1870
8 September 1870
Some five miles up the river, stands Broombee, the present and pleasant residence of C. C. Cox, Esquire, originally held by the pioneer of the family, Mr. Henry Cox, then by his son, Mr. G. H. Cox, from whom it came by purchase to the present proprietor. It is a beautiful spot in more senses than one, and the site of the house is a grand one for scenery, with which, however, the house itself is not strictly in keeping, for, like "Bob," a fine old sample of that extinct genius the N.S.W. stockhorse, still alive but very stiff in the limbs, which is to be found at Broombee, it has seen its best days.
Much of Broombee is on the limestone, and Mount Froom opposite is limestone, with a heart of green stone. The alluvial flats of the river are here broad and rich, growing fruit to perfection, while as a specimen of what it will do in the flower garden, it will suffice to say, I saw a camellia seven feet high, from which fifty flowers were culled in one day for a ball, and four dozen on another occasion. The flowers and buds were in hundreds on the tree. Close by it stands a vine, the three leading branches of which together measure eighty yards in length.
In going up the river to get a look at Mr. Cox's celebrated Herefords, we passed by a jungle on the opposite bank where wild rabbits and wild pea-fowl flourished, but the late floods have interfered sadly with the haunts of the pea-fowl, and almost extinguished the poor rabbits. Some of our West Victoria friends might admire this method of disposing of them, as being at once cheap and expeditious, compared to paying from three to eight thousand a year to keep them within bounds.
The pure bred Herefords here consist of the celebrated bull Defiance, No. 41 brand, the joint property of Messrs. Cox and Rouse, whose pedigree is as follows (the numbers referring to the stud book of New South Wales):-
Bred by Wm. Lyall, Esq., of Frogmore, Victoria, by Jerry (imported 1288); dam, Modesty (twin sister of Grace, No. 17), by Young Cronstadt, g. dam Star, imported. Jerry, imported, E. H. H. B., bred by Lord Berwick, got by Albert Edward 859. Dam Duchess of Norfolk by Tom Thumb 243, g. dam Pigeon by Young True Boy 32, g.g. dam Pigeon by Ashley Moors 870. g.g.g. dam Damsel by Cholstrey 868, E. H. H. B. (i.e., English Hereford Herd Book). Albert Edward took several prizes, his dam many, and Duchess of Norfolk, Jerry's dam, was often exhibited at meetings of the Royal Agri-cultural Society of England, and always stood first.
The season is not favourable for putting on a critical eye; despite the cold wet nights, the soppy ground, and wintery feed, Defiance looks his name to all these, and exhibits a wonderfully small amount of daylight underneath, for a man couldn't lie flat under without touching him. His family, with a strong family likeness, is grouped round him - among which, two fine young bulls, Defiance 2nd and Australis. These promising youngsters are out of Grace and Aurora, by the liver-coloured bull Defiance, the cows being of the brilliant red and white garment which adorns and distinguishes the breed.
The dams' pedigrees are as follows:- Grace, No. 17 brand, calved September 27, 1860, bred by Wm. Lyal, Esq., Frogmore, Victoria, by Young Cronstadt dam Star (imported) by Restorative 1369, E. H. H. B.; g dam Exhibition by Sibdon 1385; e.g. Stockton by Dayhousie. Star was bred by Richard Hill, Esq., Golding Hall, Shrewsbury, and was fisst prize cow at the Royal Agricultural show in 1857, imported by Wm. Lyal, Esq., same year. Young Cronstadt is by Cronstadt (imported), dam Ladybird by Trojan (imported), g. dam Lettie by Cressy, e. g. dam Latonia by Billy, g. g. g. dam imported by the Cressy Company in 1826. Grace's produce by Defiance, No. 41, in June, 1869 - Defiance 11th. Aurora, No. 44a brand, calved 15th August, 1864, bred by W. Lyall, Esq., got by Jerry (imported), dam Grace; produce, August, 1869, Australis, by Defiance No. 41. Iris, No. 59a brand, calved 20th September, 1866, bred by W. Lyall, Esq., got by Starling's dam Dewdrop, by Jerry 1288; g. dam Sylph by Cotmore (imported), g. g. dam Ladybird by Trojan (imported), g. g. g. dam Lettie by Cressy, g. g. g. g. dam Latonia by Billy; g. g. g, g. g. dam imported by the Cressy Company; Starling by Jerry, 1288, dam Star (imported). These splendid cows were imported from Melbourne by Messrs. C. C. Cox and George Rouse in March, 1868. Having duly viewed and admired this aristocratic party, we took horse and started in another direction, to ride round the blood mares, running in an extensive ring-treed paddock. Here we have the high bred mare Remembrance, and her handiwork; Miss Middlesex and her promises; Xarifa and Mystral, who merely remarked that "their time was to come." Pedigree of Remembrance (B. 273). A bay mare bred by E. Cox, Esq., Fernhill, in 1848, by Goldfinder (imported Arab), out of Victoria, bred in Tasmania by Wm. Kermode, Esq., in 1835, by Peter Finn, (imported) out of Galloper. Her offspring were in 185 - b. g. Teddington by Waverly (B. 55) the property of E. Cox, Esq.; 1863, b. f. Miss Middlesex, by Middlesex, (imported A. 25) by C. C. Cox, Esq.; 1864, foal lost by Euston; 1S65, b. c. Broombee, by Euston, (B. 5) lately sold to F. Suttor, Esq.; 1866, b. f. Xarita, by Fisherman, (B. 25); 1867, b. g. Oracle, by Sir Henry - (Sir Hercules, B. 1 - Blanche, B. 24); 1868, b. g. Cinnabar, by Yattendon, (B. 21); 1869, not covered; 1870, covered by Australian, (A. 55). Miss Middlesex, just mentioned above as a bay filly in 1863, is now a dark bay mare, which in 1868 missed to Stafford, (A. 61), and in 1870 was covered by Sir Henry. Xarifa has not yet been sent to the stud. Mystral is a fine upstanding chesnut mare, bred by J. de V. Lamb, Esq., in 1865 got by Dulcimer, out of Loowee, (B. 169) - Dulcimer was bred by J. J. Riley, Esq., by Dulcimer (imported) out of Medora; 1870, covered by Australian, (A. 55).
In a third direction were the sheep - Merinos of course the ewes are uncommonly handsome with aristocratic Roman noses, pink eyes and nostrils, beautiful drooping eyelashes, and fine crest open from the eye down the line of sight along the nose, the characteristic serrations reach the tip of the lock, and the elasticity of the wool is all there. Mr. Cox's sheep are adorned with a magnificent frill, which, though clustered and bossed on the chest, exhibits no crease or wrinkle on the neck. Some of the hoggets I noticed were already in trousers right down to the feet. The ram in general use is of 1867, with black spots on the nose; his sire was supported on three black trotters and one white, whose sire was an imported Silesian sheep. It is odd that Mr. 1867 throws no black feet, and has only black spots at the other extremity. Mr. Cox is of the same opinion as Sir William Macarthur, and Mr. Riley of Raby, that in-breeding with good stock and constant weeding out, improves the race. Some of the Broombee sheep clipped as high as 5½lb last season. The dam is constructed high up away from the river, and storing a large supply of water in a narrow pass surrounded by greenstone ranges, covered up in the lower ground by red clay. It is 120 yards long, and sixteen feet deep, surrounded by & fine fence against cattle, and watched over by a shepherd who lives on the spot - under his care a plantation and cover for wild fowl is springing up, and the ducks breed here in peace. The washing apparatus is so arranged that the soak- water when discharged does not pass into the reservoir direct to contaminate the water through which the sheep have to swim. The washing plan is somewhat unusual, the sheep and not the men stand in boxes six feet by three feet six inches, two boxes with a sheep in each under the spouts, the men standing on platforms high and dry above the lake. The wool-shed measures 70 x 21. Here also the table shone with prize silver wine-caps, somewhere between one and two dozen in number (in 1868 Mr. Cox took five first-class prizes out of six, the sixth going to Mr. E. K. Cox; and since 1864 he has taken eighteen all first-class but one - pretty fair for "a young beginner"), and our jovial host made things look pleasant, as he well knows how. Nevertheless, O beautiful Broombee, it's time we parted1
.
1887
23 July 1887
Three Pure Merino Stud Rams.
In this issue will be found portraits of some of the stud sheep sold at the recent annual sheep fair in Sydney.
PRINCE REGENT was purchased by Mr. Fetherstonhaugh for Mr. James Cochrane, of Widgiewa, near Urana. It is three years old, and was bred by W. Gibson and Son, of Scone, Tasmania, and sired by the well-known Prince the 3rd (sold for £504), and dam by Prince the 2nd (sold for 520 guineas). This ram is a valuable acquisition to the flocks of New South Wales. The wool is simply perfect. It is a very handsome animal, carrying a splendid front with a good run down the shoulder, splendid thighs and sides, and plenty of wool of a great length underneath. The sheep will keep up the character of the well-known Widgiewa flock, deservedly valued as it is for producing sheep of splendid frame and carrying heavy fleeces of strong combing wool of very high character. Last season the whole of Mr. Cochrane's sheep (exclusive, of course, of small lambs) averaged 8lb 2oz of greasy wool.
GRAND SANSCRIT is a two years old, a grandson of the famous ram Sanscrit, from a pure-bred David Taylor ewe, by Baronet. It was purchased from Herbert Gatenby, of Rhodes, Tasmania, by Mr. Alfred Bennett, of Reedy Ponds, Camden, for his stud flock. Grand Sanscrit is not yet fully developed; but he has a magnificent frame, and is evenly covered with a dense fleece of very superior wool. The fleece is particularly good on the belly and inside the hooks, just where fleeces are apt to be deficient. Grand Sanscrit carries in his veins the very bluest blood of the aristocrats of Tasmania. On the paternal side he combines the blood of Sir Thomas and Sanscrit, and on the maternal side the famous David Taylor blood. He will be a valuable addition to Mr. Bennett's already fine flock of high pedigree sheep.
BROOMBEE (by Velvet, the sire of many winners) was bred by James D. Cox, of Cullenbone, Mudgee, and purchased by C. Fetherstonhaugh, of Goorianawa, New South Wales, for 105 guineas. The late Charles Cox established this flock at Broombee, near Mudgee, from pure Silesian blood, and made it the most noted flock of the day. Mr. J. S. Cox is following on the same lines, and keeping up the high character of the sheep. There has been no introduction of foreign blood into these Broombee sheep for over thirty years. This ram is now two years old, and its wool is remarkable for its very pronounced Silesian character. When we consider the great density of its fleece the length of staple is very good, and is perfectly true and even. Mr. Cox's sheep have neither been housed nor fed artificially; and, although we have just experienced an unusually wet season, the wool is soft and in beautiful condition. The Broombee rams are noted for the impression they make even on inferior ewes; and this ram is a type of the breed it represents. The Goorianawa stud flock, to which this ram goes, bears a very high reputation for sheep cutting heavy fleeces of combing wool showing a great deal of character, and being founded on pure Mudgee blood, with all the best Mudgee characteristics of density, elasticity, and evenness. A very high-class ram bred at Collaroy has been used in this flock for seven years. Some rams of Broombee blood, purchased from Mr. Rouse, have also been used, and lately a ram used by Mr. Gatenby for some years, and bred by Mr. David Taylor. Mr. Fetherstonhaugh sells about 400 rams, and the Goorianawa clip averaged for some 300 bales of fleece wool 10¼d per lb in Sydney at the 1886 sales. The rams are fine large-framed sheep, showing a distinct type, and are remarkably uniform. They are very well covered, causing heavy fleeces of good combing wool, plenty of yolk, and a dark tip, well adapted to a hot, dry climate. Broombee will, we are sure, leave good results in the Goorianawa flock2
.