SHEEP BREEDING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6315, 16 September 1907, Page 3

SHEEP BREEDING

EOMNET VEESUS LINCOLNS. A Hawke's Bay sheepfarmer declared to the writer the other day that many eheopbreeders in his district who had given np the Lincoln in favour of the omney were going back to the Lincoln for one cross. They declare they have lost on an average 21b a head in the weight of fleece since thev g*av© up using Lincoln rams. On the other hand, however, they admit they can carry more Romney sheep to the acre, .and in granting this they 'discount their contention m favour of the Lincoln. If more Romneys can bo carried to the acre, then the returfa per acre is greater than that from the Lincoln, not only for wool, but also for carcase. It may bo argued*that by using only on© cross of the Lincoln the fleece of the flock will be improved without the chief Romney characteristic l : being affected; but it may b© argued with as much reason that if the introduction of one strain of Lincoln blo^ l will effect an improvement in the weight of wool it will also introdnee undesirable characterise s of the Lincoln breed, such, for ini mo©, as a less vigorous constitution than the Romnev. It would h* interesting to know if 'those r breeders who are disappointed with the weight fleece of their Romneys, and cannot see that it is the return per acre and nrl the return per sheep wherein their profit lies, have endeavoured to raise the weight by selecting good-woolled Romney rams. Of course, there is the danger in fol’ wing this line of breeding that f’ breeder will neglect constitution in leair© to improve the fleece; and it in this very thing which is lowering th-* of the New Zealand Romnev, No permanent improvement can be SUTTON’S SEEDS.

ellected in either the fleece or the carcase unhurt it is baM‘d on a *tK>ng constitution. Sije-.-pf ai men? should be warned again.-T introducing foreign blood - • > their Hocks. No bieui can excel at every };<j;nt. and it is ridiculous to that by crossing two dissimilar types all tha desirable qiuJitU'o of both ram and ewe can b* s<s itnd in the progeny and all the undesirable qualities eliminate.i. The gicat fault in tmeep breeding operations in this country is tiie inclinalio„ to continually change the breed and the line of breedimr instead of selecting the bleed suited for the special cl:; and environment, and wora to a fixed ideal, ft is a duigerou/s tiling to inter* fere with nature in a minor degree, but to fly in its race and attempt to upc-ot the work of generations can. only spoil disappointment.