Canterbury Produces Biggest Lamb Crop

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29401, 31 December 1960, Page 8

Canterbury Produces Biggest Lamb Crop

/CANTERBURY land district had the fourth’ highest lambing percentage of any land district in the country this year, according to Department of Agriculture estimates. The percentage was 100.3 buit last year it was second highest with 104.65 per cent. The district with 5,749,061 breeding ewes has more ewes than any other district and it was estimated to have produced more lambs than any other district this spring —5,766,070. Southland land district had the highest estimated lambing percentage in the country with 114.01 compared with 109.22 last year. Westland was next with 106.82 compared with 103.18 in 1959 and Otago was third with 104.14 against 100.57 last year. The national percentage was 98.26 per cent., which was slightly below the 98.61 recorded in the previous season. The overall South Island percentage increased to 104.53 from 103.77 last year, but the North Island percentage dropped from 94.2 last year to 93 this year.

County lambing percentages in Canterbury this year tended to be lower than last year. Ellesmere

heads the list with 109.9 per cent, (compared with 117.8 last year). This was the fourth highest county figure in New Zealand. Rangiora recorded 109.0 (113.8), Springs 108.3 (111.7), Kowal 105.5 (119), Waimate 105.3 (109.9), and Eyre 104.8 (110.8).

Ashburton, which has the largest number of breeding ewes in Canterbury—l,432,soo, out of 5,749,061 —was estimated to have produced 1,438,230 lambs. This was equal to 100.4 per cent. Of the 25 counties in Canterbury, 15 recorded 100 per cent, or better and only one, the Mackenzie, was below 90 per cent. Last year all but' seven were above 100 per cent. On a national basis the county of Pohangina, in the Wellington province, recorded only 96.07 per cent, this year, compared with the Dominion record figure last year of 127.91 per cent The top county this year was Southland, which carries 3,146,365 breeding ewes and produced an estimated 3,634,052 lambs—a percentage of 115.5.

The lowest lambing figures on a county basis this year were Stewart Island with 51.0, Great Barrier Island 67.1, and the Chatham Islands 75.0.