4i8 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [aug., 



to show that the mineral phosphates are likely to be well worth 

 attention in the problem of swede manuring. 



Live Stock. 



Fecundity of Sheep (Royal Agric. Coll., Cirencester, Scientific 

 Bull. No. 2, 1910). — It is generally held that, in the case of animals 

 having usually one or two young at a birth, the disposition to bear 

 twins is hereditary, and this work has for its object the investigation 

 of the point in the case of sheep. In July, 1909, twelve pedigree 

 Oxford Down twin theaves were purchased, six from mixed twins, 

 and the other six from ewe twins. (In this report the three kinds of 

 twins are spoken of as (1) ram twins, i.e., both male; (2) ewe twins, 

 i.e., both female; (3) mixed twins, i.e., one of each sex.) In the 

 autumn these theaves were put to a pedigree Oxford Down ram twin, 

 and lambs were dropped as follows : — 



Lot I.— Mixed Twin Ewes 9 lambs from 6 ewes, including 2 pairs of 



(1 ewe died after lambing) mixed twins and I of ewe twins. 



Lot II. — Ewe Twins 5 lambs from 5 ewes. No twins. 



The next season, with the same ram and ewes, the results were : — 



Lot I. — Mixed Twin Ewes 9 lambs from 5 ewes, including 3 pairs of 



mixed twins and I pair of ewe twins. 

 Lot II. — Ewe Twins 6 lambs from 6 ewes. No twins. 



All the twins were borne by the ewes from mixed twins, and the 

 ewe twins nearly all produced ram lambs. The experimental flock is 

 too small, however, and the results so far obtained too few, to justify 

 more than very tentative conclusions. 



Breeding from Ewes at an Early Age (Jour. South-Eastern Agric. 

 Coll., No. 19, 1910). — The object of this experiment is to find to what 

 extent breeding from ewe tegs (i.e., tupping at seven months instead 

 of at one year and seven months) may be carried on without appreciably 

 reducing the size, vigour, and constitution of the ewes. From the 

 results in 1909 it was calculated that the production of a lamb in the first 

 year entailed a loss of 5s. Sd. on the ewe, compared with those that 

 were not bred from. In November, 1909, the same two lots of ewes 

 were mated with a Southdown ram iamb, i.e., both lots were twenty 

 months old; one lot was mated for the second time, and the other 

 lot for the first time. Forty-three ewes gave birth to. fifty-four lambs, 

 three ewes being barren. All the lambs did well, and there was no notice- 

 able difference between those from the two lots of ewes. The weighing 

 in 19 10 took place on September 8th — seven weeks earlier than in the 

 year before, as both lots were sold at the autumn sales. Owing to 

 this there was an all-round decrease in weight compared with 1909, a 

 decrease that is much greater in the case of the ewes that had only 

 been bred from once, although these still remained ahead of the others 

 in average weight. At this time (thirty months) the average live 

 weight of the ewes that had had two lambs was 101 lb., and of those 

 that had had one 110*7 There was thus a difference, owing to the 

 lamb in the first year, of 9*3 lb. At 4<3. per lb. this would be worth 

 35. id., and the loss of 5s. Sd. in the first year was reduced to that 

 amount. 



Insect and Fungus Pests. 

 Potato Spraying with Woburn Bordeaux Paste (Jour, of Dept. of 

 Agric. and Tech. Instruc. for Ireland, Vol. xi., No. 3, April, 1911).^ 



