EXPORT LAMBS

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24744, 8 December 1945, Page 3

EXPORT LAMBS

REVIVAL *OF MEAT BOARD'S COMPETITION The District Lamb Export Competition, which was sponsored by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board and conducted by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association in pre-war days, is to be revived in the New Year and the competition for 1946 is set down for January 22 at the New Zealand . Refrigerating Company's Islington works. The competition is for pens of three lambs, exhibitors being limited to two pens, though when on the hooks the grader has the right to select the best three lambs out of the six to represent the exhibitor. - Liberal prize money is offered by the Association for the best 10 pens. In the past this entry ran into hundreds very keen competition. The lambs, are judged on the hooks at the freezing works, and the only feature that is lacking in the revived event is that it is not yet possible to reinstitute the judging at Smithfield, which made the competition more than ordinarily instructive. As it is the competition has very desirable educative features well worthy of lamb fatteners' attention.

The needs of the United Kingdom for red clover seed, according to the official journal of the Ministry of Agriculture, vary in quantity, but average about 5000 tons annually. With an average yield of between 2 and 3cwt an acre, from 40,000 to 50,000 acres are needed arinually to maintain supplies.

The leaves of rape towards the end of autumn often acquire a bluishmauve tint. The colouring may be due to various causes, but one of the most prevalent is the lack of phosphate. Meteorologically New Zealand would seem to be a country of wide extremes. Whilst the November fall in Christchurch was the lightest ever recorded for that month—.3oin—Southland came along with 6.03 in for the month, about 1J inches more than'the average fall) of 4.50 inches over a nurrlber of years. It was the wettest Navember since 1941, when 6.88 in fell. For the 11 months the fall in that province was 40.48 in, substantially more than the 34.70 in and 30.43 in in the two preceding years. Such a fall in Canterbury would be too much of a good thing, and probably would be damaging to cereal crops, but a more even "hand out" would often be welcome in Canterbury. Wellington's November rainfall was only a degree better than that of this province—.6oin. The North Island generally had as dry a month as Canterbury, Auckland province's fall being measured by points. A result in that province is a rush of lambs to the works, which are expected to reach their peak output before the holidays.