Tropical Sheep.

Success With English- Macassar Cross.

A MOST interesting and successful ex periment in breeding sheep suitable for acclimatisation in New Guinea has been carried out by Mr. E. J. Wau chope, of Awar Plantation, Madang.

Some four years ago, Mr. Wauchope bought 25 Macassar ewes from the Roman Catholic Mission. Seven died while he was transporting them to his plantation. There he crossed them with a big ram, of Shropshire and Southdown strain, which he had specially imported from Australia. The experts thereabouts ridiculed the proceeding. The English wool sheep, they declared, could not mate with the East Indian hair sheep.

But Mr. Wauchope persisted, and the cross was quite successful, producing a large-bodied sheep which flourished under New Guinea climatic conditions.

Where formerly Mr. Wauchope used to dress a sheep at about 18lbs. dead weight, he now gets 34 to 36lbs. dead weight.

Soon after the ewes had lambed, Kan aka dogs got into the flock and killed 15 of them. Since then, Mr. Wauchope has sold many rams of his new strain to planters up and down the coast, and has killed sheep regularly for meat; and his flock now numbers 180. This shows that the strain is fecund, and Mr. Wauchope says it flourishes in his locality. He em phasises, however, that the animals must be run on hard, dry ground. As soon as they are put into wet and swampy coun try, they die off quickly. This type of sheep provides excellent meat, and it is better than cattle for keeping down the plantation grass; it crops closely, and it does not puddle and pack down the soil.

Mr. Wauchope’s main trouble is the Kanaka dogs. These sneaking animals will kill the sheep on the slightest op portunity. Mr. Wauchope keeps native shepherds constantly on the job, and the sheep are penned at night.

We have published information from time to time about the New Guinea planters’ experiments in crossing English and Zebu cattle, in order to get a good beef animal that will stand up to the climate. Planters generally will be in terested to know that even greater suc cess has attended experiments with sheep.

Mr. R. L. Solomons, who was for many years in New Guinea with the Expro priation Board, and in private business, returned to the Territory by the last “Tanda,” to take up residence there again. Mr. Solomons will be associated in future with Mr. C. A. M. Adelskold, public accountant and auditor, Rabaul.