BREEDING BACK TO MERINO.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2992, 27 January 1881, Page 4

BREEDING BACK TO MERINO.

Over the signature of " C. M." a Timarn correspodent writes as follows in a Canterbury contemporary in reference to breeding back to merino, or what he terms " a negative cross » .—« The first lot of sheep bred in this way that came under my notice was in 1873. Mr Walter Miller, of Mount Stuart, near Tokomairiro, Otago, sent a draft of sheep to the Dunedin yards for sale ; and in the course_of classing (which duty I had to perform) 1 observed, among what I at first took to be a lot of merino whethers, a sheep with a clean white face, not quite so much wool on the leg as the merino, with a longer and deeper body, and far more symmetrical in shape. On further examining the flock, I found about half consisted of such sheep as I have described, and in consequence divided them into two lots, still thinking them all merinos, the difference -while they remained together being so slight. -But after being put through the race and placed in adjoining pens the difference was far more apparent, and then l> for the , first time thought there was Ibng wool blood in them. Mr Miller arrived 1 at the yards before the sale, and on' my enquiring what sort he had got! here (taking him to one of the pens of sKeep under discussion), I was soon informed hew they were bred. He first producep the halfbred Leicester and merinos, and then bred! back a notch with the merino ram. The flock of sheep under consideration were fullmouthed, so they must have been bred in '69; and as Mr Miller continues to this day to breed such sheep, there is no doubt that he finds them pay better than the pure merino, or he would soon try back. With reference to the value between the pure merino , and the 6-Bth sheep, all kept the same, for the 6-Bth sheep can and Trill , travel as far' for his dinner as tho pure one, I should say tfe 6-Bth sheep has the best of it by at least 12$ per cent. lam basing my calculation on a six-tooth sheep at the present time (in the wool of course). The advantage the 6-Bth s&eep- have over the merino is in bulk, both in mutton and wool, taking a very good judge to- flelli either from the pure merino ; in tallow Hβ'pure sheep have the advantage. The young sheep are strong, mftfa good constitutions, and continue so during life, which is as long as the merino.. I took a great interest in this, to me titers peculiarly bred sheep and should nrnc-h like to see, them tried on a large scale.