THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16, 20 January 1926, Page 16

THE LAND.

FARMING IN THE KING COUNTRY FREEZING WORKS TROUBLES. PLIGHT OF LAMB BREEDERS. FARMER SLAUGHTERMEN. (By ANCHORITE.) A large number of lambs are bred here each season for the fat lamb export trade. ; Many of these lambs are sold as fats — ] direct from their mothers. Under normal circumstances, it is during this month when fat lamb buyers are actively operating, and the early part of January was no exception to the usual routine in this respect. A considerable number of fat lambs were sold at satisfactory prices right up to the time when the slaughtermen in the various freezing works demanded more wages, which, up to the time of writing, the freezing companies have refused to concede to them. This deadlock has brought the fat lamb sales to a standstill in the meantime, with very serious results to the •breeders. Fat lamb buyers are not operating whilst the trouble in the freezing works lasts. As the ewes are going dry, the breeders will have to provide artificial feed to keep the milk-fattened lambs in condition. Farmer Slaughtermen. If the trouble is not settled soon, it is quite on the cards that the farmers themselves will have to man the slaughtering boards in the various works, if the fat lamb crop is to be exported this season. Killing sheep and lambs for the export trade could be learned in a few days by men of ordinary intelligence. Many practical farmers are conversant with the correct methods of dressing lambs for export, and a few hints to those of less experience may be opportune at this -stage of inactivity in the freezing works. ' ° Farmers who are in the habit of killing their own sheep, for home consumption, and who can remove the skins in a correct manner, would make good slaughtermen with a little steady practice on the , killing board a t the' works. The knife, however, in the hands of a careless individual, is dangerous, for such a one would invariably j;core and cut the skin with it. Skinning Lambs. In the skinning operation the knife should be used as little as possible The shape of the removed skin is of crreat importance, and this depends upon'how lt is taken from the carcase. The skin is opened up with the knife on the inside of the foreleg, and th# knife is then run straight out to the neck The skin is then pushed free round the shoulder with the handle of the knife. The inside of the other foreleg is then opened out, but instead of running the knife to the neck it is now run to the point of the brisket, thus leaving a V-shaped piece of skin on the hrisket. The trotter is then removed With one cut of his knife. « I . '?, . eit , hand is now employed to handle the other shoulder clear of the skin. The weasand is now knotted in order to prevent the contents of the stomach falling out when the carcase is moved The V piece ..on the brisket is then lifted, and one's fist is employed to shove or punch the skin free from 'the belly and the sides. The second trotter is now taken off as before. The hindquarters skin is opened from the inside of the leg down to the left side of the tail, and the other leg is opened to the right side of the tail, and all pushed clear with the handle of the knife, thumb and clenched fist only The skin is then cut absolutely straight down the centre from the V point on the hrisket to the V point of skin on the flank The skin is then pushed upwards and free from the flanks with the fist or knife handle, thus making a nice square skin. • The carcass is then pulled up by the gamble and the ski„ driven clear" with the thumb, fist and knife handle, as required. The skin is then pulled free from the back of the tail. In working down the back the clenched fist is used in a side and upward sweep, and if any flesh or fat is broken during the whole operation of skinning the thumb must be used to free it from the skin and press it back on to the carcass. The neck is cleared by using the thumb or knife handle only. It may be said that the cutting edge of the knife is only used to open up the various parts, the major portion of the work heing done with the handle, the fist and thumb. Points to Observe. If blood is on the carcass or skin- it must be at once washed off with cold water, but a good slaughterman will never allow a sheep to wallow in its own blood during the killing operation. •Slaughtering pens are so arranged that the blood (drains away Trom the sheep and the operator. Blood stains are unsightly on skin or carcase, and when cold are difficult and frequently impossible to obliterate. Care of Skins. The value of the removed skin lies in the way measures up, and they should not be packed pelt to wool, as is frequently done on the farms. They should be packed skin side to skin, and then only when thoroughly dry nnd carefully prepared. Skins should not be dried with a hot sun; a cool location with a draught is ideal, on beams in a shed where there is ample circulation of fresh air. A skin should always be hung longways over a rafter of some thickness, With the back of the skin lying alon<r the rafter from tail to head, and the sides hanging down. The rafter should be wide enough to keep the sides of the cire n nWl' so that the fresh air may circulate between and keep the skin dry. as IdTi; 1 ? Sh T ,d Mt be l 1""? °" wire, free L/ el " d ? " ot P ermifc «» '«" Irce access, and, moreover, the wire damages the skin. ' *er?d,osA£ Blng " P , the ski " B a » trotblowflies l, T 0 ™ 1 ' as these attract 11?,, ii all adhering portions of skin should be pressed out with the thumh and especially around the tail and S. General. There are many mixtures in use for preserving skins, but one that the writer can guarantee as satisfactory is made trom the following ingredients: Arsenic ■washing soda and ordinary soap. Take ! °/ washing soda, lib of arsenic and about half a large bar of soap. The soap is cut into slices and placed in about seven gallons of water, when the arsenic and soda are added. The mixture is then boiled until the whole of the soap melts (Care must be taken to prevent the boil-' ing contents from overflowing the contamer by adding cold water when this 9k

threatens.) The mixture must be stirred frequently whilst being boiled. It is then painted on the pelt side of the skins with a brush, mop or rag. This) treatment prevents weevils or vermin from damaging the skins, and does not alter their natural colour in any way. Many sheepowners do not take sufficient care in the treatment of their skins, or fully realise the value of skins that have received a correct preparation prior to their being offered for sale as against the carelessly got up skins of the slovenly sheepfarmer. Much of the waste, which is very considerable in this country, caused by badly removed skins, could be easily avoided if the suggestions in this article were carried out by nic interested parties. A person who can skin a sheep correctly and cave for the removed skin is well upon the road to become an expert fat lamb slaughterman.