THE OUTLOOK FOR SHEEPBREEDERS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 163, 15 August 1914, Page 2

THE OUTLOOK FOR SHEEPBREEDERS.

WORLD'S MARKETS REVIEWED. F" • At, the International Conference of ; Shcepbreeders, held at Shrewsbury at the' time of the Royal Show, and at which the more important A. and P. Societies and breed-societies of New .Zealand were represented, Mr Alfred jMansell, one of the foremost authorities =on sheep breeding in England', read the ■following paper upon the outlook of the 3heep breeding industry from the point of view oi the breeder of stud sheep: — ... The, title of this paper is a comprehensive one, is of immense interest to ■ owiiers of purebred flocks, and opens up a' v vide vista for careful thought and oil the part of all w&o •have, made sheep husbandry part of their life's work. The future is with"out doubt fraught with many changes, ' oxte of the most pregnant, with direct 'results to the farming interest, being ; the insistent demand of all classes of • the c'oinmunity to raise the general 'standard of living, creating thereby an ■ increased demand for .meat products of the' best quality. 'ln considering the question that is before us, ene has to try and forecast witfythe aid of such facts as are obtainable/ what is the future outlook for those b'reeders who put capital and . trains/, the business. . Does the /present position of the sheep industry, ;t)Se. growing scarcity .qf. all .fgp'd "(iuets, the rapid new countries, and other factors to Be considered, : point ""to;, prosperous . times .fpr sheep' breeders br';th£j is'the question I .propose tongue, <and.'l ian-.only hope that my conclusions, w-ill receive the general, assent of this conference. ■!(■:'■ Statistics usually weary, and it is a yell-known axiom, that .figures ;can be ; .nade : t,o prove anything; .but,' neverthe-

less, in connection with the, subject we i .tre now giving our thoughts to, : it .as .'important .to review the statistical posi* iion >as:. regards /sheep in: the ; world in relation to population. Mr Alfred Seymour-Jones, in an interesting article published some three years ago, states that the more remunerative the making of mutton becomes, and the better the price obtained for the wool, the more money will the ordinary fiockmaster have to spend in the purchase of sires. Apart from the general decline in the number of sheep, food specially meat, wiU, I am of opinion, see a higher level of prices jj in the near future, and several countries are cqasuming much more mutt ok than formerly. :j • Another point which *(tsals wilh|t|tSb; future is the tendency forf ;they become older and adopt a more i luxurious style of living/ to consume more mutton, probably to a large extent ; fostered by the superior article which follows in the wake of improvement in live stock.

Anyone who has travelled much in new countries must have been struck with the superior quality of the beef .served in the hotels and elsewhere as ; compared with the mutton, but of all : the rapid changes which are now taking f»lace infill parts of the world, it is beieved that the increased consumption of mutton in the near future will be one of the most remarkable changes in the daily life of the people, as the flesh of sheep, either as lamb or ihatured mutton, is the niost digestible of the meat 'products and specially recommended by the medical faculty. The price •of wool is also most en- - couraging, and at the principal wool markets of late a splendid clearance has been effected at enhanced prices. One 'of our leading firms of wool brokers writes me as follows:—"The position of the wool market is very firm, and the prospects for the immediate future seem to us to be favourable. There is a shortage of produce in most of the European manufacturing centres, and for this we must look, tot a great extent, to the unusually large amount of wool taken for consumption by America at the recent auctions."

So far as I am able to gather from correspondents in all parts of the world, I am very optimistic as to the future of the sheep husbandry, and in a recent letter received "from an Australian live stock salesman, he says mutton and lamb have been selling in Melbourne and Sydney for some weeks past at prices greatly in excess of the usual rates at this time of the year, and that the result of all this is that the outlook for British breeds is particularly rosy, and this, added to the fact that the large stations in the assured rainfall areas are more and more every year being cut up into" farms, which means that the demand 1 for British breeds is going to increase, and that with the small men particularly, the demand for merino rams will proportionately decrease. The export lamb trade has a considerable influence on this question, and as close settlement grows this influence will be accentuated. Small holders usually prefer a dual purpose (mutton and wool) sheep, and for this special object certain British breeds are specially adapted. As the United States, .Australia, South America, and other large countries becomes more settled and subdivided extended sheep husbandry will follow in its wake, as it is in the nature of things that comparatively small holdings are more economically and profitably worked by a system of mixed husbandry in which a good flock of sheep takes its proper position as a

mutton, wool, and manureproducer, which lias no rival, and which system may be said to obtain in all countries where progressive farming is practised. In all countries where large cattle ranches or stations are being subdivided into farms of moderate.. dimensions, farmers will be compelled to make use of the sheep to restore soil fertility, and they will also come to realise that a flock of sheep is a valuable adjunct to profitable farming, enabling good cereal crops to be grown at little expense. Again, as weed destroyers and profitable consumers of much that would otherwise be thrown away, sheep will be invaluable on this class of farm.

The subdivision which is going on in the newer countries must, I contend, be the means of extending sheep over areas from which they have hitherto been absent, 1 and a multiplication of flocks must create a better demand for stud sheep for crossing purposes, as well as for the maintenance of purebred flocks. Touching upon purebred flocks, in which this meeting is more particularly concerned, there can be ..no doubt that enhanced prices for the sheep and its by-products must stimulate and increase the demand for stud sheep. As the number of purebred flocks in the world increases, the demand for really high-class ewes and rams to maintain and improve these flocks is sure to follow, as a little reflection will convince the practical man that if these flocks are to be kept up to a high standard of quality, ever and anon new blood of the best will be- required. It is well known and universally acknowledged that the type and essential characteristics of sheep change considerably when removed to different climes, with varieties of soil and other climatic influences, and it will ever be necessary to correct this tendency , to atavism or mediocrity by the introduction of the very best blood obtainable. There are many difficulties and disappointments in breeding, but one golden rule which should be observed if successful results are to be obtained is the necessity of introducing! good sires (never too numerous). This fact in itself should be a, great stimulus to the sheep breeder to produce the best, which will always find a ready market in all parts of the world.

Allusion has been made to the subdivision of large areas in the United States, Australia, and elsewhere, which has a tendency to extend sheep husbandry; but there are other vast countries, including Russia and South Africa, where the various British breeds of sheep are represented by infinitesimal numbers. Both these countries in the near future will move in the direction of improving their sheep from a mutton point of view, and this alone should create a large demand for stud sheep. ' Russia is already moving in" th£' direction indicated, and when one considers the vastriess of her territory, with the practical assurance that the raiding of mutton arid wool in the near future will prove very profitable, there is every reason, under the stimulus' referred to, to anticipate a good demand for purebred sheep from this quarter. South Africa should also prove a good market for pedigree sheep, as they are jlmmune to a large extent from the diseases which play. such havoc with cattle and horses, and at the present moment little or nothing has yet been dbhe to grade uj> the' native scrub in sheep. ' : Providing these countries, oi 1 a proportion of them, take up sheep husbandry seriously, it must ensure a steady demand for ordinary flock rams for the big runs and ranches, as well as a growing market for the tops in both males and females, for the improvement and maintenance of purebred flocks the world over.

It is never well to paint matters too rosily, but after weighing all the facts and giving thoughtful and careful consideration to the subject, I am of opinion that the future of the industry is assured, and that prosperity will attend breeders of stud sheep in all parts of the world who bring judgment, care, attention to the development of vtlieir business,

I must apologise for the brevity of my paper, but trust that I have brought forward sufficient data to enable the gentlemen assembled here from all parts of the world, who are attending this International Sheep Conference, to take an equally bright outlook as to the future of breeders of purebred sheep. At any rate, it will be most interesting and instructive to have a free expression of views, on the subject of my paper, and I sincerely hope a good discussion will follow my somewhat brief remarks on a topic which is worthy of consideration both from a producer's and consumer's point of view.