634 JOURNAL 01* THE iDBPARtMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



At the secoud crossing all classes mated the same way gave practically 

 the same proportionate results. The results obtained at a later mating, 

 when ewes were mated according to their class, quite different results 

 were obtained, namely, Africanders and black-head Persians gave 

 approximately 53 per cent, first class, and T^ainaquas 50 per cent. The 

 class of lamb they produced at the previous mating was also taken 

 into consideration. (Note. — When Mr. Thompson speaks of 

 Classes 1, 2, etc., in cross-breeding, he naturally does not mean that 

 the pelts in these classes are of the same standard or value as in the 

 corresponding classes used in judging pure-bred pelts. The practice 

 of having different standards for the different crosses appears to me 

 to be needless, and apt to give rise to confusion, and is not followed 

 at Grootfontein.) 



" It is, therefore, quite clear that classing the lambs and mating 

 the dams accordingly will lead to success, and it is quite certain that 

 if a certain amount of culling has been done the results would have 

 been still better. Tbis system also shows that Nam-iqua ewes may also 

 be used successfully provided rams of the necessary types and classes 

 are obtainable when required. 



'' For the above results three types of rams Avere used, namely, 

 very highly developed 'A,' good ' B,' and 'watered silk.' 'B' type 

 rams appear to do better on the Namaqua ewes than on the black-head 

 Persians, due probably to the fineness and softness of hair of the first- 

 named breed. 



" Owing to the limited number of ' A ' type I'ams, the following 

 suggestion is made: Use 'A' type of any class for at least the two 

 first crosses, then use a good ' B ' to increase the development of 

 the curl, then again use 'A ' and then 'B,' and so on. In all cases 

 the type of curl of the ewes to be mated should be taken into con- 

 sideration, and 'B' type .rams .should never be used on ewes which 

 showed signs of ' nigger ' curl as lambs. Such ewes should either be 

 culled or the ' nigger ' tendency eradicated in their lambs, and in these 

 lambs' progeny until a plain fourth class ' A ' or a ' watered silk ' is 

 obtained. In this way ' B ' rams could be used either for first crossing 

 or on third and fifth crosses. By 1hat time there should be con- 

 siderably more 'A' type rams, and 'B' could be done away with. 

 If careful mating and culling are exercised it is certain that high- 

 class lambs may be expected from the third cross upwards, equal and 

 better than many pure-bred lambs, always providing that pure-bred 

 ramb of superior quality are used. Taking* all things into considera- 

 tion, therefore, the safest, if not the most economic, line, to follow 

 is to use Africander or black-head Persian ewes and ' A ' type rams 

 throughout. This is especially recommended on farms where the 

 almost indispensable small camps required for mating small lots of 

 slieep are not available, for if the separate lots. are to be herded there 

 is almost certain to be some mixing up of the lots through the careless- 

 ness of herders. 



" Other experiments, such as the merino and heidschrucken 

 crosses, are of no consequence. In the former case the wool renders 

 the sheep unsuitable, the karakul being essentiallj^ a hairy sheep. 

 The heidschrucken gives fair results, especially in B, but, being a 

 foreign sheep, they would have to be imported, there being only about 

 six pure-bred ewes in the country. They are, besides, inferior lo the 

 Africander and black-head Persian as foundation stock.' 



