MOORPARK DISPERSAL SALE

Taranaki Daily News, 25 May 1934, Page 14

MOORPARK DISPERSAL SALE

FIRST OF THE GREAT SERIES. STRONG BUTTER-FAT BACKING. The dispersal sale of the Moorpark Jersey Stud at Opunake. with which the Jersey Week sale series opens tomorrow should afford a splendid opportunity for both local and visiting breeders to secure high quality cattle with constitution and productive ability. Mr. J. F. Shepherd, who founded the stud 16 years ago and has controlled its activities ever since, has made a close study of what constitutes a good Jersey and has applied the knowledge thus gained to building up his herd on very sound lines. He aimed at combining quality, constitution and productive ability, and always keeping those ideals before him, used excellent judgment in blending suitable blood lines, the main essential in arriving at his ideal. His stock certainly show quality, particularly the two-year-old heifers.

In this direction Mr. Shepherd has done remarkably well, particularly as he has not been able to go in for showing or for testing as the situation of the property does not lend itself’to either. Moreover, Mr. Shepherd is a busy man. His main reason for selling is that he has had a long period of solid work at milking and desires to “ease up” for a while. The farm is situated four miles from Opunake, in rough and undulating country, on which the stock would not show its best under test. Such, however, is the constitution of the cattle that they do well, and when taken to better pastures they show a very marked improvement. That was evidenced after Mr. Shepherd’s sale six years ago, for he has since received many letters from well satisfied buyers expressing appreciation of the excellent butter-fat performances find breeding qualities of the cattle they purchased at the sale.

Six years ago Mr. Shepherl cleared out all his cows in milk and his in-calf heifers but kept his young heifers and a few of his cows that were empty at the time. On Saturday, however, he is having an entire dispersal sale, when the whole stud comprising 57 cows, 18 heifers in-calf, 14 yearling heifers, one herd sire and 9 two-year and yearling bulls, a total of 99 head, will be submitted. The sale, which will be conducted by Newton King Ltd. and the Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society Ltd., will be held in the sale pavilion at the Opunake saleyards and will commence at 19.30 a.m., an early start being necessary to ensure justice being done to every animal. Moorpark Stud was found and built up on the soundest of principles, care being taken in the selection of both the foundation cows and the herd sires right through to the present time, with the result that Mr. Shepherd has incorporated in the herd blood lines that make for quality and production. To that may be attributed the splendid conformation and even quality so strikingly noticeable in the herd. The first herd sire Was Waiwetu’s Protector, a splendidly built bull with wonderful constitution, and in the country in which the Moorpark Stud is situated constitution is a most important feature. This bull introduced the Lord Twylish and K.C.B. blood lines into the stud. He was followed by Holly Oak Superior, one of Mr. John Hale’s noted strain. He has butter-fat behind him that it would be very difficult to excell. His sire was the famous champion butter-fat bull Grannie’s Knight, whose name is a household word in Jersey circles, but whose performances are well worth repeating, for he was the are of no fewer than 62 c.o.r. daughters, including Holly Oak Annie (10561 b fat). His dam was the Soumise Tom cow Lady Superior, who had a c.o.r. of 9971b' fat Holly Oak Superior Knight goes back to Exile of Oaklands, sire of Pretty’s Flirt (10101 b fat at six years). Ivondale Gold Plume was the next herd sire, a son of Aster’s Golden Lad, sire of 15 c.o.r. daughters, out of a beautiful type cow with a c.o.r. record, Ivondale Lady’s Maid, whose breeding includes the famous Genoa and Heather strains. Thus on both the sire and dam’s side this bull introduced into the Moorpark §tud strains that have done so much to make the fame of the Ivondale Stud. Creekton Pride, the next herd sire, by Beachland’s Little Swan, sire of four c.o.r. daughters, out of Lady Morecroft, with a c.o.r. record of 6041 b fat, brought more of the valuable K.C.B. blood into the stud, as he carries three strains of that great sire. On the maternal side the thrle nearest dams averaged 6401 b of fat. These bulls all left their undoubted mark on the stud. Mr. Shepherd’s next herd sire introduced fresh blood again. When at Auckland on a visit Mr. Shepherd, keenly interested in the Jersey and ever alert to improve his own stud, was present when Fairy’s Eminent Raleigh, imported by Mr. Moreland of the Waikato at a cost of 1500 guineas, was landed. He was so struck with the appearance and performances of thus hull that he . once determined to have one of his first calves, and he secured Beechland’s Noble Raleigh, who introduced the Raleigh blood, and through his dam, Rcyton Cowslip, the Twylish blood. She has behind her on both sides numerous c.o.r. performances. Fairy’s Eminent Raleigh was an outstanding show bull, securing 15 championships, including several grand championships, as well as numerous first prize awards in the United States, while in New Zealand he won championsliips at Auckland, Palmerston North and Cambridge. For production his breeding would be hard to beat as his nearest 15 sires have, an average of 37 tested daughters each. Fairy’s Eminent Raleigh has since died, but Mr. Moreland was so pleased with his stock, some of his two-year-old heifers doing remarkably well under test, that he sent to the United States and purchased a three-quarter brother. Mr. Shepherd on his part has never regretted his purchase, as Beechland’s Noble Raleigh has left a quality lot of heifers, which now rising two-year-old will make a powerful appeal and should be heard of later. With such great production lines incorporated in the stud it is to be regretted that Mr. Shepherd did not go in extensively for testing, as even on poor country and under herd conditions it would ‘have been surprising if Moorpark had not been well up on the merit list. However, it will be interesting to note what they will do when their new owners put them under test, as will certainly be the case. Beechlands Noble Raleigh, shown as a yearling, secured first prize at Hawera and second prize at Stratford. He is to be submitted for sale with the rest of the stud on Saturday and should elicit spirited competition. The catalogue is certainly worthy of very careful study. Indeed, the more it is studied the more,one becomes impressed with the high quality of the stock, particularly from the productive viewpoint, which is the important consideration to-day. While it is hard to discriminate, perhaps the Lady Star Bright family may appeal most. They include Moorpark Bright Lady, by Holly Oak Superior Knight, and three of her daughters, and Moorpark Beauty, by Ivondale Gold Plume, and her daughters. Some of Lady Starbright’s sons have also been used in the stud successfully. The majority of the cows have been served by the herd sire Beechlands Noble Raleigh, a few having been served by some of the best bred young bulls, including Moorpark Majesty, who has been mated with the majority of the Beechlands Noble Raleigh heifers. The cows have been milking right up, to the present and are looking remark-

ably well when it is considered that they have been handled under herd conditions on country that is by no means the best. The same applies to the heifers. Their new owners will have no cause to regret having visited the Moorpark dispersal sale. Intending bidders will find,, too, that Mr. Shepherd, thorough in all things, is a man of the strictest integrity, whoso word can be relied upon.