Farm Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4447, 10 August 1909, Page 4

Farm Notes.

At the Auckland Police Court, Defore Mr E; C. Catten, S.M., Daniel Byan, a butcher, was charged with hiving cruelly ill-treated five pigs by spitting their ears. The defendant admitted that he followed the practice, hut claimed that it did not amount to ill-treatment, Evidence was called for the prosecution', with the objeot of proving that the splitting of ears caused pain to the animals, and that it was not necessary for the identification of pigs which passed through the abattoirs, also that the defendant was the only butcher in Auckland who followed the practice. The recognised method, it was stated was to use red paint for the purpose of marting. The inspector foi the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stated that defendant asked him if he could split the ears of his pigs as a mark, and was told that he could not. The defendant declared that ho had adopted the practice throughout the whole of his lengthy experience as an expert slaughterman, and had never before heard it questioned. He called several witnesses in support of his contention. Mr Cutten, in announcing his decision, said that according to the evidence, there were about 45 butchers in Auckland sending animals to the abattoirs, and the defendant had acted cruelly, although perhaps, unintentionally so. He would be convicted, and fined £2 and costs, 13s.

A remarkable example of the pure merino was to be seen in the skin and fleeie of a ram which was on view at the Melbourne office of Dalgety and Co., Limited, recently. The skin was from a 4-tooth ram bred by Messrs Falkiner and Sons, of Boonoke, in Eiverina, and measured 6ft sin length, and 4ft 3in in width, and was only six months’ growth of wool, weight PBlb

net. It carried a fleece of splendid balky, elastic, soft-handling wool of surprising density. The fibre is evenly and well serrated to the tip, and well packed all over the body, belly and points.