JOYS OF SPRING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 4

JOYS OF SPRING

Prospects of Good Season For Farmers LAMBS PLENTIFUL The cheerful spectacle of young lambs gambolling ' on the hillsides around Hawke's Bay in this morning's sunshine gave further proof of the arrival of Spring. Alxeady the. main "erop of lambs has been born, and the sunny weather of the past few weeks has given them a good staijt in lifoEarlier anxieties are now past and losses have not been heavy. Leeway has been made up aud, if present conditions continue, there is every "chance of a good season, possibly surpassing last year's, when oxpOrts of latnb Teached record figures. ' Some farmers "have completed the first docking, while on the higher country in Southern Hawke's Bay the lambing is just beginning. Some sheepfarmers have so many pet lambs to feed this year .that the milk supply has proved inadequate, and various brands of patent infants' food kave been pressed into service with, it is reported, excellent results. 4 To the hard-hearted farmer the sight of his lambs frolicking in the llelds brings thoughts of tows of prkne carcases and bales of snperfine wool which will give him that new car, and pay another big lump off the mortgage. Or perhaps the wife, and the summer races, too, come before the mortgage. At present there is every indication of a good spring, which will allow his hopes to be fulfilled. Plenty of sunshine and just enough rain is what thelambs need, and exactly what they have lately been enjoying. The farmers would be going against their liature, however, if they did not pOint out that there is still every chance of a reverse in the weather. Last year, they say, there tvas no spring at all, and even after Christmas they had little continuous sunshine. Fattening was delayed and killing had to be postponed till long after the tisual date, upsetting the routine at the freezing works and also shipping arrangements. This affected exporters tnore than farmers who, on the whole, did well out of the season, selling large numbers of lambs at good prices. $.