The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, August 25, 1891. FREEZING OF SHEEP.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 651, 25 August 1891, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, August 25, 1891. FREEZING OF SHEEP.

Be Just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at bo thy country's, Thy God’s, end truth’s.;

A controversy has been going on lately through some of the Southern papers on the question whether the freezing industry is not making an undue drain upon the flocks, and whether in freezing the finest lambs and sending Home so many ewe lambs we are likely not only to seriously deteriorate the value of our flocks but to act prejudicially with regard to future increase. Our own impression in regard to this district was that the freezing industry had done n great deal in the way of improving the flocks, enabling farmers to “ weed ” out all the poor animals and encouraging them to go in for a muchj better class. From the controversy very strong views appear to be held on this subject by some writers. Mr F. Lawry, M.H.R., who is a practical farmer, joins in the discussion in the Canterbury Times. After alluding to the freezing of ewe lambs, he continues :—“ The result, however, is an exceeding difficulty to obtain good young ewes for new country, or to keep existing flocks up to the necessary standard for successful breeding purposes. Failing to secure young ewes, from assigned causes, the settlers have been keenly competing against each other for old ‘ crocks,’ which have been in many cases obtained at a price nearly double their intrinsic value; and whilst this has resulted in pecuniary benefit to the large flockowners in their 'culling’ operations, it must necessarily prove more or less disastrous to the small bona fide settlers of the country, whe have, figuratively speaking, been paying thirty shillings for a sovereign. I have recently been through a large portion of the" North Island, and have been distressed to see how badly a great many of the old ewes were doing notwithstanding they were on new country and had an abundance of feed, I took the trouble to catch several of them, and found, as expected, that the irregularity of their ‘ nibbiers,’ rather than mere old age, was the cause, as those that had level stumps, or were absolutely toothless, were in fair condition. I do not make this statement to air any superior knowledge of the question, but to point it out as another disadvantage in buying old ewes, and to suggest the advisability of subjecting those with irregular teeth to a dentistry operation, Taking the whole circumstances of the case into consideration, the question arises as to whether it is not a wiser course for our flock-owners to face a present difficulty in someway, and to conserve their true interest and the best interest of the country, in saving their good ewe lambs in order to keep pace with future and growing requirements. Having passed through many of the vicissitudes of colonial life, I know how obnoxious advice of this nature is to men who are struggling against almost insuperable difficulties; but the importance of the subject has caused me to ‘ rush in ’ when ordinary discretion would say ' do not tread.’ I do not believe in State interference in such matters, but it appears to me that it is a proper subject for the Stock Committee of the House of Representatives to take up, and, in my capacity as chairman, I intend to endeavor to have it fully discussed. And I have no doubt but its importance will be fully recognised by the practical Minister,

the present head of the Stock Department.”

Other writers took up the subject, and we reprint two of the letters selected by our contemporary the Mercury. One correspondent says : —“ The remarks of Mr A. C. Begg at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, relative to the export of maiden ewes and ewe lambs from the colony, deserves serious attention. As a rule, the healthy ewe lamb born in season comes to maturity as quickly if not quicker than the brother wether, and consequently is the first selected for the frozen meat trade. But would it not be wise for those interested in sheep raising in the colony to consider what the ultimate result will be if this is allowed to go on ? If it was an understood maxim to retain 25 per cent, of the best ewe lambs for breeding purposes, there would be no danger of the flocks degenerating ; but now it is the rule to ship all indiscriminately, and breed from what ? * Those that are left.’ It is a well-know fact that all animals bred late in the season (unless housed) are undersized, and hard to make presentable however you may feed them. Yet, knowing this, we are foolish enough to actually base our management on obtaining from these inferior animals the sires and dams for future use. Mr A. C. Begg states truly that this must affect our increase, but I would point out that it must eventually damage our quality and standard of weight.” The second correspondent is more pronounced in his opinion as to what result will follow the anxiety to freeze anything so long as it is saleable. “It is a notorious fact,” he writes, “that owing to the fancy price obtained for lamb in the London market during the last two seasons the breeders here have been tempted to dispose of a great quantity of their early lambs of both sexes, and it is not to be surprised at that they gave way to the temptation. But it is to be hoped that this state of things will not last, as the result will undoubtedly be disastrous. It is well known that the best breeding ewes are reared from the earliest bred lambs; therefore if such a large proportion of these are slaughtered for export, what class of sheep can we expect to rear from the worst of the ewes ? Even now experts say that the general average of sheep frozen for export is lighter by some pounds than it was a few years ago, but of this I am not sure, though I am convinced that the result will soon be visible if the best ewes continue to be sacrificed for lamb. The old Scotch plan in devising properties would well come in force here; where a farmer in bequeathing stock to his sons made an absolute proviso that they should sell no female stock whatever till it had attained a mature age, and not then except in the case of deterioration or incapacity to breed. It was by this means that the standards of quality are maintained. The merchant who recently refused a loan to a farmer on the ground that he had not a sufficient percentage of ewes in his flock, was a man of the right stamp. It is to be hoped that this practice of killing the goose that lays the golden egg will be stopped, even if stringent measures have to be taken to prevent its continuance.”

The views of the correspondents mentioned may be open to challenge, and the hint about State interference may be uncalled for, but the subject is well worthy of the attention of our farmers, for whose benefit we quote from the letters.