BORDER LEICESTERS RETURN TO FAVOUR

Southland Times, Issue 24000, 15 December 1939, Page 16

BORDER LEICESTERS RETURN TO FAVOUR

Cross Lambs Mature Quickly And Fatten Easily

’T’HE Border Leicester is reM garded as the aristocrat of the sheep breeds. With its fine head and graceful carriage it stands out from other breeds of sheep in the show pens, and nowhere does it command more attention than at Southland shows. Southland is eminently suitable for the breeding of Border Leicesters, the sheep thriving on heavy land. The Border Leicester is regarded as the aristocrat of all the sheep breeds. With its fine head and graceful carriage it stands out from other breeds of sheep in the show pens, and nowhere does it command more attention than at Southland shows. Southland is eminently suitable for the breeding of Border Leicesters, the sheep thriving on heavy land. Border Leicesters are essentially mutton sheep and for many years the rams were the most popular in Southland for mating with Romney Marsh ewes for the production of fat lambs for the

export trade. With the demand from London for smaller carcasses, however, the Border Leicesters were displaced to a large degree by the Southdown rams. The Border Leicesters are returning to favour to a certain extent, but they will never enjoy their former popularity with export fat lamb raisers. It is for the breeding of butchers’ lambs, in which weight is required, that they art now in demand. Leicester cross lambs mature quickly and they are easily fattened. The ideal Border Leicester sheep is clean and alert looking and sprightly, with clean legs and high-stepping gait. He has a good level back and good shoulder and stands square on his four legs. A nice white face, slightly aquiline nose, erect ears, bold eyes and wide black nose are features of the head. The sheep is evenly covered with a good, strong, crimpy fleece. Experienced breeders consider that Border Leicester breeders should re-

tain the short-legged type of sheep, •with short neck and good shoulder. This type, they argue, is more suitable than any other for the general purposes of the breed. Leicester sheep were the first breed upon which the skill of the sheep breeder was applied. The work of improvement was begun by Robert Bakewell, of Dishley, Loughborough, England, about 1755, the result of his work being the formation of an improved sheep somewhat less than the original type, but more symmetrical, thicker, deeper and possessed of greater fattening properties as well as earlier maturity. In the intervening years scarcely one breed has not felt the influence' of the Leicester, no race of sheep having been so largely employed as a means of improvement. scouted it in his lifetime was Mr David Archibald, of Awa Moa, Otago, who

was a keen student of the history of the breed. It is accepted that Dishley was the original home of the Leicesters and that the Culley brothers brought out the Border Leicesters by repeated crossings of Dishley rams with Teeswater ewes until a stable type was evolved. Neiv Zealand Flocks THE first Border Leicester flock in the New Zealand Hock Book is that of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, which was established on the Clydevale Estate, Otago. Other flocks were kept on the company s Ardgowan, Pareora, Edendale and Acton estates. These flocks, which originated from sheep imported from Scotland, were first located at Totara, near Oamaru, Waitepeka, near Balclutha and Morton Mains, in Southland. Later the company’s came to the conclusion "that the Border Leicesters bred in the Dominion were superior to imported animals especially in wool, and used stud sheep of Two brothers, George Culley ana Matthew Culley, visited Bakewells

property at Dishley in the eighteenth century and took away Leicester rams, which they continued crossing with Teeswaters, then in favour as longwoolled sheep, until they established a flock of Leicesters. The flocks of the Culley brothers are looked upon as the original strain from which the Border Leicesters were derived. Their rams were hired by breeders in England and Scotland, spreading rapidly the popularity of the breed. Matthew Culley and George Culley retired in 1806, but their flock indirectly became the progenitors of Lord Polwarth’s Mertoun flock, which in its day was awarded the place of highest honour in the entire breed. The early rams were hired from the Culley brothers, to whom as much as 100 guineas, a big sum in those days, was paid for their use for a season. Lord Polwarth performed the feat of breeding from his flock for 40 years without the use of outside rams, which, breeders will admit, is extraordinary. It is denied by experts that Border Leicesters were produced by crossing Cheviots and Leicesters, and one who their own breeding. At different times rams were bought from the Hon. Matthew Holmes, of Oamaru, Mr John McCrostie, of Waianiwa, and McKerchar brothers, of Woodlands. Among the first breeders in Southland were the late Mr Robert Grieve, of Oporo, and the late Mr John McCrostie, of Waianiwa, who, in conjunction, bought 13 ewes and two rams from Mr J. C. Ellis, of Merrivale, in 1874. These were sheep selected in Britain by Mr Ellis and kept at Merrivale for two years before being sold. Their progeny were retained by Mr Ellis, but next year he sold to Mr Grieve and Mr McCrostie all the female progeny, consisting of 26 ewes. Both lots were equally divided between the purchasers mnd formed the foundations of their flocks.

The late Messrs R. and A. Officer, of Medley Grange, Fairfax, Southland, started their flock in 1889 by the purchase of 16 ewes from Mr A. R. Wallis, of Morton Mains, Southland. Another early breeder was Mr Alexander Cochrane, of Lochiel, whose first sheep were purchased from the New Zealand and Australian Land Company in 1879. The flock of McKerchar brothers at Woodlands was established in 1869 by the purchase of 12 ewes from Mr Archibald Morton, of Mabel Bush, who had bought them the previous year from the New Zealand and Australian Land Company. Mr James King, of Clifden, purchased ewes in 1884 from McKerchar brothers to start his flock. Castle Rock Flock CASTLE Rock in the early days was owned by the Hon. Mathew

Commonwealth, shipments of his Border Leicesters leaving regularly from Bluff. These sheep created quite a stir in Australia and helped materially to build up the reputation of Southland stock in Australia.

Following are the owners of registered flocks in Southland:—William Allison, Wrights Bush; R. J. Anderson, Otapiri, Winton; W. S. Andrews, Pine Bush; Peter Campbell, Wyndham; W. Couser, Mataura Island; Alex Drummond, Five Rivers; D. H. Dunlop, Pine. Bush; J. A. Edwards, Otikerama; J. T. Rubber, South Hillend; Charles Humphries and Sons, Wyndham; Robert Kennedy, Wrights Bush; W. Kennedy and Sons, Otautau; W. E. Lindsay, Otahuti; Charles McKelvie, Wyndham; Alex McKenzie, Otahuti; J. A. Noble, Gore; Hugh Smith, McNab. There are six English Leicester studs in Southland according to the New Zealand Stud Stock Register. The owners are as follows:—Peter Campbell, Wyndham; Alex Drummond, Five Rivers; Evans Bros.,’Longbush; J. M. Maconnell, Gladfield; McLeish Bros., Drummond; J. J. Miller, Wrights Bush. Holmes, who started a flock of Border Leicesters there in 1875. Rams were

obtained from the Awa Moa, which flock was descended from ewes bred in Scotland by the Duke of Buccleuch. Other early Southland breeders, whose names appear in a Flock Book of 1895 and the date of the establishment of their flocks are: Mr John Grant, Grove Bush, 1887; Mr David Reedie, Gropers Bush, Fairfax, 1880; Mr James Blakie, Ryal Bush, 1891; Mr William Butler, Hokonui, 1887; Mr James Drain, Waianiwa, 1880 or 1881; Mr Andrew Chrystal, Lochiel, 1891; Mrs John Russell, Paisley Park, Waikiwi, 1873; Mr E. Hardwick, Wallacetown, 1894; Mr H. Carswell, Pine Bush, 1872; Mr William Dunlop, Pine Bush, 1887. Many of these breeders founded their studs with animals bought from Mr Grieve, Mr McCrostie, McKerchar brothers or Mr John Russell, of Waikiwi, who in turn had used rams and ewes from the studs of Mr McCrostie and Mr Grieve.

There are now 17 Border Leicester breeders in Southland, many of whom have enjoyed great success in the showring. For many years the late Mr R. J. Anderson, of Kauana, gained a reputation throughout Australia as an exporter of high-quality sheep to the