CHAPTER LXI 

 THE CORRIEDALE 



The native home of the Corriedale is the group of islands in 

 the South Pacific Ocean known as New Zealand, lying about 

 lOOO miles southeast from Australia. There are two main islands 

 here, the North and South, separated by Cook Strait, 1 6 to 90 miles 

 wide. North Island is in the main gently undulating, though hav- 

 ing volcanic peaks rising to 9000 feet, while South Island along its 

 western side has a lofty and majestic mountain range towering to 

 12,000 feet. " The character of the country upon which the Cor- 

 riedale is bred in New Zealand," says Professor Marshall,^ "varies 

 from level and fairly rich artificial grass pasture to rough hills 

 with altitudes around 3000 feet, on which snow lies for several 

 months at a time." The climate of New Zealand is very equable, 

 and the rainfall ranges from 20 to 100 inches a year. This is 

 essentially an agricultural and pastoral country, with a greater 

 number of sheep per acre than elsewhere in the world. In 191 5 

 New Zealand was reported as having nearly 25,000,000 sheep. 



The origin of the Corriedale is quite recent. It is the result of 

 crossing long-wool rams on Merino ewes, more especially the 

 Lincoln and Leicester. The policy adopted was one of extensive 

 breeding and persistent culling to secure a type of sheep best 

 suited to New Zealand that would produce both mutton and wool 

 to a satisfactory extent. The claim is made, however, that the line 

 of Corriedale breeding was first suggested by James Little, who, 

 in 1865, brought to the Corriedale estate on the South Island 

 some Romney sheep and proposed that they be bred to Merinos 

 in order to improve the sheep of the island. This flock, however, 

 was soon dispersed ; and soon after Mr. Little moved to the 

 North Island, where, in 1878, he began systematic crossing on 

 the Allendale estate at Waikiri. The Nezv Zealand Farmer says^ : 



1 Bulletin 313, United States Department of Agriculture, November 13, 1915. 



2 The Wyoming Corriedale Sheep Company. A pamphlet on Corriedales(i9i6). 



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