FAT LAMBS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20127, 21 April 1928, Page 22 (Supplement)

FAT LAMBS

CANTERBURY LOSSES FREEZER GETS FUTURE EWE STOCK “Other parts of the Dominion arc competing strongly against Canterbury in the production of the best fat lambs, and it behoves us to see to our laurels. That is why I wish to emphasise the importance of the ewe. It should be the aim of every owner of ewes to try to get his flock strong in constitution with plenty of bone, as lambs from ewes like this must be healthy and vigorous from birth.”

The above remarks wero made by Mr E. Hay in the course of his presidential address at the annual meeting of the Canterbury A. and P. Association. Mr Hay deprecated the fact that the slaughter of the best, of the ewe lambs in Canterbury still continued. Ho added: “No doubt it is tempting for a farmer to put all his ewe lambs that arc fat into the works. Would it not pay, however, to keep a lot more of our ewe lambs, instead of having to buy such a large number of ewes every year to keep up our flocksl The fat ewe lamb brings a good price, but ’the farmer has to pay froiu 30s to £2 for good two-tooth ewes. Of course, it does not suit in many cases to keep hoggets over the winter, but wherever jt can conveniently be done, it is worth while the owner giving it consideration. It is important for us to keep up a high standard in our ewe flocks and have the right class of ewe. Later in the meeting a discussion arose as to which was the right breed of ewe for the production of the beat fat lambs.

Air James Deans said that the question of the quality of Canterbury’s fat lambs was vital. He tli.night that there was a distinct danger of Canterbury losing its pre-eminent position in the fat lamb industry. When he was at Home he had eome in contact with several buyers on the Smithfield market. At Home the Corriedalp lamb was not favoured, and it was the exportation of so many Corriedale lambs that was bringing down Canterbury’s name. The North Island was getting the best of Canterbury’s Southdown rams end Canterbury was getting many inferior ewes from the North Island. They could not hope to maintain their standard by such methods. New Zealand lamb was known in England as Canterbury Jamb, no matter where it came from, and he thought the association should do something to foster the industry.

Mr C. H. Ensor maintained that the Corriedalo lamb was quite as good as any other lamb. Mr Isaac Andrew said that his experience was that the lamb from the Corriedale ewe crossed with a Southdown was generally better than the lamb from a Romnej rvre crossed with a Southdown. Provided the standard of the Corriedale ewes was kept up, they had nothing to fear for the name of Canterbury lamb. Air Deans said he thought the association should encourage the breeding of three-quarter-bred ewes. .In hin opinion neither the Corriedalo nor the halfbred would produce such a good Jamb as the three-quarter-bred. The opinion at Home was that the number of halfbred and Corriedale ewes used was responsible for the falling-off in the quality of Canterbury lamb. The Corriccl'ale should be regarded mainly as a. wool sheep. M r J. O. Coop said he agreed that the Coiriedale was helping to spoil Canterbury’s name as a lamb producer. “There is a lot of gibberish going on,” said Air W. W. Mcßae, who added that he had been breeding sheep all his life. His experience was that the best lamb was that from the Corriedale ewe by a Southdown ram.

It was finally decided that the general committee of the association shook take into consideration the best me thods of helping to improve anil main tain the quality of Canterbury lamb.