NORTH ISLAND LAMBS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1924, Page 15

NORTH ISLAND LAMBS.

QUESTION OF QUALITY. A number of reports have come to hand from New Zealanders who have visited England this year, and who were more or less interested in the frozen meat industry, end nearly all agree that a considerable percentage of New Zealand lamb is a good way short of prime quality. The falling-off in quality of Canterbury lambs is specially noted, end it is pointed out that the North Island Down crosses are equal to the best South Island lambs. The fact is that during the war years of boom prices for wool and the demand for mutton of any weight, there was less use made of the Down breeds in the South Island and greater use made of rams more noted for producing wool than a lamb that would dress out a first grade carcase. This method of breeding is still going on,and in the catalogue of the Canterbury A. and P. Association’s Show will he found a class for pen of Corriedale or halfbred rams most suitable for producing fat lambs when mated with longwool ewes. The question might reasonably be asked, what proportion of lambs of such breeding could fairly be classed as prime quality, when graded alongside Down, Leicester, Ryeland or Romney crosses? A heavy importation of Southdown rams and ewes from England is being made by North Island breeders, and there is no doubt that the North Island lamb will still further improve its position in the future, for the Southdown ram has proved to be particularly suitable for mating with the Romney and Romney-Lincoln ewes, the general flock sheep of the North Island.