The Ashburton Herald AND Borough and County Advertiser (With Which is incorporated the “Evening Echo”). MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1880.

A Lost Child. — A three-year old, hail ing from the. neighbourhood of the Gas Works, went missing on Saturday even ing. It appears that Mrs. Keen, the mother of the small boy in question, went to look for another of her charges, when the child wandered away in the direction of Seafield, and after camping out for the night, was discovered next morning not much the worst for his involuntary expedi tion. Flattened Out. —Mr. P. Hyland, of Wakanui, had a harrow escape last week. He was driving a team attached to a Cambridge roller, operating on a crop near Dromore, when the horses swerved, and the driver was precipitated from his seat, the roller passing over his body. Mr. Hyland was considerably damaged, bxit had no bones broken. Had he been built on a stouter model, the accident might have been disastrous. The Magistracy. The Wellington Post of Saturday says —“In reference to the rumored Magisterial changes which ' have been mentioned as impending, we find on further enquiry that _ all these statements have been made without the slightest authority and are evidently bassed on the merest rumors. We have been most distinctly assured that the whole question is. still entirely unsettled, - and remains under the careful considera tion of the Government, while we have reason to believe that several of the guesses will be found very wide of the mark.” : ./The James A. Stewart.—A telegram from Helensville on Sunday states that there was a strong south-west wind and a heavy sea on Saturday on the north spit at Kaipara Heads, and that the James A. Stewart is likely to break up. Her rudder is gone and the sternpost has been driven fevo feet above the deck.’ There is no chance of getting her off. There are no signs of the crew, and the bodies are be lieved to been washed away. . The Kyeburn Murder. —The Kye burn murder trial was concluded on Saturday. The jury came into Court at 8.20 p.m, with a verdict of “Guilty” against Ah Lee, and “Not Guilty” against Lee Guy! His Honor then put the black cap on, and passed sentence of death in the usual way. All the Dunedin papers ' • have articles endorsing the verdict of the jury, and urging the police to bring to justice the others who must have been concerned in the murder. Native Industry.— The Dunedin Star says :—As a result of the Sydney Exhibi tion, Messrs. Reid and Gray have received a large order from New South Wales for some of their manufactures, comprising three furrow ploughs and double-furrow and subsoil, for which latter they re ceived the first prize at the Exhibition. Concerning the subsoil, Messrs. Reid and Gray’s Sydney agents have received the following from, a purchaser of one of the ploughs :—“ We have much pleasure in testifying to the excellent workmanship and design of Messrs. Reid and Gray’s double plough. It has been much ad mired in this district, "and has ploughed some very hard and sun-baked land in a ■surprising manner. We trust Reid and Gray will send only the best workman ship, as the land here is heavy and hard.” And from Howlong (N.S.W.), they also - to-day received this further testimony to the excellence of their goods :—“The plough you sent us has been much ad mired, and gives great satisfaction. Wo think you will receive orders for several from this quarter next season.” For the Ashburton district Messrs. Friedlander £ Bros, are the agents.

CABLE NEWS.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

' • Per Reuto's Agency. '••• • .-•■■■■■ The Markets. London, Oct. 8. J, •• Consuls, 975. Adelaide wheat, ex Warehouse, 495. 6d.; Adelaide flour, ex . '' 3 warehouse, 355. 6d.; New Zealand wheat, ex ship, 455. The total quantity of wheat for Great Britain is 1,350,000 quar ters- Australian tallow—Best beef, 335.; I 355. . Galvanised iron, Ll 7 ; best Sydney .copra, LlB.

Trade. ~ ‘ \ r The Board of Trade returns of imports for the past month amount to L 34,250,000, being an increase of L 6,500,000 compared with.last year. The exports amounted to L 20,000,000, ' being an increase • of L 2,625,000 for the same period.

. Arrived.; Arrived —Ship Brisbane, -from Timaru. The Montenegrin Question. . ' ' ■'; .;V" ; . ‘ Oct. 9.

Nothing definite has transpired" With're-' gard to the decision of the Great Powers for the settlement of the Montenegrin question and cession of Dulcigno. On the strength of a proposal made by England, and agreed to, Admiral Seymour summoned the other Admirals of the com bined fleet to hold a conference. It is re ported that detached squadrons are going to the Levant, accompanied by a troop ship, to render assistance in taking muni tions of war and gathering guns. Trouble m Ireland. The nounties of Galway and Mayo, in Ireland, have been proclaimed disturbed districts. The Sultan in Hot Water. Constantinople, Oct. 8. It is said that a plot is on foot against the Sultan, and in consequence several arrests have been made. It is, however, understood that the Sultan prefers abdica tion to yielding. Ayoub Khan. Latest intelligence from Afghanistan reports the arrival of Ayoub Khan at Herat. Successful Intercession- Rome, Oct. 9. Signor Caniza, who was recently arrested, at Genoa, ,has been amnestied through tlie mediation of General Garibaldi, his father-in-law, who went to Genoa .to use his influence with the authorities to obtain Caniza’s pardon.

NEW ZEALAND

(Per Press Association.) The New Governor. Auckland, Oct. 11. The steamer Southern Cross has ai’rived from Levuka. The captain reports that the prevailing opinion in Levuka is that Sir Arthur will be conveyed hither by the Emerald. It is thought that she will leave about November Ist., and that Sir Arthur will embark for New Zealand on or about that date. W. J. Hunt has commenced an action against Sir Arthur Gordon claiming two thousand pounds for removing him wrongfully from Samoa. A Hotel Thief. Wellington, Oct. 11. A young man named Walter Frank Thomas, on two charges of larceny from hotels, was sentenced to three months’ hard labor at Halcombe. Cow-caught. A woman named Ellen Conrad, met with a serious accident while crossing the railway on Saturday night. She was caught by the cow-catcher which broke her right thigh, besides inflicting other wounds. Earthquake. A smart shock of earthquake was felt on Saturday, but there was no damage done. A Flax Mill Burned. Nelson, Oct. 11. Kendall’s flax mill, at Wakefield, has been destroyed by a fire which was caused by friction. The scutching shed and about two tons of flax were destroyed. The engine shed-which is contiguous, was saved by filling the place with steam. No insurance. Three Months’ Incarceration. At the City Court, Alex. Weiler re ceived three months for obtaining money under false pretences. Too Soon. Ann Purcell, who in a few days would have completed her sentence, died in gaol last night of consumption. A Popalar Policeman. Invercargill, Oct. 10. Messrs. Bain and Shanks, M. H. R’s. , on Saturday received a deputation of nearly a hundred of the principal citizens, urging them to protest against the dismissal of Inspector Fox. The members promised to represent to Government that if it was necessary to abolish the Inspectorship, Mr. Fox ought to be offered a position similar to his preeent one, but with lower pay and a different title. Mr. Fox has been for seventeen years in the service, and has a large family of eleven children. A Whale. A whale was chased off the Bliaff on Saturday, but the boats failed to catch it Tired of Separate Existence. At a meeting of the Southland County Council on Saturday, a request was re ceived from the Makarewa Road Board to be allowed to merge into the County. It was refused, the Council considering that plenty of good work remained for the Road Board yet to do.

CRICKET.

Mount Somers C-C. v. Ashburton C.C.

A match between the above clubs came off on Saturday on the ground of the for mer. The local team started from Shear man’s corner at G o’clock a. in. in Mr. Price’s brake, drawn by four prancing Arabs, driven by Mr. Price, jun. They arrived at Mount Somers at 10.30 a.m. Andrews, the Ashburton captain having tossed, decided to take the wickets, and his side were all disposed of for a total of 155 runs —the highest scorers being Denshire, 37;.Amds, 32; Curtis, 22; Andrews, 13 ; and Mr. “ Bye ” 16. Bain and Tomlinson then took the wickets to the bowling of Andrews and Shury, and it looked as if the two would make a stand, till Andrews changed the bowling, when Bain was caught by Wix, and Tomlinson was clean bowled by the same gentleman, but not before the two had scored 22 and 21 respectively. The other double figure scorers Avere Peters 23 and Hood 13. The former Avas grandly caught by the longstop, A. Fooks, and the latter was bowled by F. Shury. The innings closed for a total of 102 runs. The visit ing team again took the Avickets—Fooks and Amos handling the willow -to■ the boAvling of Potts and Bain. Fooks was caught by Cookson at long-ofF ; AndreiAfs then followed, and succeeded in putting 53 together, by some excellent cricket, Avhen he Avas ultimately bowled by Hood. Amos played Avell for liis nineteen, we only hope he Avill keep it up all through the season. The innings closed for 11$,

when- time was called, the match was therefore not finished, but was decided in favor of the Ashburton “ boy's ” by 53 runs. ’ The fielding of A. Potts and Gif kin for the “mountaineers ” requires special note, also the bowling of Bain in the -first innings, and Hood in the second. Wix bowled well for tlie visitors. At about 1.30 p.m. the respective teams sat clown to an excellent dinner-served up;by Host Hood, which was done ample justice to esjpecially by the visitors. Appended are the scores :

THE TERRIBLE AFFAIR AT KANIERI.

Committal for Murder of Hutchison

The man Hutchison, who has been ac cused of the murder of his wife and child in connection with the fire at Kanieri, lias been committed for trial on the charge. It will be remembered that the woman and her child met their death under vei-y painful and suspicious circumstances, hav ing been burned alive in their dwelling. On Saturday the R.M. Court at Hokitika was occupied up till 7 o’clock in the even ing hearing the case. The evidence showed that at the time of the fire Hutchi son was fully dressed in coat,-vest, trousers, Ac. His eldest daughter stated that her father left her youngest sister behind till she called attention to her absence; One of tlie witnesses stated that it was com-: monly rumored that this younger daughter was not Hutchison’s own child. Acts of brutality towards his wife, too shocking to be described in print, were proved against him by two-female witnesses, and his own mate 3poke of other acts of violence. It was proved that lie stated to Inspector Keely’ that he had saved nothing from the fire except his gun, which had fallen on his shoulder while trying to arouse' his wife. In reality he had saved all his tools, a bag of food lie had bought the night before the fire, a pair of trousers and a spring balance, all of which were in the room where his wife and baby were burnt. It was also proved that the remains of his wife were found in such a position that she could not have been lying on a stretcher insensible as stated by tho prisoner at the inquest. A kerosene-tin was found on the floor of the room where his wife and baby were burnt. To the great astonishment of everyone, when the other witnesses had been examined, Mr. Giles, who had presided as Resident Magistrate through the "whole of the ex amination, descended from the Bench and gave evidence both as Coroner and as a member of r the College of Surgeons, against the prisoner, and then result ed his seat on the Bench, and in concert with his brother magistrates, Messrs. Reed, M.H.R., and the Hon. J. Bonar, M.L.C., committed the prisoner Jior trial.

CORRESPONDENCE.

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our. correspondents.

FLOWER THEFTS.

To the Editor. Sir, —During last night some ill-dis posed person entered the garden adjoining the house in which I live and pulled up and carried off two young rose trees and a geranium... Now,-this person could not have taken the flowers for their value, for they were just at that critical period when any-great-change in the weather might destroy them. Neither could lie have taken them for the love of flowers, for a man who would steal must be quite incapable of such a finer feeling. The flowers were valuable to me, and I have a great love for flowers, so much so that, though the flowers are not in my possession, I do not wish them to perish, but. would advise this thief not to drown the geranium by giving it too much water, but let it have plenty of sun. The rose trees must be kept well watered, and covered over for at least a week. Next time he removes flowers he should take a little earth with them.—Yours, Ac.,

Mortimer.

Holt.o way’s Pills. —Mind and body are so closely entertwined that for the former to be vigorous the latter must be healthful. The first step towards the maintenance of health is to secure perfect digestion, which is readily obtained by this noted medicine, the most com petent effectually to restrahi every adverse Influence which can mar, impair, or vexatiously modify this all-important process.. The student, merchant, man of pleasure, and humblest labourer may each in turn derive vigour, ease, and strength from occasional doses, or a longer course of Holloway’s purifying Pills. However waverii gthe mind, orunstrung the nerves this fine medicine will track the derangement .to its sourse, where it will over throw' it and established order and’ purity in its lace —Advt.

ASHBURTON AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION.

Sheep Breeding

, 'The usual monthly meeting of : the Agri cultural and Pastoral-Association was held in the upper room of the Town Hall on. Saturday evening, when a greater number of farmers were present/ than usually at tend these meetings. The essayist for the evening was Mr. Donald Oliver, of Wester field, and the subject of his paper was “ Sheep Breeding.” Mr. John Carter occupied the chair, and in introducing Mr. Oliver, remarked that the subject of tlie paper to be read was, to liis mind, the. most important one that had yet been dealt with at- any of the meetings, as too much cropping had been done in the country hitherto, and too little attention paid to’ stock rearing. He j did not know any gentleman in the district who was better qualified to speak on the | subject of sheep breeding than was Mr. Oliver, and he (the Chairman) was sure they would enjoy a treat in listening to Mr. Oliver’s paper on SHEEP BREEDING. Mr. Oliver then read as follows : Mr. President and gentlemen,— I have with much pleasure complied with the request of your Secretary to pre pare a paper 011 “ The Breeding of Sheep. ” As I have been long associated in matters of this sort with some of the best breeders in. the Southern Hemi sphere, I trust this-paper may be of some little service. In the premises, let it be understood that I am writing principally in the interests of breeders, who are to the dealers what the- scientific - gold miner is to the gold broker. By buying and selling, the broker will enrich himself, but will not add a single ounce of the precious metal to the currency of the country. In like manner, the sheep dealer may enrich himself without assisting in creating, or even keeping up, any single one of the qualities which make the animal he deals in so profitable' to himself and so valuable to the human race generally. Being better acquainted with merinos than with any other variety of sheep, and believing them to be the most profitable animals at present in the world, I will confine my self almost exclusively to them. How ever, you all know that the principles of breeding apply to every variety of sheep alike, and so do all questions of a physio logical nature. I very much regret that I cannot say much to benefit the general run of farmers—those who buy and sell as often as they can make a profit out of a flock of sheep. To them, there is some thing good in every variety, if they will only fatten readily, or give a fair return of lambs, To such farmers it must be a matter of perfect indifference whether the sheep they buy possess a fixity of type or belong to tlie greatest mongrels in the country. I will venture, however, to give one hint to those who intend going into sheep farming, and are anxious to start economically,..ye.t would like to be sure that the venture will end profitably to them. Buy old merino ewes. They are always cheap, and if they can be wintered on good English grass, they will do very well, even if they are what we call “gummies.”’. Put a pure Lincoln or Leicester rain to every seventy-five of them. Do not use mongrels. Pure rams can be got cheap enough—indeed, far too cheap-at present to -pay any breeder for the expense and trouble he must bestow on them. The progeny from this cross are most valuable sheep for the butcher, and their wool is ■ always exceptionally valuable. Mr. Carter, of Tinwald, sold this year in the London market a con siderable quantity of wool- taken from slieep of this description, and it fetched Is. 4d. per lb., in the grease. The sheep from which-this wool was taken were grazed all the year round on tussock country only. The good qualities of this cross, however, are not .fixed, and no mortal can breed again from them in any known direction without changing the character of their get to something inferior to themselves. It is, therefore, better not to breed from them at all, but when they are old enough, sell and make up tlie flock again in the manner in which it was commenced. The materials for so doing will always be at hand. • It will of course be conceded by everyone that there is a wide differencebetween indiscriminate, careless breeding, and skilful, careful breeding ; the former is the style followed by the multitude, and the latter is that which is adopted by the enlightened few. Had our domesticated animals never been bred away..from their original and normal condition by the intelligence of man, the terms “ selection,” “ breeding,” and “ classing ’’would, in the sensei anvabout to use them, be meaningless ; for like, then, would invariably produce like. In proof of this, let anyone for a moment consider the matchless uniformity of indi viduals in any’family of the wild denizens uf the earth, air, ' or water. This uni formity- lias; obtained among them from the remotest ages, and will continue so while left in their natural state, unless some great geological disturbance upsets the present order of things. Such, how ever, will not be the case with reclaimed animals that have come under the dominion of man. Their latent variability, which has been called into activity by man’s intelligence, will, if left to itself, have a continual tendency to carry them back to the point from which they started, but if this variability is wisely directed by judicious selection and periodical classing, the improvement and profit of the animal very soon becomes apparent, and in r.o animal does this change show itself sooner than in sheep. There seems as yet to bo no known finality to this progress of im provement under proper management. Certain merino flocks in the Australian colonies are now as much superior to the Spanish sheep from which they originated as the latter were at one time superior to all other sheep in the world. I will not here enter into details as to how or by whom this beneficial change was first brought about. I will simply take those sheep where they now stand, at the highest pinnacle of excellence to which any section of their species ever arrived. This superiority is now conceded to the Australian merino by both Americas, and also by several-kingdoms on the Continent of Europe, as well as England. The French manufacturers would never be able to produce some of their best muslin delaines, and other delicate woollen fabrics were they not nblp to supply themselves in the London market with the long, elastic silky, wools from some of the well managed.Austvalian stations. But this improvement did not take place simply I because those sheep were placed in the

favored climate and pastures of Australia. In that country, as many ill-bred and neglected flocks can be seen as in any other portion of the' world. It is, therefore, not to any inherent quality in sheep pastures or climate the world is indebted for the peerless sheep and wools produced in that country, but to the intelligence of a few breeders, who took advantage of the known tendency in animals under domestication to yield to modification, ancl : their .directing this modification to a profitable end by selection. ’ Their energies were not so much directed to bring about radical changes in the form of the animal, as to make it produce more wool of a uniform character and better quality. The extent to which they have succeeded in their endeavor is now known to every slieep breeder of note, and manufacturer of fine wool in the world, besides giving the owners at least one-third better annual returns than those realised for the same outlay by their more careless neigh bors. You are all familiar with the prices which the ordinary New Zealand wools fetch in the London market. Well, tlie price obtained for the common run of tlie Australian wools are no higher ; so I need not quote any of them, but to show what skilful management will do, I will quote prices obtained by a few of the best Victorian breeders for their last clip in London, and these prices are only what they are in the habit of geting every year. For it must be understood that the best wools are always scarce, and not subject to tlie same fluctuations in price as tlie medium and indifferent sorts—

There is a prevailing belief that slieep pur ducing very valuable wool have less of it on them than those carrying wool of a commoner description. This belief, when it relates to the improved Australian merino, is utterly groundless, and it is also groundless (as several members of your society must know) when applied to the best English breeds in this country. Take a Leicester or Lincoln flock, and class out tlie fine, rich, glossy,. well clad ones, and shear them against an equal number of coarse, fuzzy ones, and it will be found that the former cut by far the heavier fleeces, and the wool is more valuable per pound. In fact, it has several qualities which the other description of wool from the same flock has not, one of which is that it is specifically heavier. Thus, even in the best English breeds, the necessity exists for careful annual classing "by every one who wishes to keep pace with the progress of the times. The fact seems to be lost sight of in these colonies that the wool from a sheep before he is sold for mutton, represents at least three times as much moneyas the mutton will fetch when a flock is sold to the butcher. This being the case, it becomes obvious that three times more attention should be paid to the wool than tlie mutton. Almost any mongrel sheep will produce as good mut ton as the very purest bred ones, but how would we get even fair mongrels if no one attended to breeding ? It is the near relationship mongrels have to pure sheep that give them the qualities we de sire in them ; but, let them interbreed for any considerable length of time among themselves, and they become compara tively worthless. The fact is, that if breeders were extinguished altogether, and the breeding of sheep left to dealers and chance for, say a hundred years, it would not require the imagination of a Darwin to predict the lean, lio.lf hairy, party colored animals they would become, by the end of that time. Almost e rery one in possession of sheep believes he understands breeding, and is often strongly prejudiced against any method that does not agree with his own. I say he has a perfect right to be so, and to do absolutely what he sees fit with his own. I am writing with the hope of assisting those who admit—at least to themselves — that their sheep and wools are inferior to what they might be, and are anxious to improve them. Every breeder of sheep must either buy his rams or breed them. In most cases it will be more convenient to buy than breed ; but he who buys, must at all times be content with rams of less value than he who breeds them ; be cause every man competent to direct breeding, is also competent to select the best for himself, and will assuredly do so. At the same time, it is safer to buy second rate rams from a well managed flock that has acquired a fixity of type by being bred from sheep of a uniform character, in the same direction, for some time, than it would be to gee the first pick out of a flock that had been unskilfully managed, and possessed no fixity of type at all. The first thing to be done by any one desirous to breed his own rams, is to select ewes for the purpose. This is wherei®plwill ex perience the greatest difficulty, and un less he has a special aptitude for this kind of work, coupled with a large amount of experience among sheep,, he will at first make a good many blunders. I will here endeavor to specify what a merino ewe should be. The face should be covered with a peculiar velvety, semi-transparent, kind of hair. This hair, when examined through a micro scope of low power, should appear the color of pure water tinged with sherry. Hairs from the face of coarse-wo.olled breeds, under the same power, resemble milk. There should be no wool about the nose, nor near enough the eyes to obstruct the sight. But she should have fair, long wool on the forehead and on the cheeks. Viewed from behind, she should, in full wool, have a very thick neck, a wide chest, and be particularly lyide at the hips. The surface of the wool should be as nearly level as possible—not pointed, like hoggets’ wool. Each natural division or lock will, however, be more or less pointed on the top, but the nearer thej top of the lock approaches the level the better, if other things are equal, such as■; length, fineness, and densijty- This lock , should on no part of tfie body pf a firstr' class merino be less than a quarter, Qr; more than half-an-inch in diameter. I When smaller, as a rule, it indicates.; lightness of fleece ; and when larger—| coarse, harsh wool. Thin, pointed wool,| or staple resembling belly wool, on thej top of the shoulder, is objectionable. The' good body wool should extend quitef cUjvip pg the belly on - the sides,? and right * do mf ' tff\ the knees and hocks on the jlegs. Wpol

on the hincl legs below the hocks is a good feature. Coarse wool, resembling hair, on the hips, or any part of the body, is very objectionable* This does not, how ever, apply to the hairs often seen on rains’ heads, the consequence of having the skin abraded with fighting, nor to hairs growing on the tail where it has been cut. The reason why hairs grow on those Darts after they have been disturbed in the manner stated, would require a more learned physiologist than myself to ex plain. What I want to show is that in such cases thej T are not objectionable. Reject all wrinkles. Randal very justly characterises them as an unmitigated nuisance. The outside of the thighs should be full, pre senting a convex appearance. Sheep whose form has been neglected have flat, straight-up-and-down thighs, or what is worse, thighs concave from the outside. Some writer on sheep has said that the body of the animal should resemble a barrel set on wooden pegs. I have seen some odd samples approaching this build, and would advise every sensible man to discard them at once, and also several breeders’ maxims which would appear now to require modification. For example, it was at one time considered that the more yolk wool had. in it the finer it was, this notion is completely exploded. Good wool certainly has a large quantity of yolk in it, but the most a well-bred sheep should show on the tips of the wool is a sprinkling of black dots—never com pletely pitched over with it. Randal illustrates this by quoting a high bred ram’s fleece —according to Yankee notions —which weighed in the grease 19Jlbs., but when properly cleansed weighed only 41bs. Buyers in London neglect wool with much black tip on it, and the brokers advise us to send it Home in bales by itself. It has also been asserted that the smaller the lock the finer the staple. This, as a rule, is true ; but it is also true that in any breed of sheep the lock, by breeding, may be made so fine that it would be utter folly to cultivate it because it would not be the best kind of wool when grown, and the fleece would become so light that it would not pay. The term “spiral,” when applied to the convolutions of the fibre of wool, is also misleading. Good wool never is spiral like a corkscrew ; it is simply curved, and the more curves it has in the space of an inch the finer it is, and the more valuable it is as a clothing, but not as a combing wool. The general belief that like pro duces like, leads many a stock' owner astray. He does not consider that each of the sheep he intends to couple together are made up of parts, and strains of blood, descended to them from numerous ancestors ; and that it is quite as likely the progeny may resemble one of its pro genitors as its immediate parents. This disposition in sheep to breed back (as it is called), is known to and acted upon, by every one who understands his business as a breeder. Hence his desire to get rams from a long established and well managed flock, knowing that the longer they have been bred in one direction, and persis tently kept to the desired type, the more certain they are to reproduce themselves in their offspring, because the strains of blood of ancestors equal in quality, and of the same type as themselves, have de scended to them through several genera tions, so that, if they do breed back, unless they go very far back, they are bound to be good, because all their ancestors for many generations were good. But if you want to dissimilarise the form of your sheep and the character of your .wool use rams 'of no fixed type, from the flocks of say A B and C, alternately ; and should you live to the age of Methusaleh you will never have a uniform flock of sheep, nor a uniform clip of wool. But if the flocks of A, B, and C are similar in form and character of wool, and have been bred nearly to the same type, with an equal amount of intelligence, through the same number of generations, then using rams from them alternately will not injuriously affect the character of your flock. However, this is not the shortest road to uniformity and perfection. The shortest road is first to fix on a flock de clared to be of the highest, quality by breeders and manufacturers—and colonial stock-owners would be wise to pay par ticular attention to the voice of the latter. Out of this flock buy a ram for your stud ewes, and use him among them until he becomes too old for service ; then get another from the. same breeder, use him in like manner, and whilst the flock out of which you have bought continues to be skilfully managed, never change. Cast aside all notions of the balefulness of in and-in breeding, as you would a ghost story.' The healthiest and most beauti fully formed animals on earth' have been bred in - and -in for ages, and if in - and -in breeding -were likely to result in the destruction of a species the All-wise Creator would have so constituted their natures that it would be as impossible for interbreeding within restricted . limits to take place among them as it is now between 'widely dissimilar species. Any flock of pure merino ewes that have never had other than merino rams among them may be • used to start a stud flock from ; but on looking through them it will be observed • that various types of form and wool pre sent themselves. It then becomes a ' question which is the right type !to pick out for stud purposes. ; I say stud purposes, because without a stud flock the breeding arcli would be without the only thing that can hold it together—the keystone. I have already described what a merino ewe should be and I will only say now that in choosing her it should be apparent that, with all her other qualities, she will clip a heavy fleece; and so long as she is a perfectly pure merino, it is not a serious objection should her wool be rather stout in fibre if she has plenty of it, and is put —as she oughtto be— to a ram possessing the requisite hereditary qualifications, because the prepotency of his blood will at pnce have the efl'ect of giving an improved fineness to the wool of liis offspring. Very fine wool is at present most valuable per lb., but wool of medium fineness, combining the qualities of length, strength, soundness, evenness, and elasticity, with a dazzling brilliancy of fibre when scoured, is what pays best per sheep. It starting a stucl flock keep in view the fact thqt' (he ram constitutes th.e half .9? jt, and' should' always be greatly superior to the ewe in the qualities you desire to see in the off-: spring. The ram has a prepotent power over that of the ewe in stamping his characteristics on the offspring, and no matter liow good your ewes are, if you use indifferent rams, you will, in a few: generations, scatter their good qualities to! the four winds of heaven. If you want

succeed as a breeder have always the beat rams that can be got and you will do ■ wonders, even should j-ou neglect the ■ classing of your ewes altogether. But” reverse this order of things, and the engine you expected to go forward will y most assuredly go back. In choosing a ' ram for stud purposes, get him with an undoubted pedigree, or, in other words, a long descent from good' ancestors ; but however long this descent may have been in a pure channel, the tendency to revert back, though weakened, has not been des troyed, and consequently very indifferent animals will appear occasionally when least expected. So it would be unwise to con sider any ram first-class, whatever his descent, unless he possessed . the requisite individual excellencies himself. As rams from different flocks are slightly ; different in character and appearance, yet of equal intrinsic value, I will here enter upon no description of what a ram should -.»• be, further than that he should be large, broad-set, and densely covered with long, j.) fine wool. Some writers say that a merino ram should have a perfectly straight back. Don’t believe any such nonsense. It would show as little judg- <> ment to look for a straight, level back on the statue of Apollo as on a merino ram. 1 The accompanying woodcut, taken from u the Australasian, is that of the famous.:;:, ram Sir Thomas, .the property of Messrs. Gumming, of Darlington, Victoria. He : k was purchased by them four years ago, jfl for the sum of L 714, and, taking into ac~ count what, in several ways, he realised for his original owner, Mr. James Gibson, of Tasmania, and subsequently for. the ■ Messrs. Cumming, he exceeds in value ® any ram that has ever been bred in this - hemisphere, or, indeed, in any other part of the world. As it may be interesting to some of the members of your society and others to have a look at the portrait' of this peerless ram, I have had it framed, and do present it to your society for-- general information. --

Mr. Lewis, in opening discussion, said, in reference to Mr. Oliver’s remarks as,to the yolk in wool, that he (Mr. Lewis) hid always thought a great quantity of yolk {a good feature in fine wool. ' v-' ; riii*?

Mr. Oliver said that he only objected to an over-abundance of yolk. He knew an instance in which wool that weighed .. 191bs in the grease only gave 41bs when . : washed. The London market would hot f' ; buy dirt, and it was no use sending dirt Home, for by the time all charges were paid great havoc would have been, played . with the 41bs of wool. Yolk was not a hit. , of good. Mr. Oliver also, in reply ■to i a .. remark by the Chairman, said he wished the questions to be confined to such as arose out of the paper, as he was not pre- - pared to answer every question that might . be put to him outside the subject he had written on. He knew a number of young men who were able to write excellent papers, but who did not care to be pulled about in the after debate. They would far rather write the paper and de* fend it through the press. f. Mr. James Brown (Wakanui) differed from Mr. Oliver as to the value of the ; carcase. He (Mr. Brown) could onlyget half for the wool that he obtained for jthe mutton, and thought the best mutton growing sheep were the best for the . farmers. In making a reference to what, had been done for-Leicesters, Mr. Brown said lie thought farmers ought to’'get”; ' merino ewes and cross them with long woolled rams. V

Mr. Oliver thought sheep should .be . three years old before they were sold ( for mutton, thus giving three fleeces of w 001... In regard to the value of Leicester* as compared with merinos, as mentioned) by Mr. Brown, Mr. Oliver said he had never heard of a Leicester bringing the money that "the subject of the engraving he had shown them had done. The owner of that ram had lately refused L 1,500 for a relation of the same animal, and the sime man got 3s. 2d. for his wool and 2s.' for his pieces. He could not then givefthe price obtained for fleeces from this flock, but would write to the Australasiaii, for the weight and price, and failing 'that ;, source, to the producers themselves, with' . whom he was well acquainted. • §- Mr. Brown thought it was more profit able to keep a sheep for one year and sell q J it for mutton at the end of that time, after one clip. Long-woolled sheep, taken fleece for fleece were more profitable (than merinos, and best he thought for the general run of farmers. Mr. Oliver said they were drifting away from the subject on which he had written. He had dealt with sheep breeding—not sheep farming. Another time, if-jtheyq wished, he would write on sheep farming,/ and deal with what was most profitable for the general run of farmers, but that night the subject of his paper was breeding./ He was quite prepared to ..allow that long- - woolled sheep were perhaps the best for the farmer, but not lnng-woolled mongrels.

Mr. Lewis mentioned a case in winch a farmer had bought a flock of gummy! ewes for a small figure. They were in lamb to first class Leicester rams, and got more for their fleeces alone than he had paid for the flock at first. He thought there was' a better return to be had from sheep 'than could be obtained from horses. ; J Mi\ Boyle questioned the position- Mr. Oliver had taken in regard to in and-in breeding. ' i. • Mr. Oliver said all the famous breeders were in-and-in breeders, and . the example was set by tbe Creator. All the animals bred in-and-in, and evpry thing that was left to nature followed this rule. The result was that a remarkable: uni formity of type had obtained for thousands of years amongst all the wild animalsil Mr. Brown had read a few authorities on the subject, but neyer heard any one say that breeding in-and-in wjtJjPHt: change was beneficial. Tq a certai# ex tent the wild animals bred in-and-in, but they were not entirely without, change'. If this kind of breeding were followed, per sistently without change, most species would suffer. Mr. Brown gave instances. Sheep perhaps had a constitution? thjit wqulcj. stand it better. he W bw j did not object to a good animal because it was close bred, but as soon as danger threatened from close breeding, : they changed the paternity and imported netf blood. • Mr. Oliver said Randall, of New Ellman, Bakewell, jjathan} wpre in-anfbin breeders in sheep. ’ Collings, Mason, Bates, Booth, and 'Price advocated in-and-in breeding. ’ Mr. Hani- %■ mond, of the United States of Ampriga, bred merino sheep in-and-in for sixty years, and they increased in wool, size, bone, and spread of rib —indeed in all which indicate improved constitution. ? • Mr. Sargent said the main point ; fbr the farmer to study was what would pay .

THE ASHBURTON HERALD MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1880.



Mouist Somers.— 1st Innings. Bain, 1231 1111.141112, c Wix b Andrews 21 Tomlinson, 211131111131212, b Wix ... 22 Polhill, 1, c Marsh, b Andrews ... ' ... 1 Chapman, 112, c Wix, b Andrews 4 D. I’otts, b Wix ... • 0 Gifkin, 151, c Andrews, b Wix ... ... 7 A. Potts, 1, b Wix, 1 E. Peters, 2255214x1, c A. Fooks, b Wix 23 Taylor, 1, not out ... ... 1 Hood, 1311142, b Slimy’... ... 13 Cookson, b Shury ... 0 • Byes, 1121 .. ; .. - 5 Leg-Byes, X... ... 1 Wides, in... 3 Total ... ... 102 Ashburton.’— 1st Innings. G. W. Andrews, 2121322, b Bain... 13 A. Fooks, 2212, b Bain ... 7 W. B. Denshire, 1113122133112442122, c Gif kin, b Hood 37 Wix, c A. Potts, b Bain 7 A. Curtis, 11112211122111211, c Giflcin b Hood 22 D. Amos, 1112111211111322121111111 not out ... ... ... ... 32 Marsh, 11, c Gifkin, b Hood ... 2 F; Shury, I, b Bain 1 Lechner, 0, b Bain... 0 Lovell, 31, b Bain ... 4 E. Fooks, 11, b Bain 2 Byes 11111111111212 ... ... l6 Leg byes min 6 Wides mm 6 Total... ... ... 155 2nd. Innings. Andrews, 1 34 2 3 « 3 1 3 * 3 2 i 3 r 3 T2 3 1 1 333 11 .112, b Hood ... 59 Fooks,' 1, c Cookson, b A Potts •... 1 Denshire, 12132,-0 Bain, b Peters 9 Wix, b Chapman ... ... ... 0 Curtis, 211, b Peters 4 Amos, 2313121222, b Peters - ... 19 Marsh, 233, c Gifkin, b Hood 8 F. Shury, 31111, c and b Chapman 7 Lechner, run out 0 Lovell, 32, not out... ... 5 E. Fooks, c Bain, b Hood... 0 Byes, 1 ... 1 Wides, min ... 6 Total 119



Sir Samuel Wilson (washed) s. 4 cl. o y* per lb, Thus. Dowling & Son ,, 3 8)4 39 J. L. Currie ,, 3 3/4 >7 W. Gumming ,, 3 2 99 T. Dov.ding & Son (greasy) i nj4 9 7 A. Buchanan ,, i io 99 -A. Anderson ,, i 9'A 9 3 T. Shaw ,, X 8)4 99 J. Wilson „ i 8 3*



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