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sheep, and a kindly feeder. They had found that the Leicester cross could be turned off earlier than the Romney cross. With regard to what Mr. Bidwill had said, he might say his paper was confined to the past. He was prepared to say, so far as the Eomneys were concerned, in this (Wellington) province they were a favourite sheep for crossing with long-woolled ewes. Perhaps he had more experience than most men in Wellington. Twenty-two years ago he had put Bomney Marsh rams to merino ewes in Otago. They were a light sheep, with fuzzy wool, and not a clear good staple, and their lambs were conspicuous as having very hairy breeches. That was mainly the reason for going out of breeding them, because it very seriously reduced the value of the wool. As to the class of Eomney they had in Wellington, he was inclined to say that the Ludlam sheep were not pure. He thought he could safely say that if the present Romney—the fashionable Romney— was the real Romney, then the Wellington Romney was not the pure Romney, because his experience was that the Romney of Ludlam had all the appearance of having some slight touch of merino. He could not tell whether he was right in his supposition, but the old Ludlam sheep was so different from the fashionable Romney that if they had the two in a pen alongside of each other they would not take them for the same breed of sheep. With regard to the Southdowns, they made a good cross, but it was too small. In his endeavours to produce a sheep more robust than the Lincoln he had crossed Lincoln ewes with Southdowns, to see if he could produce a sheep that would thrive on the country. All the black-faced sheep got very good lambs, but a percentage of the lambs did not fatten. He had been amazed at the enormous difference in the fleeces at the first cross ; after the first cross of the Southdown and Lincoln it would only shear half the weight of the Lincoln. He could not say much about the Shropshire and Hampshire Downs, but the other was a ruinous cross, and would not pay anybody. They had found that the death-rate among the Lincoln hoggets was something like 12 per cent., but he did not think they had lost 1 per cent, of the Southdown cross; they survived the winter remarkably well. With regard to what Mr. Phillips had said as to the Romney, Leicester, and Lincolns all breeding within a short distance of each other, he supposed they might as well ask why one man bred a Lincoln and another a Romney-Marsh. Mr. Bbydone said it was simply because of the change of country. Mr. Robbets said you could grow Lincolns and Eomneys on the same property. It became a provincial speciality. If they went to Lincolnshire they would find that they had bred nothing but Lincolns for generations. If they went to the borders of Scotland they would find nothing there but Border Leicesters. There was no doubt that the mutton of the North Island was not equal to the mutton of the South. He did not think that had much to do with the pasture, but it might possibly have a little to do with it. He did not see why they should not produce perfectly good mutton on the pasture they had in the North. He believed the cause was mainly owing to the breed of sheep. The sheep in the North Island were well up to the pure long-wool, and if they were only to go to Hawke's Bay they could tell by the white backs of the slaughtered sheep that they had not such good mutton sheep as they had down South. There were, however, a few with a rich bloom on the back such as the smaller sheep. He did not think it was at all to be wondered at that the North Island mutton did not fetch the same price as that of the South Island. It was not so much due to the pasture as to the sheep. The sheep in the North Island were much closer up to the long-wool than those down South. Mr. Bbydonb said, as indicating the opinion of breeders, he could state that the Land Company had sold up to date this season 605 Border Leicester rams, 205 Eomneys, and only fifty Lincolns. He thought that was a very good indication as to how the feeling of the farmers was going. A few years ago they could not sell the Leicesters ; this year and last year it was entirely the opposite way. Mr. Bidwill said, with regard to the Jd.-a-pound difference in mutton, he might state that the southern sheep were almost to a sheep fed upon turnips and chaff and oats—at any rate, for six months out of the year. Mr. Robbets : From May to October. Mr. Bidwill said that Canterbury and Otago mutton had always shown a difference in price, but he thought that, if they really threshed the matter out, it would be found to be more a trade term than anything else. The Canterbury people were the first to send Home frozen mutton; they were the first in the market, and consequently they got their name up. He thought it would be found, if they went into the matter, that Canterbury mutton would be classed first and Wellington second. Mr. Beucb said he was sorry he could not give any experience worth stating in regard to cross-breeding in connection with the colony he came from. Out of their 65,000,000 sheep they had only about a million and a half long-wool and cross-breda altogether. He could not say the character of what they called pure long-wool sheep was very high. One of the objects for which he attended the Conference was to get information on the subject of cross-breeding ; and they could not have had more practical and fuller information than they had had from Mr. Roberts's paper. Speaking for his colony, he was very much indebted for the information contained in the paper, and the discussion which had taken place. He moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Roberts for the valuable information contained in his paper. Mr. Goedon seconded the motion. With regard to the different breeds of sheep in England, he might say they had had in Australia what was called the " battle of the breeds " in connection with cattle, and discussions had taken place as to whether the Hereford, the Shorthorn, the Angus, or other breeds were the best. He thought they could not tell what was the best, as there was so little difference between them. He had to thank Mr. Roberts and the other gentlemen for giving their experience on the subject. Mr. Tabaet warmly supported the motion. In Tasmania the paper would be read with great interest by the farmers. One thing had immensely tickled him in connection with this question. He thought when he had left Tasmania that he had left the question of north and south behind him, but it seemed that in this colony the question was also one of north and south.