A NEW BREED OF SHEEP.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3738, 24 September 1886, Page 3

A NEW BREED OF SHEEP.

According to recent papers from Victoria, a new breed of. sheep has beeu filed by Mr Dennis, of Tarwan court, near Birregurra. Although this gentleman had a strong natural predilection for puro Morino sheep of the highest type, he found that tho soil was too rich and tho climate too nioiat, to permit pure Merino sheep to be kept m health. He was therefore compelled to turn his attention to long-wooU, or to cheep possessing ft considerable proportion of long-woolled blood. After repeated crossing and recrosaing ho arrived about four years ago at what was generally considered to be a perfoct type of wool. This was the result of o cross between a puro Merino ram and solccted live-eighths Lincoln and three-eighths Merino ewes. The wool was sold nt (Jeelong, aud realised one shilling and threeponco fnrthing m tho grease for America. Up to that timo Mr. Dennis had used none but puro Lincoln or pure Merino sires with the cross-bred ewes, a% it was always, and is still gonerally, considered that it is not safe to use crossbred sire 9. But tho use of pure Merino of pure Lincoln rams with cross-bred ewos necessitated bo many different flocka being iopt, and made the clip consist of so many different types of wool, that Mr Dennis determined to try to fix the type which was so universally admired and with this object selected a few of tho most promising of tho young male " come back " Bheep for use as sires, with ewes of precisely the same cross as themselves. In 18S3 the proj;eny of these sheep were shorn as lambs, and m 1884 as two-tooths. Owing to the sheep having beon reared under favourable circumstances, however, the result of the 01---periment did not appear very satisfactory, and it was generally considered that another proof had been afforded of the alleged fact that tho stock of cross bred siros must deteriorate. Fortunately, however, the clip of 1885 was grown under more favourable circumstances and the experiment is now regarded as encouraging. About half the flock now consists of in-and-in bred sheep, the progeny of the selected sires, and the wool shows not the slightest deterioration. It is, therefore, hoped that the new breed may show itself to bo fixed m character.