A SIX MONTHS' ACCOUNT OF EWES AND LAMBS.

Mataura Ensign, Volume V, Issue 224, 26 January 1883, Page 6

A SIX MONTHS' ACCOUNT OF EWES AND LAMBS.

According to promise I now send you a complete account ox a small stock of ewes, which I kept from December, 1881, to June, 1882. Being very short of grass, I thought I would try the result of liberal feeding. This result has not come up to expectation, as shown by the figures. As this is now the second time I have tried this expensive mode of feeding for ewes in winter* and the result in a peouniary sense has repeated itself, I have reluotantly come to the conclusion that without plenty of grass and an abundance of cheap roots, and a moderate amount of hay, ewes oannot be expected to return a profit even under the most favourable circumstances.

No doubt these ewes were bought too dear, but they were a very fine lot, and within one month of lambing, besides whioh . the lambing season was a particularly good one, and the losses very slight. Not a single ewe was lost. The lambs were not castrated, and all the male lambs weighed heavier' than the females, and sold for tLe same price per lb. This affords a direct contradiction to the advice which some of my neighbours have given me. One person confidently stated that the lambs (if not castrated) would not make within 40 per cent, of the price of wethers. Not having tried this before, and having formerly lost several lambs by the clumsy method adopted, can now testify to the complete success of selling fat lambs up to three, or even four, months without undergoing this painful process. The sale of the lambs was disappointing, the fifty-four sold only realising LBl 7s 33, or a trifle over 80s each. The ewes sold very well, the fifty-two making (wool included) L 144 6s 7d or 55s 6d per head. Some of the weights of these ewes and lambs were sent to you last April. Db. Livh Stock Account — Ewas and Lambs. Fifty* two Ewes bought at Cbichester in December 21, 1881.

B> ti«o^ .„„ Condition | Breed> A B e « when bought, g o ■ § 5 2 Bouthdow a ..gos 3 v- : December 21, 1881, 22 ewes~at 7b 8d £160 0 0 Sundry Expenses. Bailway carriage, etc. ... ... £1 12 10 Carting food 3 18 6 Grinding corn • ... 0 14 9 .Shearing ... ... ... ... 015 9 Dipping^~"i^ — »r- «i-^_j "' 110 0 Corn — in sales, etc 77~~6}ri&~«9-: 9 10 7 Attendance. Lambing season £6 10 0 Before and after lambing ... 3 2 6 9 12 6 Food, etc. Hay, 34 cwt. 341 b £7 15 3 Straw, 126 trusses 7 17 0 Swedes, 13 ton 12 15 0 Mangels, 136 bush 2 15 6 White peas, 68£ bush 18 1 10 Maple peas, 56 bush, 15 8 0 Oats, 41 gal 0 15 4 Linseed cake, 34 cwt. 811 b. ...15 17 4 Decorticated cotton cake, 2 cwt. 1051 b 17 5 Bran, 24bueh 110 83 13 8 £252 16 9 Balance profit 2 7 2 Total £255 3 11 Or. §^ N o.«>ld. | I" p SS"o°t f o. PrOflt ' 2_^__, i_ -• Good, but very 62 ewes. £ •*» short till last If per cent. Mlainba. jj & month. per annum. " CO • 1882. & «• d. April 4 ... 1 ewe (in lamb), 60s; 1 couple (2 lambs), 75s ... 615 0 „18 ... 8 barren ewes (fat), at 60b 9 0 0 May 1 ... 2 ewes, at 53s 8d = 39s 9d at 6s per stone 413 0 „ 1 ... 3lambs,lb., 40 36 lb., 84 lb., at Is per lb 5 10 0 „ 2 ... 8 lambs, at 35s ...14 0 0 „ 5 ... 2 lambs, at 32s ... 3 4 0 „ 12 ... 2 lambs at Is per stone, 35 lb. and 321 b. ... 3 7 0 „ 17 ... 9 lambs- 6 at 335, 2at 84s, lat 81a 14 J. 7 0 „ 23 ... 6 lambs (small), at 23s 6 18 6 „25 ... 3 lambs, 43s 3d, 4ls, and 38s 6 2 2 „80 ... 6 ewes— 2 at 58a 6d, 1 at 54s 9d, 4at 53s 16 5 3 81 ...15 ewes— s at 55s 6d, 5 at 51s, sat 50s 39 2 6 June 1 ... 8 ewes— s at 535, 3at 60s 20 15 0 n 8 ... 5 lambs, at 44s Id, 375, 85s, and 34s 9 5 1 „ 8 ...14 lambs (small), at 20s 14 0 0 „23 ... 4 ewes, at 50s ... 10 0 0 f> 24 „.12eweB, at4ss ... 27 0 0 .. 24 ... 2 lambs, at 4is 2d, and W lws2d 4 14 „24 ... 199 !*>• w <x>l (ewes*) i at lßldJaerlb » 10 15 7 £225 10 U Manurial value of food consumed in cover and on grass 29 13 0 £255 3 11 —A. JF. Parbury in the Agricultural Gazette