FAT LAMBS 31 



the trade in Victoria, and also doing a considerable business in New South Wales 

 and South Australia, think it only right and our duty to sound a word of warning, 

 and at the same time give a little advice to breeders. 



In the early years of the business the export lamb trade in Australia was largely 

 built up and made successful by breeders using pure Shropshire rams, the crosses 

 from which we have proved by experience are eminently fitted for the best 

 English trade. Maturing quicker than most other crosses, the Shrop. lamb at 

 the earliest possible age is good in the most valuable joints back, loin, and leg 

 and running to meat rather than fat, gives better results dressed dead weight 

 in proportion to live weight than any other cross we know of. For some years 

 the majority of breeders followed the- right track, and bred the Shrop. cross ; but 

 the last two or three seasons, owing largely, we believe, to the rise in Cross-bred 

 wool, the majority has swung the other way, and tried to breed and export lamb 

 got by sires of other breeds, with varying results, trending in the wrong direction. 

 The consequence is that we now find it impossible to get as big a proportion of 

 lambs fit for the best home trade as formerly, these other crosses compelling a 

 larger number of rejects than is usual from the Shrop., and those accepted not 

 being equal for our purposes to that cross. 



And, as regards seasons, our experience is that the Shrop. cross in a bad or 

 indifferent season will come out even better in proportion than in a good one, 

 when compared with other breeds, as regards percentage fit for export. So we 

 must warn breeders that they are on the wrong track in dropping the Shrop., 

 and our advice to them, if they want to help us to expand this trade and make 

 Australian lamb more popular and secure a better price in the old country, and 

 therefore more payable to the breeder, is to go in again largely for the Shrop. 

 sire. Not for a moment do we want to disparage other breeds ; all have their 

 good points for their own special purposes, but we say unhesitatingly that 

 throughout Australia for the export lamb trade we have found the Shrop. cross 

 the best. 



Breeders must remember that the export trade can never be fostered and 

 developed as it should be by their trying to make the home trade a dumping 

 ground for simply unsuitable stock, bred for wool as the first and main considera- 

 tion, and that if they value this trade and desire to increase it to the immensity 

 we believe possible, and win for it a reputation and value equal to New Zealand, 

 then they must cater for the trade and breed a lamb suitable for the best English 

 customer. 



. Yours etc., 



W. ANGLISS & Co., 



JOHN COOKE & Co., 



THOS. BORTHWICK & SONS, LTD., 



SIMS, COOPER, & Co. 



MELBOURNE, 6th November. 



