MERINO RAMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1894, 14 July 1863, Page 2

MERINO RAMS.

We have been favored with the following letter and enclosures from Messrs. W. . B. Rhodes & Co. who have on sale 12 Merino Bams of the flocks referred to. From the very interesting description annexed, we would think that this is the very kind of ram required- in this Province for th# "•■ improvement of our breed, and as BUch we di- :«. , rect the attention of flock-owners, to those now in v\ Wellington. .. 3b the Editor of the Welzingtom Indbpbhdimt. Wellington, July 10, 1868. Sib, — In another part of your paper we have advertised twelve superior Negretti rams for sale, selected from ths Douro flock, Yass, N.S.W. WiU you oblige ub by publishing an extract from the Sydney 2?«ipjre, 11th November, 1862, for the information of the flockowaers of this colony, i a reference to the twelve fine merino rams, sent down per Prince Alfred by the breeder, Henry O'Brien, Esq.— -We ■ remain, your obedient servants, W. B. Bhodjm & Co. Imported Pukb Fkenoh Mkbino Bams akd the Dotjbo Flocks. During my sojourn in London in 1860, my attention «v called by my agents, Donaldson, Lambert and Go. to a number of pure French merino rams imported from France, and selected by J. B. Edenborough from the para Electoral Negretti breed at ChatUlon Sur Seine, for ship* ment to his constituents in these colonies. I saw and liked the rams, and believing them to be of the description most certain to improve the flocks of this colony, I di- - rected my agents, alluded to above, to procure twelve of the same description for me. They did so, and shipped them on board the Ardmillan on her last voyage to Sydney. They were placed en arrival at Mr Martyn's livery siables there, where they remained some weeks, and were t inspected by several floekowners, and very highly approved of. Finding that I was borne oat inmyesttroation of that class of sheep, I wrote, without delay, to my agents, aforesaid, to procure and send me six more of the same class, that I might have the greater 'facility la 1 improving my flocks. Mr J. B. Edenborough,' who makes , periodical visits to the Chatillon establishment, selected that number for me, and they were shipped by my aganti I on board the La Hogue on her last voyage to these shores. The rams were delivered, all safe, and placed at Mr • Martyn'B for safe keeping; they were inspected by several floekowners and were much approved of. > To the twelve rams were dropped in September and Oo- . ' tober, 1861, by a chosen flock of my ewes six hundred and forty-aoven lambs , 3g9 females, and 308 males. To tba twelve rams and the six last imported were dropped thil season just now ended, about eleven hundred lambs.. The ■ first dropping of 647 as regards size, shape, weight, and fineness of fleece, are thoroughly characteristic of their sires ; and the last dropping, mentioned above, give good* promise of being equally so. I purpose Bending th« fleeces of the young <jwes to my agents' in London, to teat its value in that market, and so, also a few fleeces of tba young rams for the same purpose. As applications havft been made to me already for these rams, the fleeces of those which I purpose disposing of, will, of coarse be left on that purchasers may choose by them, and will, M usual, become the property of the purchasers. The following list of prizes, copied from the originals** ceived from the proprietor of the Chatillon establishment, will show the high estimation in which his flocks are held in France, and have been for a long series of years. < Ist, in 1834— Silver MedaL 2nd, in 1839— Honorable Mention made of Silver Uiadal. - - 3rd, in- 1844— Gold MedaL .- - ■= ' • ■■ 4th, in 1845 — Honorable Mention for the Gold MedaL sth, in 1855— Universal Exhibition Medal of the First Class, and the Decoration of Knight of the Legion ■ of Honour. Cthin 1856— Coneours Universal (Sold and Silver MedaL 7th, in 1860— At the Great Paris Cattle Show, Firrt Prize for Bams, Gold MedaL Bth, Autumn Meeting, First Prize for wool, Gold •. MedaL i (Signed) Govra ihb Eu>bs. Chatillon, 17th June, 1862. It has been stated, if I mistake not, that the wool Of ' 1 sheep imported from Europe deteriorates annually under . the influence of the climate of these colonies And to teat the correctness of that assertion, I have retained tba fleeces of the twelve, rams up to the present season, now ' three shearings, and on my next visit to Sydney, I shall place samples of each year in separate parcels in grea&s. as taken from the animals, before practical judges in ta» matter, to ascertain how far the assertion may be applicable to these districts. The fleeces of the twelve tana ' weighed, when shorn here in grease but clean and bright, from twelve to thirteen pounds each. They were thea, however, of something more than thirteen months growth, the following year and the present one they have nearly sustained those weights, and I certainly have not bsea > able to discover any falling off in the character of the staple. H. O'BBDSN. Douro, Yass, 6th November, 1862. —Empire, llth Mx/emier, 186SL