The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 9 (December 1, 1936)
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Few New Zealanders know that in numbers we lead the whole world in the export of thoroughbred animals. Our totals, for instance, are six or seven times those of Great Britain, and often equal all the rest of the world. There are logical reasons for this unique position. It is a commonplace that animals from the Northern Temperate Zone improve in size and quality when they settle in New Zealand. The rich largesse of sunny skies, mild temperatures and ample rainfall, join with the gift of a soil which is the golden sand of fertility. Our country has been fashioned by Nature to be the ideal place on the earth's surface for the development of the best of every type of animal. This article proposes to show that our forebears recognised this wonder at a very early date, and will treat of the stupendous achievement already reached, and the glorious possibilities of the future.
Astately London weekly observed not so long ago, “Someone has said that the reading of detective stories is the recreation of all superior minds. On the contrary, if they were really superior, it would be their only occupation.” I know a better form of this indoor sport, and that is the study of the breeding of the thoroughbred. I do not limit the latter category to the thoroughbred horse, for the breeding of sheep, beef and dairy cattle, dogs and pigs, carries the same blend of crossword puzzle delight and high romance. To the theorist it is a recreation, but for the practical exponent it is another matter. The natural advantages of our country for this specific purpose are overwhelming, but the art or science of breeding depends finally on the skill of its practitioners, their fidelity to purpose and unswerving devotion. Our forebears brought all these qualities with them, and when our centennial year arrives, I believe that the brightest pages of our first century's history will be those that tell of the achievement of our studmasters.
Farm Horses. | |
Clydesdale Breeders | 871 |
Sheep. | |
Corriedale Breeders | 157 |
Merino Breeders | 48 |
Romney Breeders | 599 |
Lincoln Breeders | 64 |
Southdown Breeders | 772 |
Ryeland Breeders | 69 |
South Island Flock Book. | |
English Leicester | 107 |
Border Leicester | 156 |
Shropshire | 48 |
Suffolk | 5 |
Half-bred | 23 |
Milking Cattle. | |
Jersey Breeders | 2194 |
Fresian Breeders | 564 |
Milking Shorthorn Breeders | 504 |
Ayrshire Breeders | 291 |