Sheep.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14042, 28 October 1909, Page 7

Sheep.

A RECORD YEAB. Th : s war sees a record in the number "oi i-uii." aß.tlie biu-ep s ;'f v ,u » c "* xl,e show, lnis ma.iftsuau.-d vue erctt«on of a numiKT 01 extra yards. lne> were not all filled however, some entries not having come forward. ■ this is the case. ho« ever, at most shows, and not more than the average number failed to come up tor exhibition, s» .that the number of animals shown as welt as the number of entries made, constituted an easy recoid. It is worth' while going early to the ground on the'first show dav in order to see the wav' in which: the sheep are brought" in by road; by waggon, and bv train. Some of them wear covers: these are' the aristocrats. Others, well bred animals. <-ome in from the paddocks innocent of housing, covering, or anv other special kinkl of preparation,. Then there are the fanners' sheep, the ' fats flock sheep, and, of course, thev came in fed-up "to the .hilt, right off the=-paddocks, and extremely well they looked. Those animals that go into the stud pens, are presently stripped of their coverings." They arc deftly persuaded 1 to .go - into their right pens, without - anv rough handling, and one animal- » "cut out from the rest in a •way tthat is pretty to see. The own;ers""and attendants- then wash the sheep's 'eyes''and nostrils, shake the wool'up so that'it shall not keep the pressed down - appearance the covers! give it, and .after -separating the locks ' of wool and laying ~ those straight which have .become' disarranged, ' the sheep are-passed' as fit for the judge's eye. 'The -judge by'and by enters each ) pen, in turn.- An assistant turns animals up as required by the judge, I "and" the judge, then . gives the fateful decision,; which is noted by the class | stewards. : All is done systematically and smoothly,, and very tew mistakes occur, a matter rather surprising to the townsman'to whom all sheej> look j mt>re ■ Speaking tho sheep came forward.in very-good nick. That is adrounted for by th»..fact that the winter .has t been a remarkably fine one, and the. spring ah : unprecedentedly I early one,.. Some; of the fats in the classes in .which no-weight restrictions were made were,.a picture, one might almost say, of wool and tallow, so ; thordughlyV had .they ■. laid it on. A 1 good deal; of difference was noted in the outward appearance.- of tho animals that had been T rugged, and otherwise prepared, and those which had . no€;.-. JFor several vreasons, it seems ratiber a' pity that all. sheep are not their natural state, that it to say, in the state they would be in, if they came off the paddock direct. Sheep housed land rugged have a distinctly different appearance to those that, are allowed to remain out in the elements, trusting only to the feed thev. get. and their own constitutions to' *puli them: through. Jinyone looking 'round' the pens to-day will see what is meant by these remarks, and farmers, as a rule, like to see the sheep as they look in the paddocks. An artificiallv got up sheep may look quite a different animal when he is put out to rough "it. MERINO. • -^The-first pens/are those occupied by the merino classes. These of late years have not been filled, in respect of both quantity and quality, &%, ™*? some vears ago. Messrs F. H. Smith and John Withell we T e the only exhibw I tors The former has not exhibited for I the past four years. The first pen was I however, occupied by a verytnfenor animal shown by Mr. Fj ivhibitor was surely not one that any exhibitor would put forward as a desirable type.

The body was ill-shaped, the wool was course on the tips, although inside it was of good quality, although rather dirty, .we understand that all Mr. Smith's exhibits were shown in the rough, just as they came oil the turnips, but this animal did no credit either to his breeding or his feeding, in the class for ewes not to exceed sixtooth, some better animals were shown and Mr. Smith got first and champion. The pair of ewes not to exceed sixtieth, the Vermont type, witJi black tipped wool were exhibited. These were all in the line combing classes of which Mr. Smith was the only exhibitor. In the strong combing classes, Mr. "Withell opposed Mr. Smith. In the, ram above IS months Mr. Withell got first and champion; in the rams under and above 18 months old Mr. Smith scored. His sheep were wellwoolled, and the staple was strong enough for some half bred that is now grown. Mr. Smith secured first and champion for single ewe under 18 months, and also for the best pair tinder that age. The wool was as long in the staple as some half breds. Merinos are the foundation stock in our flocks, but their breeding seems to have become practically a thing of the past as far as South Canterbury is concerned. It seems a pity to have to drop them out of the catalogue, but if no more entries come in than at present, there does not_geem much use in continuing the section. LEICESTER. '

The ;I/eicesters, both Border and English, were very well represented. anil formed quite a special feature ot the show.. No doubt Leicesters have come to 6tay in South Canterbury, and by them Canterbury must either stand of" fall in the future as regards mutton and lamb. Borders are in the greatest it-quest among those who go in wholly and solely for fat lamb raising, but where wool .is a consideration tho English Leicester is preferred. It is questionable if Borders are the best tc po in for in connection with fat lamb export, the demand being for smaller and better quality mutton. English Leicesters would appear to fill these! conditions more successfully. A glance of comparison between the few branches of the Leicester family, as they are enclosed in their pens on the grounds, will show which- seem to be the more suited for raising small wellforpied carcases. Border Leicester wool is finer than English Leicester, h :i there is not' so much of it because the carcase is not so well clothed on the points. As the sheep get old thin difference becomes more marked, the Border Leicester getting barer and barer on the points as time goes on. Messrs. Kelland, D. and W. Grant, B. Tarbotton, and It. Brookland and Son filled most of the Border Leicester classes. Mr.-- Kelland's sheep are well kno>rn and appreciated in South Canterbury. They are well formed and natty aninwls. In the ram above 30 months Mr Tarbotton scored first, Mr E. Kelland taking the other ihree prizes. Mr Tarbotton's sheep was a big specimen, rather on the coarse side if anything. In the two tooth ram Mr E. Kelland scored, but Mr Tarbotton reversed the decision again in the two-tooth rams. In all the sheep classes the 3'ounger animals showed to the best advantage and were most admired. .. The types of animals all through varied a good deal, some being fine in the wool and others strong. In the shorn rams the same exhibitors made entries. It is a capital idea having some sheep shorn in tho wool while others are shown in a shorn condition. It is then possible to judge both the wool and the carcase, and as the exhibits shown in both sections- were bred and owned by the same men this distinction was able tc be made. Mr Donald Grant, Mr E. Kelland, and Mr Tarbotton divided honours. One of Mr Tarbotton's exhibits in the shorn ram under 18 months, was particularly noticeable for the way in which it had laid fat in its ribs. In the ewe classes Air Kelland's sheep came in for a good deal of admiration because of their small blue faces, nicely crested polls, with dumpy carcases. Mr Donald .Grant's sheep were barer on the head, and Mr Tarbotton's sheep were a very wellwoolled lot. The yellow state of tile fleeces was very noticeable. The Border Leicester section was also well filled, although not so well as those of tho other section. Messrs W. Grant, D. Grant, N. M. Orbell and J. Douthwaite were practically the only exhibitors; and other entries certanly did them credit. Mr W.. Grant's aged ram was a very big animal. In all classes the Roman nosed type was mast pronounced. This probably shows that the samo strain runs through all of them. The exhibits ot some owners could trace their lineage to imported sires, and some were directlv descended from importations. Some of the shorn sheep were well washed in the late rain. In the shorn ram over 18 months, Mr entry was a very big carcased animal. The same owner's rams, pen of five under 18 months, were a very even lot, and thev secured first place. Mr A. M. Orbell got second. They were darker in the wool. Mr W. Grants ewes, with lamb at foot, above 30 months were big, fine animals. Mr JN. M Orbell was placed first in two tooth ewes and Mr Douthwaite secured first and champion in the hogget ewe class, with Mr N. M. Orbell second. Mr Orhell's ewes literally possessed fleeces trailing on the ground, and they were well got up. In the class for two hogget ewes, the same, order was observed and the same remarks hold good. LINCOLNS. The Lincolns were well Represented this vear, and as they are now becoming a scarce kind of sheep, among agricultural farmers at any rate, they come in for a. good deal of minute inspection. They are used principally for first cross purposes. When mated with the merino a splendid type ot half-bred is the result and many oi the best. Hocks of South Canterbury are so founded. In passing it might Instated that almost all breeds ot. longwools arc used for the first purposes The Lincoln cross is. probably the best for all round purposes. ', Border. Leicester merino gives good - sheep • for wool, and the cross is a very,prolific one. ' English Leicester, Merino and Romnev-Merino'arc also used ami oxtolled bv - different breeders. Those who showed in the Lincoln classes were ■•r T17.M.1...11 fTo-l.«t+r.n nnrl Ti.

Brookland. Mr Withell scored first in tne aged ram class, and Mr R. Brookland first and champion, and Mr Withell second and reserve champion in the two-tooth rams. These were big weighty animals, and they had a big load of wool to carry. Messrs Brooklaud and Withell divided the prizes between them fairly evenlv. ROMNEYS. ' The Romney section was better filled than usual, but all the exhibits were sent forward by Mr AV. Grant. They were line sheep, large in bolly. anil carrying a lot of long, dense* wool. Some were finer in the wool than others, but alike had heavy ileeces. and carried a lot of mutton* The judge gave first awards all through the section, he evidently considering that the sheep were worth the honour. All imported rain in the aged class was rather different in type to the rest of Mr Grant's exhibits, being larger in the body. Tlie wool was stronger than one usually expects in Romnevs. J.t was beaten by one of .Mr Grant's own breeding. DOWN BREEDS.

As usual Mr Rupert Parrv had the Shropshire Down class practically to himself. One or two other exhibitors sent forward representatives, out they could not hold their own against Mr Parry's sheep. Mr Tarry carried off all the lirst prizes. Some of his exliibits were very pretty animals and looked as if they had come out of a picture book. Where two animals were shown in one pen, they were alike as two peas, smooth in the wool and round in the body. Mr Parry's young rams were very well crown, a remark which holds good in connection with all the young sheep shown on the grounds. Some of his ewes had wool all over their faces, so much so that they looked as if they required eyeclipping to enable them to look on the outer world. Some of the sheex> possessed fleeces with a amount of condition on them.

Mr C. Besley was the only exhibitor in South Downs; Mr AVithell in Oxford Downs, and Mr J. AVithell in Ryelands. The animals shown were good types of the various breeds. Owing to "the fact that the wool on these sheep is not equal to that of the beter patronised breeds-, they do not find favour among farmers. They are good mutton producers hut farmers like to know that if they have to keep thejr sheep over the lamb stage, they will bo able to get a .good payable fleece from them.

The ]n-Bred x Half-Bred section was filled bv the usual exhibitors, namely Messrs 'J. Stringfellow, C: H. Ensor, and W. Grant, while Messrs D. Macfarlane and W. Grant sent forward a few animals. Messrs Stringfellow and C. H. Ensor have often crossed swords, and yesterday they again came into conflict, each with his own type of animal. Mr Stringfellow came out on top in all cases. His aged ram was remarkable for its blocky tipped wool, and his vnung sheep also looked well. Mr Elisor's sheep were very nice animals, a credit to their breeder, and would no doubt find favour with many farmers, although they did not receive the premier positions yesterday. Ihese in-bred-half-bred sheep are worthy of inspection. Their dense, fine, blocky tinped fleeces are a revelation to those who have never studied this ciass ot sheep. There is some doubt among farmers, however, as to whether they, in the paddocks, will maintain the excellent qualities noticed m the. slow T)G11. * FAT SHEEP. The fat sheep section is a lery interesting part of the sheep classes, because it shows what South Canterbury can do in the matter of mutton production. Certainly there is plenty of room for improvement in the matter of farmers coming forward with entries. When the list of entries is.boiled down it shows that many or the exhibits were sent in by well-known exhibitors in the stud classes such as Messrs Withell, Brookland, D. Grant AV. Grant, E. Kelland. Something like eight or ten farmers outside this list, have shown in the fat sheep and lamb classes, but there, are a gre*t manv more who could just as easily have rnit excellent sheep in. However, the entries were both numerous and good. One trouble in judging and comparing the entries is the way m which cross entries are made. 1 us difficulty cannot be overcome ****?> if' °t all, but it is hard work tor the udges and the stewards in f foi-ming Clrdutfeato have to move -sheep about from place to place in order to get the various classes together. It this is not done the judco has to go fron ther° n rn Cder^to'Vli^W another lnorciL desirable. if'Tolm WitheU g mod toe reel ticket + 1 non of five fat wethers, among JTvS? Sodllass 6 Some of the sheep i ;,, +hoso pens were like peas in food shorn with li .VinXinpq Mr AVithell's sheep tre by S and rams. They failed to score in the class for sheep most suitable for export. Messrs Brookland and Son got the coveted award in the half-bred fat wethers with some neat sheen Mr D. G. Cain sent some very nice animals forward, and gained prizes in three-quarter-breds, fat wethers in tho wool, no restriction as to weight, and in the special class for the pri7.es siiven by thS Christchurch Meat Co for sheep most suitable for export trade the general all-round value ot tho sheep, both skins and carcase, to be taken into consideration. Mr Donald Grant has some very nice tat ewes and gained first award with them Some very fine animals were shown in the wool, a large entry comin" forward in each class. They had evidently come straight off the turnips, the wool showing a lot of condition. In some cases sand was present, and foreign matter such as gorse. For a pen of five crossbred wethers and maiden ewes suitable, for freezing Mr Withell scored. Air It. H. Rhodes gained first award for five freezing ho"ftets with some very nice halfbreds. Air William Grant's pen had tin red ticket • nailed on it for the C.AI.C. Co.'s prize for five wethers or ewes suitable "for "the export trade.': "Some very fine and forward fat lambs were shown". , Air Fitzgerald has some extra : snecial goods in tho • longwool lambs, the same sheep also coming first in,tho snecial entry for prizes given bv th« 3V.M. and A. Co. Thev also gained first prize in tho pen of five

fat lambs for prizes given by the British Now Zealand Produce Co. _. Crossbred sheep for breeding purposes did not call forth many entries, not as many as it should have done considering that tanners could easily enter in these classes. The entries were good, in quality, if not in quantity. " The hallbred ewe hoggets were a. fine lot, and Air John Withell secured the first prize with his lambs by Eyeland rants, Mr- Norton Francis coming second with some lambs bred hy Mr Carlisle Studholme. Mr Norton Francis, with sheep from the same breeder, gota. first award in the pen of five crossbred ewe hoggets by any breed of longwool ram, and also in the class for fivo crossbred ewes by any longwool ram, lambs at foot. In tho hallbred ewes, Mr J. Brosnahan got first award, tho sheep being, however, rather uneven in carcase. Mr Withell had a nico pen of merino ewes, and was awarded first prize for them.