ANIMAL INDUSTRY 429 



gress at Onderstepoort (Du Toit, Malan, Groenewald and Botha 

 1935). The results of experiments to determine the effect of nutri- 

 tion and season on the secretion of wool-fat and suint in merino 

 sheep are given in a paper by F. N. Bonsma and J. S. Starke 

 (1934). The results of crossing merino ewes with four English 

 breeds, the Romney Marsh, Border Leicester, Ryeland, and Dorset 

 Horn, with a view to obtaining half-bred ewes for fat lamb pro- 

 duction are outlined by Bonsma (1936). Breeding experiments 

 and work on the characteristics of wool fibres are also conducted 

 at Stellenbosch, Grootfontein, Ermolo, Potchefstroom, and Onder- 

 stepoort. Karakal sheep have proved their value in dry country, 

 particularly in South-West Africa, where they saved many farmers 

 during the economic crisis, and in view of the similarity of climate 

 and conditions in certain parts of Bechuanaland, an attempt is 

 being made to establish this industry in that Protectorate. 



In the Kenya highlands, there are now well over 200,000 

 woolled sheep, mostly merino, and 9,000 cwt. of wool were ex- 

 ported in 1929. Although pure breeds can thrive in some parts, it 

 appears that a proportion of native blood leads to better breeding 

 and greater profits. It is proposed to experiment on the production 

 of fat lambs, using a Southdown ram on merino or Romney Marsh 

 ewes. Here the main question will be that of suitability of different 

 types of pasture and whether there is need to grow special feed 

 in order to obtain lambs of the right weight and condition within 

 five months of birth. 



The natives of East Africa are considerable sheep owners: in 

 particular, the Masai of Tanganyika herd immense flocks on the 

 higher ground. Many of these sheep are haired, resembling the 

 Karakal in type; others are of the Persian black-haired type, while 

 many are nondescript. There can be no doubt of the value of this 

 indigenous stock in the development of an economic industry in a 

 country possessing so many areas suitable for small stock. A prob- 

 lem is, therefore, to produce low-grade woolled sheep suitable for 

 native pastoral areas. Here the artificial insemination, mentioned 

 above in the case of cattle, will be valuable, because the technique 

 has proved particularly easy in the case of sheep. In Tanganyika, 

 the veterinary department received a grant from the Colonial 

 Development Fund to investigate the possibility of raising woolled 



