664 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [nov., 



successful cross in 1908 was the Kerry Hill. The lambs of this cross 

 fattened so readily that 80 per cent, of them were included in the first 

 sales. The advantage usually gained by early fattening was very 

 marked in that year, as prices suffered such a drop after the beginning 

 of August that lambs became almost unsaleable. In point of weight 

 the lambs of the Kerry Hill cross were almost equal to the heaviest of 

 the other crosses. The Dorset Horned cross reached heavier weights 

 than any of the others, but did not fatten so readily as in the previous 

 year. It is considered that better results with this cross would be 

 obtained on land superior to that at Madryn. 



Sheep Breeding Experiments (Northumberland C.C., Guide to 

 Expts. for 1909). — The results obtained in the four years, 1904-7, by 

 using an Oxford Down ram and a Border-Leicester ram on half-bred 

 ewes are compared. Professor Gilchrist concludes that, so far as the 

 production of fat lambs is concerned, the Oxford Down ram has given 

 slightly better results than the Border-Leicester ram, while when the 

 lambs were kept till they were shearlings the Border-Leicester ram 

 has been distinctly superior. 



Expts. with Sheep (Cumberland and Westmorland Farm School, 

 Twelfth Annual Report, 1908). — A comparison was made between lambs 

 of the Border-Leicester— Black-faced, and the Wensleydale — Black- 

 faced crosses. Twenty good store lambs of each cross were purchased 

 and placed on swedes in December. After two months' feeding on 

 similar quantities of swedes, hay, linseed cake, and oats, they were all 

 fat, the Wensleydale cross having gained 256 lb., and the Border- 

 Leicester 282 lb. The disposition to fatten was therefore slightly in 

 favour of the latter, but the Wensleydale fetched about gd. a head more. 



As regards crossing for fat lambs, cross-bred ewes were put to 

 Border-Leicester and to Oxford Down rams, and the lambs got by 

 the Oxford Down ram matured quicker and sold at a better price than 

 those by the Border-Leicester ram. 



Foreign and Colonial Experiments. 



Milking-Machine Experiments (Wisconsin Agricl. Expt. Stn. Bull. 

 173). — Recent investigations and improvements in milking-machines 

 have attracted attention among dairymen in America owing to the 

 need of some method for reducing the labour of milking. Careful tests 

 have therefore been carried out at the Wisconsin Expt. Stn. to determine 

 the efficiency, economy, and influence of the milking-machine both as 

 used experimentally and by practical dairymen. These trials were made 

 with the Burrell-Lawrence-Kennedy milker for 20 months with 29 cows 

 in the University herd. Forty separate trials were made, and cows were 

 milked continuously by the machine for periods of from 4 to 62 weeks, 

 or an average of 26 weeks. 



The effect and efficiency of machine-milking on the cows was in 

 general beneficial, most of the cows standing well, and showing little 

 shrinkage when the change of hand to machine-milking was made, 

 with practically the same average decrease in production as when 

 hand-milked. Comparison with preceding periods of hand-milking for 

 the same cows showed approximately the same average production. 

 Stripping by hand after machine-milking was found, however, necessary 

 in some cases. 



