RANGITIKEI SHEEP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 93, 20 April 1944, Page 4

RANGITIKEI SHEEP

MERINO, THEN LINCOLN, AND NOW ROMNEY MARSH FIRST MEAT SHIP RECALLED The first ship which sailed from New Zealand carrying frozen meat left, on February 15, 1882. It was a sailing ship equipped with a refrigerating plant. It arrived in London after a journey lasting 98 days. It carried 4460 sheep carcases and 449 lambs-. This was the genesis of New Zealand’s huge frozen meat export industry. In 1939-40 close on thirteen million carcases of lambs were exported. These facts were emphasised by Rotarian D. Willis, in a talk to the Marton Rotary Club, in which he referred to the arrival of the first sheep to arrive in Rangitikei. First sheep to arrive were Merinos. They came in 1850, being driven up the coast road and ferried across rivers. This was a difficult task. Their legs were tied together and three sheep laid side by side in the bottom of a canoe, two more on top of these and one on top of the two, and so on to the length of the canoe. Merinos were a lailure on the under-drained Rangitikei land. Then Lincolns were tried out. These were not very much better and Romneys were brought in. These sheep suited the land, coming from the Romney Marshes in Kent. Their feet could stand up to the heavy wet soil. They were bare-headed, hollow-backed witn a rather harsh, short-stapled wool, great bone, large feet and a constitution almost of an ox. In after years crossing with other long-woolled breeds established the Romney as it is known to-day. Refrigerated ships meant freezing works and this led to the beginning of the great fat lamb trade with England. It is interesting to know that just at this time, the 80's, England’s meat supplies were dwindling.