"FULL-MOUTHED " SHEEP.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7846, 12 September 1904, Page 5

" FULL-MOUTHED " SHEEP.

Interesting to Farmers.

(By Telegraph — Press Association) Invercargill, Last Night. Mr Justice Williams has given a decision on an appeal as to what is a " full-mouthed " sheep.

His Honor says he is satisfied that the evidence justified the conclusion come to by the Magistrate. There was evidence that in dealing in sheep, when described as "full-mouthed," the term applied to all sheep which had become full-mouthed for the rest of their lives, notwithstanding that their mouths might afterwards become broken. The term "full-mouthed," he said, simply designates the age and not the soundness or otherwise of the teeth. Plaintiffs (who lost their case) admitted that if the auctioneer put up sheep as " full-mouthed," the first question asked by buyers was whether there were any "broken" mouths among them, or if all were sound. If the term "fullmouthed" meant sheep with sound mouths, there was no necessity to ask this question. At sales by auction buyers saw the sheep, and had an opportunity to ascertain the general character of the animals, although they might not be able to " mouth" them. A buyer could always tell whether it was worth his while to bid and run the risk of some being "broken mouthed "; or he declined to bid unless the mouths were guaranteed sound.

The appeal was dismissed with costs.