Choosing a Breed. 45 



climate, and there are comparatively few such in New 

 Zealand, is by establishing on suitable soil the deep 

 rooting lucerne, but no methodical attempt has so far 

 been made in this direction in New Zealand. 



The dual purpose of wool and mutton is a main 

 feature in sheep farming, and after it is seen that the 

 land is of a nature that it is not more profitable and 

 suited for cattle farming or cereal growing, the next 

 best thing is to look for the best ada.pted breed of 

 sheep, or cross. Reviewing the prominent breeds in- 

 dividually it is seen that the Lincoln, pre-eminently a 

 great wool sheep with mutton qualities of a high order 

 for crossing its fatness and size must be toned down 

 to suit the consumers taste, and the Merino blood does 

 this must have the best of pasture and conditions. 

 Neither will the Lincoln nor a cross containing much of 

 its blood succeed where the land is rough and pasture 

 scanty. It is an easy country animal, and the easy 

 country must have a fair rainfall to provide sufficient 

 succulent food. Scouring a poor pasture of rough land 

 with a heavy fleece carried on a heavy carcase could not 

 be expected to uphold the animal's constitution. There 

 would be no economy of purpose with regard to either 

 mutton or wool results. Heavier the sheep is more need 

 there is for favourable conditions, for it is a liberal food 

 supply that has made a heavy breed heavy, and good 

 feed grows on good, rich land, and sheep cannot succeed 

 and be profitable on land foreign to what their forbears 

 were accustomed to. The Leicester is not so heavy nor 

 carries such a load of wool, but the conditions also must 

 be good, for the Leicester is the purest bred longwool 

 sheep, and purity of blood always means a certain fine- 

 ness or delicacy of constitution requiring favourable 

 conditions. 



The Border Leicester is of more robust constitution, but 

 the environment chosen for it is of a favourable class, 

 for it makes good use of such by rapid maturity, and 



