BRITISH EAST AFRICA 187 



However, it is no place for a man without capital, all manual 

 labour being done by natives or Indian artisans. On the other 

 hand, it offers great attractions to the young man of moderate 

 means, and enterprising enough to grapple with new conditions. 



Sheep are of a very poor class, being mostly grades between 

 the native ewe, fat tailed, and the purebred Merino ram. Pure- 

 breds imported direct into the country do not do well, and 

 apparently it is not advisable to bring in high-priced rams, for 

 they deteriorate tremendously. A ram carrying a good dense 

 fleece, with good character and plenty of staple, will in twelve 

 months' time develop into a haggard-looking creature, with 

 short, hard, weak and altogether bad wool. If in a show a 

 £100 ram was awarded 95 points, and a £40 sheep secured 70, 

 then under similar conditions, and in a short space of time, they 

 will both be reduced to about 30 points. Again, should the 

 progeny of a high-priced ram be very good, it also seems to go 

 back later on. Therefore, at present, it is too early to pay high 

 prices for sheep. Some farmers have gone in for the purebred 

 Merinos, which were imported from South Africa, but, as com- 

 pared with the grades, they do not do well. The most favour- 

 able results are obtained from crossing the Merino ram with the 

 native ewe, for the mothers are acclimatised, having been in 

 the country many years, W'hich, of course, is a great advantage 

 to the offspring. Then, again, the Merino ram is crossed with 

 the halfbred, and so on until it is exceedingly difficult to distin- 

 guish a fourth cross from a half Merino. Stockowners have 

 not gone much further than this, for the sheep industry is still 

 in its infancy, but in those few instances where they have reached 

 the fifth and sixth cross, the owners are not well pleased, for 

 they say that the lambs are mostly very miserable and difficult 

 to raise. 



It is not surprising that sheep do not do well, for in the first 

 place good sheepmen are exceedingly few, whilst the conditions 

 under which sheep live are far from being desirable. The rule 

 is for one or two "boys" to herd a mob of about 1000 during 

 the day, and for one "boy" to watch them at night. The sheep 

 are generally put into "bomas" (brush yards) at night, and 

 unless these "bomas" are frequently changed, they get into a 

 filthy state. It is often the case that they are not renewed 

 as frequently as they should be, with the result that the sheep 

 have to camp on what is practically a manure heap. 



Three great things to contend with are disease, stealing, and 

 wild animals. There are many diseases from which sheep suffer. 



