MR WM. ROBERTSON'S SHORTHORN AND HEREFORD BREEDINGESTABLISHMENT, VICTORIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3191, 5 May 1871, Page 3

MR WM. ROBERTSON'S SHORTHORN AND HEREFORD BREEDINGESTABLISHMENT, VICTORIA.

[From the Economist.] The above place te about six hours' ride by coach from Geelong, and the really good old gentleman himself is noted as being one of the early settlers in the colony, and as a breeder of shorthorn and Hereford cattle for the last seven-and- twenty years; so that an account of his station and what is there to be seen may not be out of place in the columns of such a favorite channel for arguing among breeders as to the feyplative merits of their different strains of blood or particular bulls, as the case may be. This pretty station— the crjam of the colony of Victoria it may be called without fear of contradiction — is about four miles from Colac, on the Western road. The homestead is prettily situated on the side of a hill, which is tastefully and naturally studded with blackwood trees, and commands a view of the township of Colac and lake also of the same name, with Mount Gellibrand. in the background— one of the prettiest views conceivable. The station comprises some 30,000 acres of rich black, and chocolate soil country, subdivided into twenty-three different paddocks securely fenced, all of which are extensively furnished \v ; th splendid and costly tanks, dams, and made springs for the use of the stock during severe droughts, or else by large, deep, and natural lakes of water ; as well as some of them having large cowsheds on improved principles for the housing and feeding of stock during a severe winter. To give a good idea of the magnitude of this establishment, am. the -expense the owner has gone to in improving this property, it may bo necessary to mention that the improvements alone, as they stand, represent some £60,000, and the cost of clearing the place of rabbits up to the present time is estimated at something like between £13,000 and £14,000 ; and it is a strange fact, but, nevertheless, a true one, that some years back, at some station not far remote, an individual posted notices up on his property threatening to take proceedings against any person or persons found interfering with the propagation of these pests. The cattle on this property number between 8500 and 0000, about 0000 of which are Mr Robertson's own breeding, the balance store-cattle fattening for market. In oue paddock are to be seen 13C pure short-horn cows, the pick of the main herd of that strain of blood, especially reserved to breed bulls from to keep the herd up, and supply casual customers. They consist chiefly of firstprize animals at the leading shows in England, and their progeny by firstprize bulls in the old country as well, and are now being served by a few choice bulls bred from imported stock. The pedigrees of these cows and of the bulls are undeniable. The owner, whilst purchasing in England, never trusted to his own judgment, but bought first prize- takers, having a view to breed- • ing bulls in course of time, knowing the value attached in the colonies to the get of stock that has passed faultless among such judges as are to be met with at first-class shows in England, Ireland, and Scotland. Another paddock contains the, Hereford strain of blood, equally as pure, and reserved for the same particular purpose, all being imported, or their progeny. Some cows among the above lots have cost their owner over £400 at home. Next we come to the main breeding herds of cows, each different strain of blood. in their respective paddocks, all of which are carefully culled yearly, any aged or otherwise objectionable beast s being thrown out, speyed, and placed in the fattening paddocks. First, we will take the 900 shorthorn cows, from which the 100 cows of similar blood are picked for breeding bulls. They form a really magnificent lot, and impress a person at once with the amount, of care and' judgment displayed in their selection, <fee, every animal showing the rich color and peculiar pointß that this particular breed possesses, as well as a docile, fattening disposition. Adjoining these are to be seen the Plereford herd of cows— some 900 head — also evidently as carefully selected and cared for, and the more noticeable on account of their particular rich red color and white faces, and as beiug the only herd of pure Hereford cows in the colony. The greater part of the cowa in each of these paddocks have splendid : calves at foot, and in a majority cf j instances — especially among the short- ' horns — - the colonial-bred cattle are better grown than either their imported sires or dams. In fact, taking these two different herds of breeding cows, comprising some 1,800 as a whole — that, is, taking numbers and quality into consideration — they are, without doubt, not only the finest in the colonies, but probably the best in the universe as well. The same regularity and good management seems to exist with regard to the remainder of the herd. Each different age of each breed have their separate enclosures, which thereby enable the proprietor to work them to advantage, The heifers are not put to the bull until three years old, and the number of paddocks enables the bleeder to guard against in-and-in breeding — not a very easy nor unimportant mutter either. The steers are all kept until a proper age, when they are fattened and sent into market, principally the Melbourne one, where they are greatly admired, and generally .^ake very long prices. Two thousand iive hundred head were forwarded to market from the station last year, and tht/ve are some 3,500 ready now for the convng winter of 1871. Only a few bulls h;iv« as yet been sold oat of this herd, but those already disposed of have given such satisfaction that, to meet the increasing demand, it has been found necessary to increase the number usually kept for sale twofold.