LAMBING IN WAIROA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20047, 20 September 1939, Page 8

LAMBING IN WAIROA

SATISFACTORY SEASON SHORTAGE OF FEED POOR CATTLE SEASON (Special to tho Ilcrald.) WAIROA, this day. Lambing is fairly well advanced in the Wairoa district and although it is still a little early lo judge the results it is anticipated that the season will be satisfactory. From reports that have come in from the various districts there is every reason to believe that the results’ will be considerably better than than was expected earlier in the year for there is no doubt that liom a climatic point of view the season has been anything but good. A dry summer and many cold winter snaps combined with a late spring have contributed to retarding pasture growth, with the result that feed is not as plentiful as in previous years. However, desuite this fact, the indications are tiiat the lambing will be much better than the conditions prevailing earlier indicated. Late frosts and the cold winds which have been experienced recently also have had the effect of retarding the growth of pastures and it would appear that what is required more than anything at present is a good warm rain which would make a tremendous difference to the feed position. No Serious Trouble So far as can be ascertained, there has been no serious trouble among the ewes this season and the condition of the lambs generally appears to be satisfactory, although it is still a little early to pass any definite opinion in this respect. In some instances there has been a fair percentage of twins, but some farmers report an almost total absence of them. If anything, it would appear that lambing this vear is much earlier than last vear, which was a bad one for lambing. ’ Percentages then were well down, the disastrous floods and the facial eczema outbreak being the chief •■auses of this.

Cattle breeders have not such a -tooci story to tell and it would appear Mint the season for them is going lo be an exceptionally poor one. This is due mainly to the shortage of feed. Owing lo the late spring and the fact that growth has not come awav as well as usual there has been little r eed on which to come and go and m>e the cows that extra condition which is so essential at this period. In some districts the deaths among cattle during the win‘er were very heavy and this fact, of course, must have a very serious effect on the calf crop.