46 



Smiop SHIRE Sheep. 



[Apr., 



(Merinos and Merino Grades) in the United States. Continuing, 

 he says the Shropshire ram blends admirably with the Grade 

 Merino Stock, covering the bony framework with lean and juicy 

 meat, widening the body and making it deeper and thicker 

 throughout. It also blends well with the grade Ijeicester sheep 

 by increasing their hardihood and improving the quality of the 

 meat by intermingling fat and lean. 



As recently as 1912 four of the largest firms in Australia (W. 

 Andiss & Co., John Cooke & Co.. T. Borthwick & Sons, Ltd., 

 and Sims. Cooper & Co.) operating in the export trade, addressed 

 a letter stating that, as the largest exporters in the trade in 

 Victoria and also doing extensive business in South Australia 

 and New South Wales, they felt it only right and their duty to 

 sound a note of warning and at the same time give advice to 

 breeders. They state that — 



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

 built up and made successful by breeders using pure Shropshire 1-ams, the 

 crosses from which we Have proved by experience are eminently fitted for 

 the Wst English trade. Maturing quicker than mo^t other crosses^, the 

 Shropshire 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 in dressed dead weight in proportion to live weight than any other 

 oross we know of. 



For some years the majority of breeders followed the right track and 

 bred the Shropshire cross, but tlie last two or three seasons, owing largely, 

 we believe, to the ris'' in cross bred wool, the majority have swung the other 

 way and tried to breed art export lamb irot by siies of other breeds, with 

 very varying results, trending'-, ho^vever, in the wrong direction. The 

 consequence is that we now find it impossil)le to get as big a proportion of 

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

 a larger numb'-r of rejects than is usual froin the Shropshire, and those 

 accepted not being equal for our purposes to that cross. 



" And as regards S(^asons, our experience is that tiie Shropshire cross in a bad 

 or indifferent season will come out even better in proportion than in a ^lood 

 one, when compared with other breeds, as regards percentage fit for exp( rt. 

 So we must warn hree iers that they are on the wrong track in dropping the 

 Shropshi'-e, and our advice to tht-m, if they want to help us to expand this 

 trade and make Australian laml) more popular and a better price in the old 

 country, and therefore more payable to he breeder, is to go in again logely 

 for tiie Shropshire. Not for a moment do we want to dispa-.nge other brc'-ds. 

 All have their good points for their own special purposes, hut we say 

 unhesitatingly that throughout Australia for the export la nh trade we liMve 

 found the Shropshire cross the best. Breeders must remember that the 

 export trade can never be fostered and devclof)ed as it shoidd be by their 

 trying to make the home trade a dumping ground for siin|,)ly unsuitahle 

 surplus stock bred for wool as the first and nuiin consideration, and that if 

 they value this trade and desire to increase it to- the innuensity we believe 

 possihie, then they must cater for the trade and breed a lamb suituhle for the 

 best English customer." 



