SHALL WE SHEAR LAMBS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 701, 29 December 1909, Page 8

SHALL WE SHEAR LAMBS.

, ' PROS AMD CONS. 'An authont} lays down the rule that if a lamb is three months,or more old at shearing time it is best to shear it, if j onager, it can safely be left till next season.' -South Islanders do very little lamb shearing, partly, no doubt, because their lambs contain a lot ,of down blood 'No lambs are shorn in England. But in Australia tho lambs aro shorn, because they aTO bora in late autumn, and talio', therefore,' •to'uMx months', growth»oi>wool whoir shearing time comes It is urged further that lambs do better if shorn, and that on jnost sheep, stations, the. wethers are shorn oeforo tho _o»c3, "becauso 'that enables them to pick up condition and become fat. Against lamb shearing it is nrged that this cuts into two parts tho hogget wool of ( the *no.\t season, and thus shortens its,staple and its value. It is estimated that the value of wool increases by about Id. per pound every month of its giotrth. One writer'pnts tho case in 'this,way„ — Suppose ewo wool is worth 3d. per pound, tho hogget wool, if twelve months. old, would be worth lOd. or lid. But if .only of nine months' growth, it would ibe worth, perlnps, only 9d. (or less) Add to this nino months' wool tho value of the lamb's, wool at 9d, and the result will be- Twelve months'hogget wool, 91b at 10d.—7s Cd. Comparo with nino months' hogget wool, 71b. at 9d.—ss. 3d.— and 21b of lambs/ wool at 9d.—total 6s. 9d. This gives a gain to the non-shearing of 9d Docs the greater health of the Uuib justify lti 1