ADVICE TO FARMERS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 March 1931, Page 7

ADVICE TO FARMERS

DRENCHING A NECESSITY. A well-known stock and station firm contributes the following article on the wisdom of caring for store larnhs during the coming winter:— Store lambs at'e realising very low prices to-day, and for this reason many farmers are not paying the same itte’i tion to the lambs they will have to carry over the winter. When drenching is mentioned to a farmer, l!u usual remark is, ‘T am not going to bother about drenching this year; the lambs are worth little in any ease and they will just have to take their chance.” That this is a most unwise policy is apparent when the whole position is considered. Prices for all farm commodities are now stable and a firming tendency is evident. Sheep prices cannot fall much lower, and there is every reason for the statement that they will again be on a payable basis next year. The lamjb of to-day is the mature sheep of next season. By allowing your lambs to be destroyed, you are destroying your capital that is almost certain to appreciate considerably within the year. There is no other investment to-(lay that promises to b<> more lucrative than do lambs and sheep at present prices.

WORM TROUBLES. Unfortunately, worm troubles are likely to bo rife this winter nnd as the present attitude of many farmers is persisted in, lamb losses for many are likely tq be extremely serious and on a par with those of two seasons ago when CO per cent of some lamb or hogget flocks was lost through worm troubles. The wet summer experienced in many districts lias resulted in rank over-grown pastures unsuited for lambs and sheep but ideal for worms to which it affords cover in its larval stages. Good farming always pays and more so in a year such as this. Surely an expenditure o'f 3d or (id per head in drenches to bring your lambs safely through the winter and in a sound healthy condition is worth while. What is the alternative! With conditions as they are, there is every likelihood of a 2d per cent or even a 50 per cent loss while tlie residue of the flock would come through the winter in very poor condition. Not only is th c surviving lambs’ constitution impaired hut the wool will he tender and its value very seriously depreciated. The pastures liavo to bo stocked and if a heavy per centage of lambs is lost during the winter, further sheep will have to he bought in tho spring and on a market that is pretty certain to lie appreciably higher. Drenching lambs to ensure immunity from worm troubles is just as necessary and worth while to-day as it was when prices were good. We urge farmers, particularly those in districts where the season has been wet and the feed is now long and rank, to commence drenching their Infill)# immediately and in three-weekly periods until the winter is over. This is recommended by the Lincoln Agricultural College wlifl have found that by so doing risk of worm infection is negatived. There are many remedies on tlie market, but care should be taken t) at the remedy used has been proved to he effective in all kinds of worm infections. With the up to date appliances now available drench ing entails very little work.