170 Western Live-stock Management 



a sheep known as the three-quarter-bred. The three- 

 quarter-bred ewe has a coarser fleece than the half-bred 

 but somewhat finer than the long-wooled ram. These 

 ewes are, therefore, mated to a Merino ram. The off- 

 spring of this mating is known as the first come-back and 

 has a fleece of a finer staple than the regular half-bred. 

 The first come-back mated to a pure-bred Merino ram 

 produces the fine or second come-back, a sheep which 

 closely approaches the Merino. The process ends at this 

 point and the fine come-back ewe is bred to a good mutton 

 ram and the progeny all sold for mutton, none of the ewe 

 lambs being retained for breeding purposes. 



One might at first think that this ewe would serve for 

 a long-wooled cross again, but as a result of her mixed 

 breeding her offspring will be very irregular and con- 

 tinued zigzag breeding will finally result in a run-out stock. 

 It is an established fact that one cannot repeat this cross- 

 breeding process and be successful. On the contrary, 

 it is necessary to go back to pure-bred Merino stock 

 every few years, and experience has shown that the fine 

 come-back is as far as the cross-breeding can be profitably 

 continued and that deterioration is very rapid after this 

 point is passed. The system described is not used to a 

 great extent in this country, but during the last few 

 years has attracted considerable attention on account of 

 its success in Australia and New Zealand. An objection 

 raised to it by the range-men is that a breeder would have 

 to have several bands and that one man would not be able 

 to handle it. This objection hardly holds, since it is only 

 during the breeding season that separation is necessary. 

 A man not sufficiently experienced to tell the ewes of va- 

 rious stages could use the following system of identifica- 

 tion. Pure-bred Merino ewes, the half-bred ewes, and the 



