(536 Journal of the Department op Agriculture. 



stated as to which grade is best. Instances are on record where 

 three-quarter-bred rams gave better lambs than either the seven- 

 eighths or fifteen-sixteenths; while others -were very little better than 

 the original foundation ewes, except for a little colour. In no case 

 has a lamb by a cross-bred ram been as good as one by a pure-bred 

 ram from the same ewe. Examination of stock where farmers have 

 been using" cross-bred rams for several crossing's liave shown very 

 unsatisfactory results as far as the covering' is concerned, althoug'h 

 there is an improvement in carcass." 



Progress of Cross-breeding in vSouth-West Africa. 



"Outside the Government sheep or flocks very little is known 

 regarding" the progress in quality of fur excepting" on the farms in 

 the neighbourhood of the Government Stud Farm. Further than that 

 pure karakul rams are still in good demand, and are bought more or 

 less by breeders of long" standing". T\ew breeders are, however, added 

 to the list at almost every sale. The fact that the older breeders 

 repeatedly come back to make further purchases should suffice to 

 show that they have confidence in the future of the breed. In spite 

 of being" unable to dispose of the pelts for practically the last five 

 years they are still spending money on them. Gn the uiajority of 

 farms yet visited it is found that very little is done to establish any 

 particular type of curl, and on many not even the grade is distin- 

 guished by any mark. Indiscriminate mating is found on every farm, 

 irrespective of class, grade, or type of either ram or ewe. So long 

 as a ram is pura he is bought and used. Odd breeders ascei-tain the 

 type or class and endeavour to purchase on the same line. Grading 

 with cross-bred rams has been largely done, and the results outside 

 the mutton point of view, as already mentioned, are anything but 

 satisfactory." 



Cross-breeding at the Grootfontein School of 

 Agriculture. 



The object in view in undertaking the cross-breeding experiments, 

 or, rather, the grading-up experiments, at this institution were two- 

 fold : (a) To determine wliich of the easily procurable classes of ewes 

 in the Union would be most suitable for pelt-breeding, and (b) whether 

 karakul rams could with advantage be used for obtaining" bigger and 

 heavier sheep for mutton purposes, using- the same ewes as in («i), 

 and whether the covering of the adult grade sheep would have any 

 commercial value. 



With these objects in view the following types of foundation 

 ewes were purchased; (1) Blackhead Persians (see Plate 15); 

 (2) j^amaquas (see Plate 16) ; (3) low-grade woolled Persians (see 

 Plate IT)" (4) high-grade v.^oolled Persians (see Plate 18); (5) a few 

 ewes graded from merinos by pure v.'oolled Pei'sian rams (see Plate 19). 



Unfortunately we did not then possess the knowledge we now have 

 about the relative values of A and B type rams, and the use of any 

 pure-bred rams available has introduced some undesirable features 

 into the first crosses, i.e. half-bred karakuls, in the first two years of 

 the experiment. Since then only high quality A-type rams have 

 beeii used. 



