A New Breed of Sheep.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1898, 18 October 1886, Page 3

A New Breed of Sheep.

According to re ** o4 P»P« ra fro™ Victoria' a now brood of shot ** baa boon fixed by Mr Donnio, of TarwancOOrt, near Birregarra. Although this gentleman '**4 * ** ron ß natural predilection for pure Mei ’n° sheep of the bigbeat type, he found that the *°d was too rich and the climate too moiet to' permit pure Merino eheep to be kept in health. H® w&8 therefore eompelled to turn hie attention to long wool, or to eheep poeeeeemg a consider* able proportion of longrwooled blood. After repeated creating and re-croeaing, he arrived about four yeara ago at wbat waa generally considered to be a perfect type of wool. Thia waa the reanlt of a eroaa between a pore Merino ram and selected five-eighth a Lincoln and three-eight Merino ewe. The wool waa told at Geelong, and realised one shilling and threepence farthing in the grease lor America. Up to that time Mr Dennis had used none but pure Lincoln or pure Merino airea with the crossbred ewes, se it was slway*, and is still generally, considered that it is not safe to cross-bred sires. But the nee of pore Merino or pare Lincoln ratnr with crossbred ewes neorssitated so many different flocks being kept, and made the clip eonaiat of ao many different types of wool, that Mr Dennis determined to fix the type which was ao universally admired, and with this object selected a few of the most premia, tog of the young male “ come back ” sheep lor the use of airee, with ewes of precisely the tame cross as themselves. In 1883 the progeny of these sheep were shorn as lambs, sod in 18a4 as two-tooths. Owing to U, a sheep having been reared under unfavor* cireomatancea, however, the result of the ex l^ ri * neD ‘ did not appear satisfactory, ißd Wl> 'e generally considered that another proof had u.' en *® or^et * °* the alleged fact that the stock of < .'* M *br®d sires musk deteriorate. Fortunately, ho w * r - ,he cli P o( 1885 waß grewa under mo.** f»r° r »ble cireumstaDces, and the experiment is now regarded as encouraging. About half the flock now cooaista of in and.in bred sheep, the progeny of the selected sues, and U*® wool shows not the slightest deterioration. If ' 8 i therefore, hoped that the new breed show itsell to be fixed in character.