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Mr. W. Heape. 



wider knowledge of the racial character of fertility among sheep might 

 exercise considerable influence on the survival of certain breeds in the 

 future. Just as the number of Long-horn cattle is rapidly becoming 

 reduced in this country on account of the length of time they require 

 to come to maturity and fatten, so the low fertility of Southdowns if 

 it cannot be increased may lead to the retention of that breed in the 

 hands of only a few special breeders. 



The following account is a brief abstract of information obtained 

 from 397 sheep breeders who have supplied me with records of flocks 

 containing 122,673 ewes for the breeding season of 1896-97. Table IV 

 records certain particulars of eight pure breeds separately, and of ten 

 pure breeds jointly (" Various Pure Breeds " ; details of only a small 

 number of flocks were supplied for each of these ten breeds). These 

 are totalled, particulars of fifty-nine flocks of various cross-bred sheep 

 subjoined, and the totals for all breeds finally arrived at. 



Besides the figures contained in Table IV, other statistics were sup- 

 plied regarding the age of rams and ewes, the size of breeding flocks, 

 the proportions of rams and ewes therein, the usual and the highest 

 percentages of barrenness experienced, &c. To this were added remarks 

 on the food given to rams and ewes at specified times, on their condi- 

 tion during the breeding season, on various methods of management of 

 breeding flocks, and on numerous views regarding matters which are 

 supposed to influence fertility, abortion, and barrenness amongst ewes ; 

 finally particulars of districts, subsoils, and weather were noted, and the 

 subject considered statistically from all these various points of view for 

 each breed. 



The variation in the numbers of flocks and of ewes concerned in the 

 various calculations for each breed (see Table IV) is due to the inability 

 of all flock-masters to supply the whole of the information asked for in 

 the schedule, which, by the kindness of the Eoyal Agricultural Society, 

 was distributed to them, and is not due to my selection of flocks. 



Fertility. 



It is to be noted the number of lambs returned does not always repre- 

 sent the number born ; that information, although asked for, was not 

 always forthcoming and sometimes the number of lambs alive when 

 the schedule was filled up was given instead. The percentage of twins 

 given is, however, a check on this element of error, and in the follow- 

 ing account the columns under " lambs " and " twins," Table IV, are 

 considered together. The error is most apparent in the Hampshire 

 Down, Oxford Down, Dorset Horn and Lincoln breeds ; in the other 

 four breeds, in whiah the records have been most carefully kept, the 

 Suffolk, Shropshire, Kent and Southdown breeds, their fertility is 

 demonstrated to be a racial character. 



