THE BASE OF THE CORRIEDALE BREED 
Fine combing Merino ewe, champion in show of that type at Christ Church, New Zealand, 1914. 
The Merino is the most important fine-wool breed of sheep at the present time, but is 
inferior in meat production to some other breeds. 
New Zealand breeders a generation ago 
undertook to produce a new breed, which should be valuable for both wool and mutton, 
and they proceeded by crossing heavier types of sheep on the Merino. The ewe here shown 
is probably about the same type as that used in this very successful experiment. 
the original parental types, in spite of 
the fact that there is not wanting 
evidence of contrary fesults. Since 
market demands for meat have brought 
the carcass side of the range ewe into 
greater prominence a few western range 
operators have made use of first cross 
rams representing the type they desired 
in their ewe flock. Owing largely to the 
uncertainty of tenure upon grazing land, 
arising from the absence of any govern- 
mental public land policy, very few 
range sheep raisers are equipped to mate 
their ewes in enough separate groups to 
permit adherence to a definite and 
constructive plan. Little information 
(Fig. 9.) 
can be obtained regarding the offspring 
of these cross-bred rams, and there has 
been practically no progress toward 
fixing the type of sheep that was at 
hand, seemed certain to continue in 
demand, and had not been perfected in 
America or Europe. 
In the Dominion of New Zealand 
however, sheep raisers of thirty years 
ago had met a condition and demand 
quite similar to that confronting western 
American pastoralists in more recent 
years. New: Zealand’s climatic and 
feed conditions are very favorable to 
the growth of a long stapled wool of 
fine spinning qualities. This fact, to- 
89 
