AN OBJECT FOR SHEEP MEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 32, 1 November 1907, Page 2

AN OBJECT FOR SHEEP MEN.

: HOW A SQUATTER, VIEWS ,IT.. ;.; :Y ,■ "Why not'breed.for..,twins?!'..i -,•.•■-. ;-v.was'the query suggested ■to. one of our farming reporters yesterday by a young'but experienced sheep ■ V .••.■' i 'f''>' -;>- ':I'lf some ono were to take in Hand and successfully accomplish tho task of creating a strain of sheep that invariably bore twins ?.'.' he, pursued-—-"■-■; ■■■ : - ;"■ ■;.'■''.

'!0r /triplets?" , murmured the scribe. , ','., , '"No—twins" repeated the expert. "We' don't want triplets. Triplets ..are. always weeds; :A' single lamb, f 'always , gets'.first to the butchers, ■ but twins are generally: pretty : fair too. -If somebody were to do , that, he would accomplish something;good'."v.-'i" ■:■;'•■? -"Try it." ( ,■/,:■ , . ■ ; \, ~-.. ><■■■ ■:.•■ ; "Well, I don't, know that it:will be' very■ easy.. It might take a lot of "years of breod- , ing to* make any progress." , .".You. say the single lambs get first"to the '.butckor.'s?' '■■. suggested' the• journalist: . ■ "Qui'tb. true."' ■ ; , .:; _ ........ ~ . . ; "And" I suppose the'twins' go next?"•:'. '..'. ; "Youare'gubssing'marvellously well. , ''. . "Then breed consistently Vfroiu' the, rest— the triplets— atid you'll—" . " .' . .'■'■'.'..:,. •: '-'Get a'crop of weeds," said.the man of the. soil,-snappishly: ''\ ; .' • /, ■ i "Well , nowjlwhat' doing, anyway .to increase your' lambing? ' Suppose you make a starti" ' . ' ; ' ' '.' ~;.-.■ ■■ "Wo have." , ' I'HOW?" ~;.'.. , •■, ■<:.■> ■ ■■■-■'..■ "V ' "We'rp using Southdown sires on our Lin-coln-Romney cross. They tend more to produce multiple births. We have, this season, the best, average in our district,as' we nearly always : havo." '■■ .; ' ; . : :.• .■ . - "Here's a. theory for you:.' Have the ewes' in good condition at breeding time, and ■you'll get more twins and triplets:' How do you liko that ?";.v, ; ,;j r"": "Nothing in it. Some 'pebplo say 'have tho owos fat,' and others say 'havo them thin. ,, .Some, again, think, an-old ram..produces, a more evon effect than a young one. But, ■all I,ask for is a black-faced siro. Then; you' know, if there is a pool of .water anywhere handy tho ewe will be sure.-to drop her lamb in it. If it's rainy weather, and there's no shelter and the lamb doesn't dry, it's doomed. Oucp get a lamb dry, and the Tain can do'it',no" more harm. So give mo a blackfaced sire, .a paddock without .pools, ' and plenty of stumps for the lambs to shelter behind, and I'll keep up the increase all right' in my littlo lot." . ~■• • ~.