BUREAU OF ANIMAL, INDUSTRY. 213 



independently, and the arrangement with the station has been termi- 

 nated. The experiment will not be removed from the State of 

 Wj^oming. 



The methods of breeding have not been changed. Ewes that are 

 short in fleece are bred to a Delaine ram, which shears a 3-inch staple. 

 Ewes with folds or wrinkles on the neck are bred to a smooth-skinned 

 ram in order to produce lambs that will be smoother than their dams. 

 Ewes not especially well covered over the head and legs are bred to a 

 ram especially good in this respect. Small ewes are bred to one of 

 the largest rams. Ewes which show a tendency to coarseness of fleece 

 are bred to a very fine-fleeced ram. 



The lambing season the past spring was one of the best which we 

 have yet had. Two hundred and eighty-three lambs were dropped, 

 149 ewe lambs and 134 ram lambs. At the time of sending the ewes 

 and lambs to the range there were 243 lambs. Owing to the fact that 

 we have had two very poor crops of lambs, which was due largely to 

 the severe weather at lambing time on the range, it was decided last 

 winter to bring the ewes in to the experiment station for lambing. 

 This was done last spring, and the good lamb crop was the result. 



The breeding ewes averaged 105 pounds in weight at shearing time, 

 and sheared an average of 10.6 pounds of wool. The yearling ewes 

 weighed an average of 73.8 pounds and sheared 7.31 pounds. The 

 rams sheared an average of 14.2 pounds per head. The wool was 

 graded as follows: Twenty-six fleeces as fine, 240 fine medium, 79 

 medium, and 1 low medium. The ram fleeces were graded as 1 fine, 

 2 medium, and 5 fine medium. The condition of the wool was given 

 as follows: Sixty-two fleeces were in poor condition, 2 in very poor 

 condition, 130 in fair condition, and 129 in good condition. The 

 fleeces of the ewes averaged 2.27 inches in length. 



Ever since the acquisition of the INlorgan Horse Farm the idea has 

 been kept in mind that a flock of sheep should be maintained there for 

 their beneficial effect on the land, but principally to encourage New 

 England farmers to return to sheep raising. A few head of registered 

 Southdowns have been kept for some time, and last fall 30 ewes and a 

 buck were purchased from one of the best flocks in Canada. An old 

 barn has been rebuilt for a sheep barn and a shepherd engaged. Rams 

 will be sold during the early fall after they are 1 year old, and every 

 effort made to assist in building up the sheep industry of New 

 England. Last spring 32 ewes dropped 43 lambs. 



The flock of sheep at the Bureau Experiment Station at Bethesda, 

 Md., comprises 21 head of Delaine Merinos, 50 Barbados, 8 crossbred 

 Merino-Barbados, and 4 the progeny of crossbreds. The Delaine 

 Merinos will be used for some wool experiments during the coming 

 year. A number of Barbados ewes will be bred to a Southdown ram 

 for the production of early lambs. Owing to the fact that these CAves 

 are especially good milkers and will breed any time of the year, it 

 seems that they should be valuable for crossing with mutton rams for 

 the production of early lambs. 



At the present time the Bureau has a flock of 38 milch goats — 22 

 old does, 5 yearling does, 8 kids, and 3 bucks. During the past kid- 

 ding season we have not had very good results with the goats, as 26 

 of the 33 kids dropped had goiter. At the close of the fiscal year 18 

 does were being milked, and samples of the milk were being tested for 

 butter fat and subjected to chemical analysis. 



