SEARING LAMBS' TAILS OFF.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 493, 28 April 1909, Page 10

SEARING LAMBS' TAILS OFF.

A Hauiti (Gisborne)' farmer signing himself; ■"a Fat Lamb Breeder," in a Tetter to the "Pastoralists' Review," describes a mode of searing lambs' tails calculated,.to, avoid un- : necessary injury''in tho operation." Ho says': —"Believing that there are still a.number .of your readers who have not , yet' adopted tho searing iron in place of tho knifo, because they recognise that there is a danger of burning the organs of the lamb when using the iron in a hurry, and.because they-do not) recogniso the drawback the loss of blood and exposure of the nerve to the atmosphere means to each,lamb. -I beg to describe a simple, but important,- contrivance I made use of last season ■. in. order 'to, avoid tho possibility of burning tho lamb.' In the left ■hand.the "tailer" holds a light wooden spado, about 15 inches long, cut in a spade shape from any lightij-inch pine board; out of the bottom of this ; cut a A to take the lambs' , tail, land push, what loose, skin and , -'.flesh-, possible back 'towards the: root of tail* and; then," using thd iron in other hand, scar tail; off any desired, length (not moro than 1J inches for myMchoico); the "tailer" will find after a littlo practice that he can hold tho tail just as easily with the spade, as by catching hold of it with his hand. By pushing back any;loose skin'and flesh with tho spade, underneath the tail, it allows the same to cover, the end of tho bone-Veil after it' has been severed and released, which you cannot do when holding the tail' with the hand. Pulling tbe tail out tight'before cutting or off leaves the flesh and skin "snorter than tho bono, and naturally the healing takes longer than with my method. : If tho spado is inclined to tiro with the iron , '.touching it occasionally it can bo dipped into a tin of water :kept handy for the , purpose. , . .