130 



Jounutl of Agnculture, Victoria. [10 March, 1916. 



took place in January, 1915, with the following six rams: — Lincoln, 

 Border Leicester, Suffolk, Dorset Horn, Shropshire, and Southdown. 



During the first year fifty ewes were used in each section, whilst 

 forty were used in the second and third years. 



All the ewes were branded and tagged to avoid any possible errors 

 before being joined with the rams. A typical flock ram of each of the 

 above breeds was selected with the object of preserving comparative 

 uniformity in each section of the trials. 



Mating and Gestation Period. 



In the third week of January of each year the rams were joined with 

 the ewes in each group of sheep and placed in equal and separate pad- 

 docks; but in order to secure equality of feeding the sheep were moved 

 from paddock to paddock in regular rotation during the season of mat- 

 ing. The rams were drawn after a period of ssven weeks from the 

 time of joining; the six separate lots of ewes were boxed and pastured 

 together until a fortnight before lambing, when they were drafted ac- 

 cording to brands and ear tags, and again placed in separate paddocks 

 for the lambing season. 



Lambing Percentages. 



Lambing usually started in late June and early July, and from 

 Table No. 1 it will be S3en that both breed and season show influences 

 on the lambing percentages : — 



Table No. I. 

 Lambing Percentages. 



Breed of Ram. 



Lincoln 



Border Leicester 



Englisli Leicester 



Dorset Horn 



Shropsliire 



Soutlidowii 



Suflfollc* . . 



Not in Experiment 1913 and 1914. t Not mated 1915. % Average for two years. 



There were a number of lambs lost each season ; the heavy mortality 

 in the first year may be attributed to the bleak conditions, absence of 



