Oct. 2, 1920.] 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W, 



695 



Roscommon Sheep in Crossbreeding Trials* 



F. B. HINTON, Sheep and Wool Instructor. 



It is the practice of the Department to test the utility of the various British 

 breeds for crossbreeding purposes, and in accordance with this policy trials 

 with a Roscommon ram were commenced at Wagga Experiment Farm in 

 1918. Border Leicesters, which have proved so serviceable for crossbreeding 

 for a number of years, were used as a basis of comparison. 



The Roscommon as a breed originated in an Irish county in Connaught, 

 and appears to be one of the oldest known breeds in the British Isles. Culley 

 in his book " Observations on Livestock," in 1801, described the breed as 

 being the worst type of sheep he has ever seen. He states : — " It seems to 

 me that the breeders of the Roscommon have set out with the object of 

 obtaining all those points in a sheep which are undesirable." Professor Low 

 in his " Domesticated Animals of the British Isles," however, refers to the 

 improvement of the breed by crossing with the Border Leicester. 



In appearance the Roscommon is a tall, gaunt, unattractive animal — 

 rather heavier than the Lincoln, but with a less compact and less shapely 

 frame. The face and points are white and the skin pink, while the wool is 

 of a demi-lustrous type, approximating in spinning quality to the Border 

 Leicester and Romney Marsh, but not as attractive as either. 



Quite an amount of criticism was levelled at the Department for using a 

 ram of such ungainly appearance, but as the donor of the ram (Mr. W. W. 

 Kjllen) stated that the animal was a fair representative of the breed, the 

 trial was proceeded with. 



The following table shows the number of ewes mated and the lambs 

 marked : — 



Cross. 



Kwes 

 mated. 



Mating 

 period. 



Lambs. 



Ewes, 



Wetliers. 



Total 

 marked. 



Per cent, 

 marked. 



Roscommon x Merino 

 Border Leicester x Merino 



25 

 25 



days. 

 87 

 90 



,5 

 9 



12 



13 

 21 



52 



84 



The lambs were weighed four times during a period of five months and 

 the average weight at each weighing is presented in the following table : — 



