Departmental Activities. 21 



grootfontein, middelburg (cape). 



Special Sheep and Wool Course. — Mr. E. N. S. Warren, 

 Lecturer in Sheep and Wool, reports that the second sheep 

 and wool course was, if anything, even more successful than 

 that of the previous year. Like the former, it started in 

 April and finished in November. The number of students was limited 

 to thirteen (13) and two (2) apprentices, all of whom completed the 

 course, while the number of applicants for the course numbered 

 seventy-eight (78). The thirteen elected were those who passed 

 highest in the entrance examination. 



The course was conducted in the main by Messrs. Warren and 

 Mellet, who gave all the sheep and wool lectures, demonstrations, and 

 judging lessons; and those pertaining to animal nutrition, sheep dips 

 and their properties were given by Mr. A. Stead. The course 

 included also the histology of the wool and other textile fibres, 

 external and internal parasites affecting sheep, by Mr. Wahl ; the 

 principles of breeding, and foods and feeding, bv Mr. Cooke ; sheep 

 diseases, by Mr. Fourie ; and fodder crops, by Mr. Donkin. 



Whenever either Messrs. Mellet or Warren visited sheep breeders 

 to class or mate sheep, a few students accompanied them; in this way 

 every student was given an opportunity of seeing other studs and 

 flocks. 



During July all the students were taken by Mr. Mellet on a 

 circular tour among some of the leading stud breeders of the district, 

 where much useful knowledge was gained, as the students were given 

 every opportunity by the breeders to inspect their studs. The places 

 visited were : Onbekend (Max Von Below), Gordonville (R. P. 

 King well), Haartebeestefontein (H. A. Peterson), and Sunny dell (E. 

 Staples). Later on in the course the students were shown over those 

 well-known stud farms Hillmoor (F. W. Southey) and Waterfall 

 (H. L. Southey), in the Steynsburg district, and Grassdale (J. S. 

 Minnaar), in the Graaff-Eeinet district. The value of such visits is 

 very great, and we are indebted to all these breeders for their kind 

 hospitality and assistance in helping forward the education of the 

 special sheep students. Roderick's Bloemfontein ram sales were 

 also attended during the term. 



Towards the end of the course, first-hand knowledge was gained 

 of wool-selling conditions and methods of arriving at valuations, 

 among the wool brokers of Port Elizabeth, and one of the first stages 

 of manufacture was seen at Richardson's Wool Washeries ('Port 

 Elizabeth). The Produce Association of Port Elizabeth did every- 

 thing to ensure the success of the visit, both from the educational 

 and social aspect, and this under verv different circumstances to those 

 during the " boom " prices of last year. 



The final examinations were held early in November. Mr. G. J. 

 Schuurman examined the students in sheep judging, and set a written 

 paper in the theory of the subject. The results were most satis- 

 factory, as shown below :^ — 



First-class Diploma. — Wyche, C. R., Grahamstown ; Dirck, 

 A. E., East London; Rider, J. F. V., Graaff-Reinet ; Wessels, N. G., 

 Winburg, Orange Free State; Du Toit, T. A., Belfast, Transvaal; 

 De Wet; J. F., Cradock. 



Second-class Dijiloma. — De Zwaaii, C, Pretoria; Lipschitz, J., 

 Oudtshoorn; Hensley, A. E., Graaff-Reinet; Connock, C. 0., East 



