SHEARING LAMBS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 125, 12 June 1937, Page 19

SHEARING LAMBS

Sonthland Experiment A good deal of interest was created a few weeks ago at the Addington fat lamb sale by the appearance of several pens of shorn lambs. The lambs wero prime and appeared to have suffered no set-baek from the ehearing operation, and with the value of the wool added on to that of the carease, they made. prices which should have paid for tlie extra work. The practice is a general one in the North Island, where the season is earlier and where the lambs are got away before the eold weather. In Southland, however, an experiment has been carried out on a large scale on Sir William Hunt's Titipua property, where a few lambs had been shorn last season to try out the practice. It was found, according - to the agricultural writer in the Southland' Times that the lambs suffered no check through the shearing and fattened even more rapidly than the unshorn lambs. The results were so satisfactory that the manager, Mr W. E. Hunt, decided this season to shear the whole flock of about 6000, the work being cojdmmenced at weaning time, about the middle of January. Of the total shorn about 3000 were ewe lambs, which are being carried through as stores, and four months after shearing they are .extremely well developed and probably equal to any lines of ewe lambs to be found in the province. They have a good feovering of wool and will not sufl'er during the fyinter months from insufdcient protection against the weather^ There will probably actually be an advdntage to be gained at next shearing as the Wool will not be tipped, as is most hdgget wool, and so far as this seetion of the floek is concerned the shearing may well prove iinancially beneficial to the grower. The wethers benefited equally and were sent away in two drafts to the freezing ^vorks. Perhaps one of the reasons for the success of the experiment was the fact that the season was. unusually wet and the normal fleeces of the lambs would have remained wet thfough the summer and autumn, but after shearing the lambs would be drier and healthier. The last draft of. 800 was finally fattened on kale and the remainder of the lambs, which is now xedueed to 180, will go to the works within a fortnight. ■One pleasing feature. was .that ihe lambs were particularly healthy, and there was a definitely lower death-rate than is nonnal for so , largo a flock. The second draft of wether lambs went to the freezing works at the beginning of last week, and averaged 351b. The earl'ier larger draft was heavier. Although he received the beneflt of the lamb wool, which nett-ed a good price, the grower lost a eompensatiiig ainount on the lambs sent to the freezing works, but, even if the returns were only equal, Mr Hunt fconsidered that the Tesults justified the ehehring because of the faster progress made by the lambs. Tho Titipua estate is rolling country and consequently provides shelter. Also it ds comparatively noar the coast where early frosts are not so severe as further inland. Many Southland farmers will probably prefer to hear the results of further experiments before venturingto I adopt the practice generally, but it is c.Iear that during the present season the shearing has been successful.