RUGGING OF SHEEP

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21802, 6 June 1936, Page 12

RUGGING OF SHEEP

SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE WOOL QUALITY IMPROVED Flock owners in Canterbury have been interested in trials that have taken place in South Australia into the value of rugging sheep, and a request has been made by a stud breeder, who has done some rugging on his own account, to publish the following article on the subject:— At present more than 60,000 flock sheep are carrying rugs in South Australia, and they are carrying them at a profit to the owners, says a writer in the Sydney “Mail.” This development came about gradually as the result of practical tests, and leads to the belief that within a few years hundreds of thousands of floci. sheep will be rugged for certain periods of the year throughout the Commonwealth. What are the benefits? On a conservative basis at least 5 per cent, of midwinter shorn ’sheep die from cold in normal seasons; when drought conditions prevail and sheep are low in condition, the percentage of losses is much greater. It is only reasonable to assume that these losses would be greatly reduced were the animals provided with an artificial covering. The saving of even one sheep would pay for several rugs, and let it not be forgotten that at best a dead shorn sheep is only crow food and an ideal breeding ground for blowflies. It may be argued that the expense and labour involved do not warrant rugging. To those who raise such apparently commonsense objections I would say: Enquire from growers who do rug and you will be astonished at the results. I know of one test that was carried out primarily to ascertain if rugs treated in a certain manner would provide any degree of immunity from blowflies. Actually, the test was highly satisfactory in the direction aimed at, but the enthusiast was absolutely confounded when he saw the difference between the wool from the rugged sheep and that from the balance of toe flock. There were no burrs or seeds in the fleece portion of the former sheep, and with a minimum of dust and an estimated yield of 12 to 15 per cent, more, the value of the rug-covered wool was pence per fb

greater. Furthermore, the condition of the rugged sheep was all that could be desired. From the wool angle alone it was proved by enhanced returns that rug and labour expenses were repaid in a manner totally unexpected. In South Australia, where the virtues or rugging are more generally realised than elsewhere, higher prices for rugged lambs have returned to the owners two and three times the rug costs,, thus demonstrating how trade appreciates the better quality lambs reared in this way. Obviously, if added values return more than rug costs, the expedient is economically sound. Then there is the seed and burr problem. In certain districts owners are compelled to shear in the months other than they would desire because of these pests. In many cases, too, lambing has to be arranged to conform to such shearing operations. Rugging would tend to overcome most of the worries of burrs and seeds, thereby allowing shearing to be carried out when desired and paving the way for later or earlier lambing as the case might be. None can deny the manv advantages to be gained through rugging. Apart from the better health of the sheep, the gain in price of fleece wool obtained, after making all due allowance for the lesser weight as a result of the minimum of dirt and dust contained, more than recompenses for rug and labour costs. I am sure the day is not far distant when we shall see great numbers of sheep carrying rugs over the greater part of the year. Taking the experience in South Australia as a precedent, the bulk of these will possibly carry their rugs from shearing to shearing. What might have been regarded a few years ago as fantastic, even unnatural, is now being accepted by thoroughly practical men as astonishingly sound.

WILD OATS

EXTRAORDINARY VIRILITY Wild oats are one of the most annoying pests to the agricultural farmer when they get into his land. Cultivation of the soil for crops rather stimulates instead of destroying them. A farmer told “Straggler” during the week a remarkable instance of the insistence of wild oats in living. When this farmer first secured his tractor, he deep ploughed a paddock to a depth that would have been difficult with a team, and he noticed during the opera-

tion that great flocks of birds followed him up as the furrows were turned over. He sowed the field in the usual way and the finest crop of wild oats he had ever seen, came up. He learned the cause some time afterwards when discussing the occurrence with a previous owner of the farm. The latter volunteered the information that the paddock was a mass of wild oats 16 years before, and he had ploughed them in to the greatest depth possible. To all appearances he had got rid of them, until his successor brought them to the surface again. A long, period of the field in ryegrass pasture and hard grazing eventually cleared it of the oats.

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION

CONFERENCE OF OFFICERS An important conference of officers of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture was held in the hell of the old Provincial Council Buildings in Durham street on June 3 and 4. The officers present were those stationed in the various districts of the South Island north of the Waitaki river and under the control of the fields superintendent at Christchurch. Mr R. McGillivray, fields superintendent, was in the chair, and Mr H. B. Tennent, director of the Fields Division, Wellington, was a visitor to the conference. Many matters of far reaching importance to the instructional service were discussed, but the proceedings were private. However, to a representative of “The Press” Mr McGillivray stated that the conference was most successful, and officers, especially those stationed in distant parts, would benefit very much from the various discussions that had taken place. The discussions had been confined to consideration of Various departmental activities, such as field experiments, certification of seeds farm advisory work, seed production etc All officers were encouraged to place their views before the conference and full advantage was taken of the opportunity, much useful discussion taking place. This is the second of these officers’ conferences that have, been held in Christchurch, the former one being in 1933.

Mr Andrew Carruthers. of “Nethertown, Ngapuna, Middlemarch. the well-known breeder of Clydesdale horses, has sold a well-bred colt, Scotland s Gift, to Mr T. S. Ferguson Blairlogie,” Waiau, Canterbury Mr Ferguson personally selected the colt many classy yearlings at Nethertown, and purchased him at a record price for a colt of iUs age.

■ ■■ ■ asumi-’- | POTATO LOSaßfflil: I

LUCK AND OTHEEWnpi -

Potato growers in the heaeariHjmi districts were big losers this Ijipfr from the floods which occunstf^ll 1 February and March, bat ers on free, loamy soOs had I llßfc experience. Where the flood apMflPp: for any length of time, tion was aJjjiost complete remCMfl 1 of the type of land. One groiijßSiK the Springs county mentioned nil writer the other day that he titled seed to the value of £l*|ra|> hand—based on a value of £ls which he had been offered. as a consistent potato grower. ■WlWHti' who believes in the sound theflfjr*f* every now and again potatoes ISfOWP a good "win,” he resisted the taflw* tion to sell, and planted the Id. Bj got nothing from the crop patches of second growth potato*!** seed quality. A neighbour, was eventually similarly thought the price of £ls too attoajjtoto to refuse, and when half the POtotol* in his district were ruined gratulated himself on his rather luck —as in many yeamJSflf 1 dence in the district he cannot rfC*>h year when such floods occurred most vital period in the potato ffPpji ing season. ,

WHAT EVERY FARMER SWl* KNOW : I J 4 '

The regular use of Sykes’s DWJJJ” at calving time ensures a p*®*®, healthy herd. Your mind is of the worry of bad fever, mammitis, and kindred ittiFg which occur at calving time * methodically drench each cow particular period with Sykes’s Thoughtful dairymen who tain the maximum of profit dairy herds know from perience that it pays to cow with Sykes’s Drench afUSMjjJS Neglect to use this proved rtfJHWpr’ calving time leads to expense penses are profits lost, so that m ng own interests it will pay mence this season with SykeeTMgJMjL Sold by all stores at 17s Is 6d a packet. Each packet two drenches. Mr E. Griffiths, the Jersey breeder, of TaranakkSW&v “To be successful with cows be kept healthy. I have osdiJHHHM Drenches and Abortion fifteen years with entire »wWI^WmwM