OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2582, 17 August 1909, Page 2

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

— r SHEEP AT THE ENGLISH ROYAL. r, ■ 1 1 . g- ~■ e (From Our Correspondent.) BRADFORD, July 1. Last week was the “Derby Day” for our English agriculturalists, the Royal Agricultural Society holding its ' annual show at Gloucester. It cannot be called a success from an attendance e point of view, due largely to a very d ; wet, cold week. Here/in England, the if last fortnight has been excessively wet, and this season cold oast winds have i, been continuously blowing. There was e a very fine display of stock, all Great t Britain’s best breeders being on the ground. Naturally readers will be most interested in the display of sheep, and hero the exhibit was really good. The ° entries totalled 802, compared with 695 at Newcastle. It may interest some to know that when the Royal held

its meeting at Gloucester in 1853 the number of sheep entries were 292; in other words the number of sheep shown this year exceeded all the live stock exhibited in 1853, this showing how great Britain’s live stock has increased. The number of British breeds of sheep represented were 23 —three more than at the great show at Newcastle last The three breeds included this season were the Exmoor, the Dartmoor, and the Devon Longwool, three practically unknown sheep to Colonial wool-growers..- AH.the breeds were well . represented- except in the Scotch classes, and somehow or other neither the Blackface nor the Cheviot breeders from Scotland ever appear at an English Royal in large numbers. The fact is, that this great show always finds the keenest battle waged round tho Lincoln, Leicester, Downs, and Romney Marsh pons due, no doubt, to the important export trade in these sheep. On the ground were many colonials, and it is hard to think that there is any member of the pastoral world present in England in June, but what pays a visit to the Royal show. The King

journeyed down to Gloucester the second day, and it was to the sheep pens that the royal carriage first went, the King’s prize-winners—Soutlidowns—-being brought for his inspection. Hapnilv the sun shone, and there was noth-. mg like the humorous little scene that occurred when the merits of some of the sheep were being judged, while the thunderstorms were doing their worst to make peop’e unhappy. The shepherds in some parts of the country still persist in the curious custom of smearing the fleeces of the sheep, yellow and red ochre. The men who had charge of the South Devon longwools determined this year to outvie everybody in coloring, and they dipped, or soaked, or stained their sheep a bright red. All the animals bore the appearance of having been to the dye-works and stained to a bright Vermillion color. Such curious sheep were never before seen. When the judges came in the rain to handle them they, too soon began to undergo the process of dyeing. Some day this staining will be ended, but while it continues the judges, in order to protect their clothing, wear long white jackets like cricket umpires. The sheep are brought into the open from the pens to be turned over and handled by the judges, for all the sheep at the Royal show are unshorn. Thus, in the judging of this class, judges, shepherds and slieep began soon to greatly resemble each other.- They were all stained red from top to bottom, greatly to the amusement of the people standing by. At the other end of the pens, where brown ochre is. used. to stain some of the Soutlidowns, the judges had the appearance of men who had spent years in an Eastern climate. Something was said when the red men and the brown men met together! The Lincoln class was a particularly strong one, all the old breeders being well to the front. That “Yon Molko” of Lincoln breeders —Mr. Harry Dudding—took first and champion for the best ram of the breed, a distinction well deserved for a real typical sire. Mr.

Tom Cass well won in the old ram class, the sheep being a remarkably good one. This tup w r as also reserved for the champion prize. Yearling rams saw first, second, and third, all owned by Mr. H. Dudding, who bv his victory secured these places for a third time during his show-yard career in this particular class. A. further and equally-deserved success -went 'to Mr. H. Dudding with a grand pen of five shearling rams. Second honors fell to Messrs. S. E. Dean and Sons, whose five rams were remarkably well grown, showing masculine type and character. Mr. Tom Casswell was third, and then came a good pen, not quite so evenly matched as the winners, from Mr. W. B. Swallow, as reserve. A choice lot of ram lambs were forwarded, Messrs. S. E. Dean and Sons taking first and second honors with two fine pens of typical lambs. Mr. Dudding was third and reserve. The Year-

ling Ewe class was a particularly choice one. The winners were of the highest merit in respect to flesh, fleece, and character. They were owned by Air. C. E. Howard, Mr. H. Dudding’s pen was correctly placed second, and Messrs. Dean and Sons’ pen third. Reserve, went to Mr. R. Dixon. The Ewe class in full fleece was, as ustaal, one of the most interesting. No class shows off to so good advantage, the two great merits of this breed—viz., its mutton and wool production. The pen which won the first honors for Air. H. Dudding was strong in these points, for in respect to size and scale they were as good as could be. No exception could be, urged against them in respect to the quality of the staple nor the length of the fleece. Air. C. E. Howard was second with a choice pen of specially good merit and quality, equal almost in all respects to that notable pen that won first, but somewhat lacking its scale. Air. AV. E. Swallow was third, and there was much to admire in this choice pen of evenly-fleshed sheep. Alessrs Dean and Sons had to be content with reserve for a pen brought out in very good condition, and which was of considerable merit. LEICESTERS. Leicesters' have done a great deal to bring the colonial crossbred sheep and wool industry to its present state of

perfection, hence a few notes about that breed will be read with interest. The entry was a typical one, but num-, ericaily small, and the competition was not very general, for the numbers of exhibitors was but three. In the Yearling Ram class, Mr. G. Harrison, with an entry of four rams of high quality and merit, took first, second, reserve, and commended, one thoroughly well deserved. The winner , came to hand well, and so did also the second, the fleeces of both being very even and uniform. In the Ram Lamb class, Mesers. Simpson, with a good pen of . lambs, true to type and character, won ' first, .followed by Mr. Harrison’s entries as second and resorve, both of which, under hand and out, proved themselves to bo of good merit. In the corresponding class for Ewe Lambs, Messrs. Simpson were again to the fore with a typical and uniform pen, their second entry taking the reserve, leaving second prize to the very useful and weil-brcmght-out pen owned by Mr. G. Harrison. Messrs. Simpson led in a small but strong class of Yearling Ewes, wherein two pens from the wellknown flock -/f Mr. E. F. Jordan, ripo and mellow in flesh and true to type, secured second and reserve. KENT OR ROMNEY MARSH. And reference to the Royal Show

without giving some particulars about i the above popular breed would bo incomplete, and here we saw a record entry, while the oldest breeders on the ground agreed that not, within their memory had there been such a meritorious- selection of sheep, tho quality being very high. In the Old Ram class, a stud ram that has proved its worth, \ owned, by Mr. J. B. Palmer, Avon first, and was made reserve for champion/ honors. This ram Avas bred by Mr. G. Duley. Second and reserve Avent to a notably good pen of rams, oAvned by Mr. J. Eger ton Quested. Third place was,filled by a choico stud or ram of true typo, owned by Mr. W. Milieu. In Yearling Rams, Mr. _ Charles Filo secured a success of Avhich any breeder would be proud of, and one Avhich. very few breeders ever obtained, for ho Avas Avinner of four j>rizes offered for this class; stiring OA'idence of the uniform merit and quality of his very choice yearling rams this season. The winning ram, in addition, Avon also champion prize for the best ram of its breed. In the new class for pens of five Shearling Rams, there Avas a good entry. Mr. W. Milieu Avon with five rams, having bone and substance and meritorious type and character. Mr. C. File Avas only beaten by a narroAV •margin again, for his rains AA r cre of real good merit and quality, and some thought the best matched five in the class, but they were not quite so masculine as the Avinncrs. The Executors of the late Mr. E. Ascherton wero

third,- and a uniform typical pen Avon reserve for Mr. J. B. Palmer. The Ram Lamb class Avas one in which Mr. W. Milieu Avas avcll to the fore. He won first with a pen showing type and character, followed by a choice pen ■of merit, OAvned by Mr. J. B. Palmer. Third place Avas filled by the exhibit oAvned by Mr. J. Egerton Quested, Mr. W. H. Cazalet taking fourth prize, and Mr. Charles File reserve. The Yearling Eaa'c class Avas an exceptionally strong one, and its Avinning pen, OAvned by Mr. W. Milieu, came to hand remarkably well, having an even fleece, with good substance and type. Second honors Went to Mr. J. B. Palmer, whose preference over Mr. F. Neame’s choice pen was somewhat questioned. Mr. J. Egerton Quested Avas reserve.. The whole of this class Avas noted in the award list, as Avas also that grand class of EAve Lambs, in which there Avere eleven entries present. Mr. J. B. Palmer aa'oii here, after a close contest, with an almost equally good pen, having beautiful fleeces. Mr. F. Neanie was second, and Mr. J. Egerton Quested third. Mr. W. Millen Avas fourth, and Mr, W. H. Cazalet reserve. • SHROPSHIRES. My space is up, but the Shropshire breed of sheep was the largest entry in the lot, and an excellent one from first to last. All the old breeders, including

Sir Richard P. Cooper, Lord Richard Cavendish, A. S. Berry, T. S. Alinton, C. T. Pulley, and F. G. Clark were well among the first prize winners. All the Down breeds seem to have come well to the front, and for crossing purposes both Shropshire, Hampshire, and Dorset Horn breeds are being used. A SLACK MARKET. The market has turned extremely quiet, and crossbreds are the turn cheaper. The news from the Antwerp wool sales speaks of prices being about 5 per cent down, and in Bradford the situation is characterised by very slow conditions, and business is extremely limited. At the same time there is no falling off in consumption.