley), V. McDonald (Balfour), J. McQueen (Waikaka), A. Nichol (Maitland), J. Stevenson (Wendon). It was remarked that all three entries placed alive by the judges were included in the chosen 15 on the hooks. Even Lambs Wanted. “We must congratulate the district on this display,” commented Mr Falconer. “It is a fine one right through. We have taken out lambs of the type that it has i

been proved is wanted, that is, lambs that are not over-fat. We did not find a second quality lamb in the whole entry, which is a credit to the growers and to the handling. The colour was very good. In fact, the bloom was much better than that of the lambs killed at Makarewa on Wednesday. We have had to go for evenly balanced lambs for our awards, and I might refer to a point in this connection that is of extreme importance to growers. Tire I first thing for wnich they should aim is selecting a ram for breeding and then in selecting the lambs in a good shoulder. Get that, and then work backward. Then; were a number of lambs examined to-day which were good except for faulty shoulders.” Mr Falconer referred to the big effort that was being made this year by northern provinces to displace Southland from the top of the Smithfield awards. ‘‘However, both Southland and Eastern Southland have reason to be confident,” he added. “Should they both be ‘in the money,’ it will take a very good man to separate them. If Southland should win, we will know there has been some real competition from Eastern, at any rate, I assure you of that.” A Matter of Reputation. The awards were announced after the visitors were entertained by the company at afternoon tea. Mr H. P. Mclntyre, president of the Gore A. and P. Society, thanked the growers of the district for their fine response this year, and the Southland Frozen Meat Company for its valuable co-operation. “It is not the trophy that matters so much,” he said, “but the fact that we have to have it to maintain the province’s grand reputation.” The record entry this year was due very largely, he thought, to the encouragement given by the Frozen Meat Company. Its decision to bring lambs in from the surrounding district was only another indication of its generosity and farsightedness. There was no entry fee and no transport charge this year, and it was obvious that growers had appreciated the help given by the company and by the Gore A. and P. Society,