SHEEPOWNERS' PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 37, 7 November 1918, Page 8

SHEEPOWNERS' PROBLEMS

" JjOSS OF LAMBS. ' ; ' The secretary of the Canterbury-Sheep-■ners' Union has forwarded, a letter,. !'which" a copy follows, to Dr. C. J. lakes, Director-General of Agriculture: •Thave' been requested by Mr. .1. D. jrnett, president 'of the Canterbury jeepowners' Union, to commirnicato' ,tb you on the question of the Depart-, mt taking such steps it may tnink ; to .endeavour to solve tl\e problem .the serious, loss-of lambs that Canteriy experiences every spring. Tlie best libs (lie, between three weeks and four ieis, and' although the Departmental icevs ( -,strongly advise, ear-marking as 'e'best mean's *to reduce ,tlie mortality, jist.sheepow'ners, from experience, have ,t found early- marking a remedy. Mr. jrnett desires to point out that the Sses are really serious in South Canrbury;. and apparently the' losses are it- by any means confined to those jnbs "running on the best pastures, but e just as severe anion" lambs running j old and evenf twitch-infected lands. IB are estimated to run from 2 j 3 per "cent. That is what was expended 'year after year in Mr. Burnett's, jorangi' flock of 1600 crossbred lambs, It losses are not suffered from this Hise .among the merino and_ halfbred inbs running on the mixed native and ji'glish .grasses, at/Mt. Cook and Cox's' jwns.-' I am requested to'point out the riousness of the losses sustained by leepfanners, through mortality of lambs, id to ask yon to be good enough .to ake any suggestions which you think juld tend to solve this problem, /which j of -vital .interest to Canterbury sheeprmers." ,On the subject of-the improvement j weather forecasting ill Canterbury, je following has been forwarded by !e secretary to the secretary of the interbury Philosophical Institute:— "I am requested by Mr. T. D. Buritt, president of the Canterbury Sheep-' vnors' Union, to write to you oil the ibjefct of weather, forecasts, 'with the ,ew of having accurate information furIshed on this subject. We are'aware iat your institute has evinced consid:'able interest on the scientific side of idustrial reorganisation, and we feel ire' that your institute will recognise bat an immense help it would be to igh country sheepmen if forecasts of iming snowstorms were more accurately ulicated; Mr. Burnett desires me to pint out that: if slieupowners had, say, i hours' notice of impending storms, ■ is a moral certainty that thousands (' sheep would be/moved into coniparajve safety-that ' are now otherwise jst. -1. shall be glad to know whether our institute is of opinion that the jtablishment of a permanent meteorojgicaf station-on one of the islands to he south of New Zealand would be of ;ational help in 'weather foreaasting, jid, if so, would it agree to urge upon jie Government the need for establishing |ich a station." , ' , j . : „ —