BREEDING BIG SHEEP.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2092, 29 May 1907, Page 1

BREEDING BIG SHEEP.

The opinion of a prominent breeder on tlie question, “Does iff pay to breed big sheep?” is worth recording. He said, “I am piylined to think that it dues not pay. A ewe of greai size'must require a proportionate amount of food, and if 120 j moderate-sized sheep could bo carried with the same amount of grass that it would take to feed 100 of thy very big ones, tb,o moderatesjaetl sheep sliould' pay be.st. I am lio advocate for small sheep, especially breeding ewes, but it seems possible that they can he too big. As a general rvjlo tlio very, big sheep are light clippers. The big sheep referred' to cut 81b. The question of whether this is an adequate return for the amount of food consumed is wliaj/ lam endeavoring to prove. If size, with proportionate weight of wool, can be got, that would be one point in favor of big sheep. The moderate-sized ewes should produce

n grontor number of lambs for tlio food consumed. Suppose, for example, 50 acres enrry 100 big ewes, producing 100 per cent lambs, equal to 100 lambs, -producing 81b wool per head, equal to 80011) wool; 50 acres carry 120 moderate ewes, producing ,100 per cent lambs, equal to 120 lambs,, producing 7Jib of wool per head, equal to 9001 b wool, j That would ho 20 lambs and 10011) oil wool in favor of the smaller sheep. I do not uphold thoso figures as correct; I merely givo them as a suggestion, so that every breeder dan think tlio matter over for himself. For my own part, I have never put a sheep out of tlie flock for being too big, hut have put out many big sheep for not carrying enough wool.”