FARMERS' COLUMN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 94, 21 December 1914, Page 7

FARMERS' COLUMN.

LAMB SHEARING

DOES IT PAY? The majority of sheep farmers answer the heading of tins article in the affirmative by their actions in rim; d-- shea-' iambs, ami doubtless consider that it does pay. At the same time it is questionable if one per cent, have seriously gone into the matter. Farmers in a large measure act like sheep—when one leads, the,flock follows blindly, even sometimes to their destruction. Once a custom is established it is hard to break away from it so that we cannot expect to see much change all at once in lamb-shear-iug. Still, there are some that act wisely in the matoer, and always have done, and shear their lambs the same time as the ev.es. Higher prices for shearing has caused many farmers to discontinue the practice. In this respect the demands oL : the Shearers' Union may prove a blessing in disguise. Little lamb-shearing is done in t!ie South Island, but the practice is growing. In Australia, iambs are shorn, but there the position is different than it is with us. In Australia the bulk of the lamb? are dropped in the late autumn or early part of winter,, allowing the lambs to have from four to six months' growth of wool, and shearing takes place in the spring, when they are shorn at the same time as the ewes. Thirty odd years ago, when there was a strong demand for length of staple, some tried, as an experiment, leaving lambs unshorn but it was nor a success. Although the length or wooi was got, it was at the expense of the well-being of the lamb, as was to be expected, when the lamb had. to carry eight or nine mouths' growth of wool through the hot summer. Another argument put forward in favour of shearing the lamb is that wool grows faster for the first two or three mouths after shearing than it does towards the end of the year, and experiments liava also been tried in that direction, shearing twice a year, without, tangible result, except that the wool was of less value. Whether lambs should, be shorn at any time, altogether depends on how long before shearing the lambing is—that is, on the age of the lamb when the ewes are shorn. Personally, I consider tlia* if the lamb is three months old or over ut flw.a~.ing, it is to the best interests of the lamb to shear it.

Whei Ave come to discuss sucli a quostim us (his :\< first ihin« to cnsider is the health and general welfare of. in this ease, the Ir>mb, putting aside meanwhile, the monetary value of the wool. It is generally recognised that sheep immediately alter having been shorn rapidly improve in condition, and wethers are shorn early for the express pin-pose of getting them off fat earlier than would be the case if left till the ewes are shorn. Therefore, why should the lamb be punished by. having to carry a heavy coat through the greater part of summer heat, which almost amounts to cruelty? When lambs are left woolly till January (some shear as late as February), they are seldom in as good condition as they were when the ewes were shorn. Besides, if there are ticks when the ewe is shorn, thy leave tfie bare skin and seek shelter in the woolly lamb, which is detrimental to the well-being of the lamb, and deteriorates the value of the wool. Therefore, if the lamb has to be shorn at all, shear it at the same time as its mother, and give it a elir.nce to put on condition to enable it the better to withstand disease and hardships of autumn and winter. The early shorn, lamb also has protection from cold winter blast that the late have not, which means more than many think.

Let us now consider the monetary value of the wool from tlie lamb until shrou us a hogget. Of late complaints have ben rife of the shortness in staple of a large proportion of crossbred wools, which in a measuvc can be accounted for by shearing lambs late, and there is no doubt that a great deal of our hogget wool is reduced in value by many pence per lb by being cut in half. I suppose fully 75 per cent, of tlie crossbred hogget wool is only of nine or ten months' growth so that the desired length cannot hi forthcoming. Just how much the value of wool increases per lb per month's growth is hard to estimate, so much depending on quality; but any good, serviceable, shaffcy, combing wool increases somewhere about Id per 11) pev month under ordinary conditions. Of course, such an estimate is open to argument, there being so many factors to be taken into consideration —the well-doing or otherwise of the sheep during the period of growth, and also the market; but that is the conclusion I have come to.

The price of wool fluctuates, but we will suppose that the value of fullgrown wool (one year's growth) of ewes is worth from Id to 2d more; but if only of nine months' growth perhaps it will be worth less than that of the ewe. Now, we get 21b of lambs' wool in January at, say, 9d, the same as the fleece —that is 1/6 —and when shorn as a hogget, with only nine months' growth, the outside weight would be 71b, at 9d, 5/3; total for the full twelve months' growth will return 91b of wool worth lOd —7/6; showing a profit by shearing the lamb at the same time as the ewe of 9d per head; besides, the lamb will prove healthier and do belter in every way. Of course, the prices used to illustrate are not arbitrary; still, if farmers work out the position