NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

It may be of interest to lamb-breeders in this colony to know the Lanb-fcreeding result of some experimental Crosses, work in thi3 connection

that has been carried out on a State farm in New South Wales. Four creeses were tried — namely, Romney-me-rino, Shropshire-merino, Lincoln-merino, and Suffolk-merino. The lambs are now nearly six months old, and a good comparison can be made as to the merits of* the four different crosses. According to a report in the Leader, a competent visitor ihuß describes the various crosses. For weight, he says, the Suffolk-merino come first, and give the impression that they put on fleah very fast and attain great eize, the live weight of the Suffolk ram on the farm being 2601b. Tbe Suffolk does not rank as a good wool sheep, but it is said that the wool on these Suffolkmerino lambs is of a good, useful kind. The quality of the meat, however, is not first class, and; that is a serious drawback to lambs bred for export.

The next cross inspected was the Shrop-shire-merino. These are promising-look-ing lambs — shapely, even in eize, and even in quality of fleece, the wool being more valuable than that of the Suffolk cross, but in size and weight the Shropshire cross came second to the Suffolk cross.

The Romney-merino lambs were somewhat larger than the Shropshire-merino, but their meat was not co good. In wool they excel the last mentioned, and the lambs are probably more hardy. The lambs from the Lincoln-merino oros« were the biggest of all, though they would not weigh as much as the Suffolk-merinos. They appeared to be uneven . in shape and condition, but the fleece is said to De undoubtedly the most valuable of tbe lot. Both the Lincoln and Romney crosses were deficient in the shape and fulness of the

hind legs, the* Down Crosses being superior in that respect. To turn up, it appears that the distinctive points of the crosses mentioned are similar in Australia to what we find here. Taking the merino ewe as the basis, the Suffolk ram* imparts size and plenty of flesh, but both flesh and wool are secondrate. The Shropshire ram produces a smaller and lees meaty lamb than the Suffolk, but of a better shape, ahd more even in size and also in quality of fleece. The Romney, as all who nave tried them know, produces well-grown lambs and a good fleece, but there is not the same tendency to put on flesh while growing. The same applies to the Lincoln, which is apt to go to size instead of meat, and are often deceptive to the eye when tried by the hand. The fact of the matter is that there is no breed or cross of sheep which is perfect in every respect, but we in New Zealand find that in producing lambs for export it is the amount and quality of meat that tells. This year the price of lamb per pound has been rising steadily all through the season, • but I have carefully noted that though the rise has been chiefly due to the increasing' amount of wool on the skine, the same price per lb for the lamb has been given an all case 3 irrespective of the breed or quality of the wool. While on this subject I may state that a contributor to the Australasian has a good deal to cay in favour of the Romney breed as a suitable sheep for poor country. He had been visiting a property in N.SLW. where the land was poor, and of course the herbage inferior, and he says that the Romneys will thrive wherever a goat can make a living. They are less particular about their feed than other English breeds. He said they will even keep the briars down when once they have been stubbed to the surface. The sheep nibble off the young shoots till the briar gives in and die 3 out.

The latest idea about tuberculosis comes from Germany, where some Yflfeinatlitf scientists have announced

Cattle. that tuberculosis can be prevented by vaccinating young calves just as young children are vaccinated as a safeguard against virulent smallpox. I suppose it is pretty generally known that the object in vaccinating children is to set up a mild and harmless form of smallpox, and that passes off and leaves the person immune from infection for a considerable period. It is now said that, after some years of experimenting, it has been found that the bacilli which. oaiu?3 tuberculosis in cattlo are of two kinds of strength, some being mild and some severe. That being ,<o, it is suggested that calves can be vaccinated with some of the bacilli of a mild and harmless form, with the result that the disease will be set up in a feeble form, and pass off again, leaving the bea-st immune from severe attack in later life. In an article on this subject in the last Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Professor M'Fadyean says that " the results of the experiments appear to justify the assertion that we have now at our command a comparatively safe an«l inexpensive method of vaccinating cattle against tuberculosis." A leading English paper says that it seems to be clear that science has at last got on to a line of investigation which is destined to be of imaiuable service in mitigating the ravages of tuberculosis It ie stated that the mild kind of bacilli are obtained from various sources, such as tuberculous fowls, and grown in artificial cultures until required. It is not stated, however, over what period the immunity in cattle will exist* and it is possible ' that vaccination will have to be repeated more than once. AGRICOLA. /