SHEEP HINTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 622, 27 September 1909, Page 10

SHEEP HINTS.

pLQUGH OR NOT TO PLOUGH? : ~.■■.'• ;'" •;'' ■: -■■ ■.- . 3v ;' V''' ■;■'-' ~'*'.\ "■ 1V - -'>'i'.. ■ '!.-"'}■' In considering' the relative .advantages of the lamb-fattening process on -artificial tood, compared with that of pasture,/-as portrayed in theTorme? parti of this'treatise,- much degends; on the initial outlay which the farmor is put to, in ordor to get his land>under cultivation, and the merits of tho old, and perhaps valuable, pasture which'he mayihavo-to destroy in producing the necessary orops. '■•■• ...On most farms in the ftorth-Island, as yet," it-is Necessary: to first extract; ; and remove all stumps, roots, and.lags remaining from -the original hush,-: This iOf: necessity :entails considerable ; expense,' varying according' to ' the time which has elapsed since- tho bush Was cleared,' and incurring less labour as the roots .and,-logs decay. : But,' for. the most;.part, grass which ' has been .surface-sown -among the stamps, after eight or''ten years {according to the richness of the soil)," generally requires renewing,'-'as' the - charcoal and roots .left from the burning/bush, disappear,Yor are : absorbed as-plant food by the sward which, in clayey or .poor land,' becomes thin and • intermixed with moss'and other'rubbish..-, Under these circumstances, the farmer dops-trell if -.the fat-' :tening';of-:his first year's lambs,', p'n crops so Obtained, covets the. cost, of- getting his land' renewed.with good, grasses,' thegrowth of which is .much'■:assisted by tho .mamire...of, the 1 stock ,which,.(hav> consumed the crops. i.M\A' after that hecan, if, he wishes, continue .to .cultivate the land at a -nominal expenditure.':'...-.' • Not:so, however, with "improved" farms,'Ko.'i farms which have been;already brought undor' such, cultivation, • and are laid down in permanent grasses. The .owner in,'this case must ?™t .consider whe,ther it .will pay! him-ibest to*fatten-off the grass or destroy valuable'old pasture, for tho. purpose of fattening' artificially. : He can materially; assist fattening as well.ps permanently benefit :'the. soil (and consecmently ■ the';: sward) 'lby.''.''feedjng ; diit '■. hay -'or silage .'6btanied:"fromv his' grass',' hnd,' 'a'si 1.-said previously,' facilitate' the :"topphig ; "off"'of~thelambs bysupplementing other -'foods with ..a little dry. food fed out in trough's,' -The value of this addition: as a fertiliser/-and of the additional manure deposit o): the extra number of sheep : the' land is.ablo to "carry should,' in itself, compensate.-for the outlay;:at anyrate soils, or land which" lias a stiff'subsoil. ;There is no better renDvater'for. wornout . swards . than the droppings of '-sheep ■■ fed. on oil-coke, .linseed,'. or, indeed, Vnny supple-' mentary; fodderj that is, provided theyVare JJ*^** apimalSvainUare. fittening'; otherwise, -their., •manurq'.vjs, more; or - less;, depreciated -;by the fact .that' matiyvaluable .'fertilising .proper-, ties'.of jtho supplementary foods are.' extracted through digestion for' the purpose oj building up the frames of the grpinng;.animals.' ;This, of; course, depletes- the ..soil- on they; are jr.ar.jng,'and, lime,.;phosphor,us,,.ahd,\otlier 'prdperties pf<the spil- calculated : . to produce \bone • aioi drawri'oh'itd./snch.'au' oxtent.jthat.fimress renovated or the.grazing changed for other, description of stock,. the - land fl oh Tfhich; animals have .been bred and reared, for a-'length, of..tithe 'becomes so deficient > ih : boneproducing qualities ithat it is difficult to breed a sheep-; with-legs much bigger'than'"pipestems. I '.".," ■■': .-1.-.-, y ■-;.,- ','-;;,-'■..-•;, <';.'■. - Hence, -in>cirilised 'grazing; districts,, -such for ; .instance.as H.omney .Marshl, whioh is -po'cu-pie'd'-by'experienced (if not.' scientific))graziers, the .breeding ; lands, - .especially ..lambing' fields, are 1 invariably, '.converted ■ into j -fattening ''padfew 'yards,,-partly because/although depleted,, or '.'reduced in'bone-prpdu'cing Qualities, .they, have,, oh the..'other hand, '•'beeri;'''esf--riched in '.fattening properties from' the'.rich'bn'' of time; and' 'the '., "cleanings","of' ewes,' together withtthe extra manure .deposited, :by hiding together;'so many - sheepi'(hiring, the lambing season.. But for attention to these matters} v tho desired bone,..'.'like cart,horses;" so noticoablo in.Kent orßoniney,Marsh breed, would,.naver have been, so prominent,, or-the of the.iij:-pffsprin/»:have..obtained so, notorious'-a ■■recoruV in ;spiM r "of.'"their -environment.'' -..'■'>'.:■.. .There' is' dne other consideration which" the '■'fai , 'nTefv»dr-Y , irtiprove(r' land should; study'\be r foi-edecidingfo. break up pasture; and that lis.; Will lie have: to'destroy grazing lands '.'njftde yaluablo'by age,-givintr time on rich alluvial -aiid-iotherJ/lccp -leapis ;'for-the\ roots .of/ fat'ten4B^f^?«LitP.;.J«liettate dcpth't.forXthe ';«!-r«sofJi!si. moisture, vand':nq'urishlng'/tho'■: pTiiiit r~~Tiie' best'"fattening': land's.- of Eomney' Marsh! : It; is not uncommon to find grass roots, or the'.'feeders of their ■rich-swards, 4ft bjlow the surface.- If these bastur,e's ; '.were destroyed-,-.'.with,"- the .'plough it would''take.,so years or 'more -to- restate*(hem sufficiently;,!to-rfajton.; the. same, quantity of stock.; ;No',niM,ah'ihis'senses..exiling the'land, l irould-:^ver;r.dy"''it lr -';; ; Aiirt' ['■ feel ''su're/'judgingj its.;fattonink 'qimlificaHoiis nr.d carryins capaci'ty; ; Mv'hich f 'we- have':in.; Xotf Zcdiand equally.' valuable'-pasture*; sifcti,-Ifor instance, astho Hasting? fiats .in Hawk*',s Boy; the alu--vial' and- reclaimed swamp liyiids.of the Manawa.tiiMand. other';districts, which, although 1 not rEclaJmedrJilte: K6iiinby Marsh,- from" the' sea, 'yet; ; ?!supplefnehted'fby- our. 'enviable,- c)imate,. would compare-favourably with, if -not' surpass/ that, jiptoripus,,"paste" in Kent.' I hope in 'f l^ret;a'rticlc^; ; to'iassist the wo«ld-l;e studbr£.ederv('ByVgi\'ih'g';'hini;a:few useful hints on :sttid-Br«ediiig. : .■:;'■■:,.; .',:• .-'.', '