334 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Oct., 1922. 



of 2G Blackhead Persians, 40 first-cross Suftolk-Persians, 25 tliird 

 and fourth cross Suff(dk-Persians, 23 Siilffdk-Merino cross; total, 114. 

 All of these ewes were mated with tAVo Suffolk rams, and were due 

 to lamb from 12th Aug-ust to 10th October. They were kept on veld 

 at Brakspruit Farm, seven miles from the Experimental Farm, ujilil 

 the 7th August, when, owing to the severe winter and shortage of 

 feed, they were shifted in to the Experimental Farm to lamb. It 

 will be noticed that this lambing was due before there was any 

 possible chance of spring feed being available on the veld. The ewes 

 were put on growing oats to lamb, but feed w^as very scarce before 

 they finished, which set back the older lambs very considerably. 



A very good percentage of lambs v.as dropjjed : 129 from the 

 114 ewes, and 12 ewes proved not in lamb. 



On 14th October they were put on the veld which had just begun 

 to show green, and on the 2Gth October they were moved back to 

 Brakspruit on to the thorn bush veld, and kept there all the suniiner 

 iintil the final weights were taken on 4th April, 1921. 



At the beginning of November the bont-legged ticks bega)i to 

 give trouble and continued to do so until early in March, with the 

 result that the lambs had to be well looked after and hand-dressed. 

 Where the ticks were was smeared with tick grease. Stockholm tax 

 and linseed oil was found useful, but Cooper's tick grease, as used 

 for smearing cattle, gave far better results, and is all that can be 

 desired. 



Dipping was done six times between 25tli ( )ctober and 4th April, 

 at intervals of about four wrecks, which helped to keep down the ticks 

 to a certain extent. The fact that the sheep had to travel backwards 

 and forwards seven miles each way was, of course, not likely to 

 improve their condition. 



The veld they were rurning' or was very Daclly infeste' with 

 bont-leg*ged ticks, more so than the average farm, and the sheep were 

 used partly as scavengers with a view to reducing the number of ticks. 

 These conditions cannot by any means be called ideal, all of which 

 proves the value and hardiness of the cross-bred. 



From the time the lambs were dropped, until they were two 

 months old, they had at alternate weekly intervals a salt lick 

 comprised of one part Cooper's powder to forty parts salt supplied 

 to them. After the age of two months and at intervals of four weeks 

 all the lambs were dosed once with the laboratory wire-worm powder, 

 which effectually kept worms at a minimum and thereby very much 

 assisted in the final results as regards the condition and health of the 

 animals. 



On 9th November all the lambs, before being shorn, were 

 weighed for the first time at the average age of about two months. 



Table of Dates and Weights. 



9th November, 1920. 



Age : nine weeks 

 First Cross: ;H8 lb. 

 Second Cross : 40j lb. ... 

 Third, Fourth, and Merino 

 Crosses 



16th Dec, 1920 19th Jan., 1921. 16th Feb., 1921. 4th April, 1921. 



14^ weeks old 

 52 lb. 

 56i lb. 

 Later dropped 



19^ weeks old 

 62 lb. 

 63^ lb. 



23i weeks old 

 68 lb. 

 70i lb. 



of experiment 



lambs unweished at the start 



27 weeks old 

 ^0 lb. 

 85 lb. 



77 lb. 



