Water Service

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 14 May 1913, Page 2

Water Service

The pipes for water mains onlrcame to hand a few days ago, but no time Mr Burt (engineer) already haa a portion of the 6-inch mains laid in Bridge street and is proceedingwith a 4-inch junction alonp- the adiacent lhe first nre : plug has/also been fixed i^estda^^r^ SS^P^ihe ed, p^rt lC ulari y * or fire-fighdng l^ffl m^ S abo^'town are being; laid first, and then t& main mpe linf to tho watershed will follow. It i & intended to proceed witji the work as rapidly as possible. \ '

page 2.) Eomney sheep is not now confined to Eomney Marsh alone, higher and drier country being also utilized, but the fact remains that the breed was originally evolved in this wet, low<-lying area. Within a comparatively short distance of Eomney Marsh are the low chalky hilJs known as the South Downs, which constitute the native home of the Southdown sheep, an animal of entirely different type, eminently adapted for its own particular environment, but unsuitable for the lovv-lying- wet country on which, the Eomney sheep was developed. And so on throughout England and Scotland we see particular breeds dom- \ iciled in different districts, each largely confined to its own district and each suited to the particular soil and climatic conditions existing there. Perhaps the British farmer is at times somewhat too conservative and too parochial, so to speak, in this matter, yet the principle ,is a sound one and one which could be followed ont in New Zealand with profit to a much greater extent than is the case at the present time, -'rue, on many properties this principle is adopted, but often the smaller owner, who runs sheep in conjnnction with other stock and with cropping, has to go to the saleyards for a purchaser, and under present-vlay conditions he cannot always afford, when purchasing ewes, j to be too particular as to breed, as he ! might thereby miss his chance of buying ; but he can, at any rate, al«> waj's do his best in this direction, and he can always secure purebred rams, and these should certainly be of the right breed for his country, with, of course, due regard for the production of wool, and. of good-quality fat lambs when required. But, with the ram, breed is not the only consideration : care must be exercised to select wellfinished vigorous animals, well woolled throughout. Thus one principle of profitable sheep-fanning is the maintenance of a flock bred tinder such conditions as to render it best adapted to the class of country a,nd climate prevailing. Another is to take all possible steps to maintain the sheep in sound health and condition. This requires good management, and, as already stated, it is often a difficult matter to make coniitions of health harmonize with commercial necessities. On poor country, bo it high or low, provided it is not ill drained and wet, there is very little mortality among sheep, except as a result of extremes of weather ; but on rich country con~ siderable trouble often occurs through tho feeding-conditions being really too good to a greater or lesser extent, parlly according to the bived uf sheep kept. (To be cuutinuud.)