ON THE LAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17933, 2 November 1918, Page 5

ON THE LAND.

RURAL TALKS. (By ItfJSTICUS.) THE SHOW SEASON. For the next month or two there will bo a great many agricultural and pastoral shows held all over the, province, and indeed over a groat portion 01 the Dominion. Already a good start has been made, and in the North Island especially the show season may bo said to be well forward. In the South shows will bo held for another month or more, and then they will commence again after* harvest. The Christchurcli Show is the event of the year for many people in the rural districts, and it is still in many ways tho most important spring show in the Dominion. That it will be well attended goes without saying, in spite of the fact that we arc all very busy just now, and that the time cannot well be spared in numbers of cases. Still all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the show is a break that can be used for both pleasure and business. The Efficiency Hoard and the Minister of Defence recognise the utility and necessity of agricultural shows by granting extra trains for show purposes. In the case of the Christchurch Show some cynics maintain that the special facilities for travel are really used in order that the races may be patronised, and that if it were not for the flutter that is to be got on the racecourse thero would be little need for the special trains for the show people. Ido not agree with that in the slightest degree. It is true that the races are very largely attended, and that farmers and their people when they come to Christchurch put in some timo watching the gallopers and tho trotters, but it is safe to say that if the races were cut out there would be a very great crowd of both country and town people at the show. We could do without the races in my opinion, but it would be a mistake to stop the shows in war time, in fact there is more need for them than formerly, as they undoubtedly exercise an educational influence and they induce farmers to do their best in the breeding and fattening of stock, and the growing of produce of ono sort and another. At the same time farmers should undoubtedly support the agricultral and pastoral societies better than they do. This is the case not only in regard to the larger shows, but also in connection with tho smaller local shows which have a great call upon the loyalty of the residents in the district. In a., great measure the large shows cater specially for the stud breeders of all stock, though, of course, there are classes for the ordinary fanner's stock and produce. A metropolitan show and tho other shows in the larger centres are used by breeders for the purpose of advertising and displaying their stock, and of entering into friendly rivalry with their competitors. Farmers and others who attend and crowd the pons and tho rings do so for the purpose of picking up a few points about the various breeds, of comparing their judgment against that of the judges, and of deciding in some measure whose stock they shall get at the next breeding season. All this is very essential in regard to stock breeding, but it appears to me that in tho purely farmers' classes in the various sections of the show something more might be done in the direction of putting in exhibits. 8

! This failure of tho farmers to support the shows by means of entries is in evi- ! donee not only in the bigger shows but '' also in the purely local exhibitions that are held throughout the .length and breadth cf tho land. We are a great people for shows of one sort or another. Indeed, some people think that wo have too many of them, but I must say that I think that that is not the ease. ' As long as the show is a decent representatton of what the farmers and the district can do in the matter of stock and I produce raising I do not think that tho I society is wasting its time and money. ! Moreover, thoso small shows do inspire the exhibitors to compete in other fields and do encourage the breeding of better stock an dtho raising of better produce in order that one farmer may, he able to beat his neighbour. Still it i 3 a fact, a regrettable fact, that many of the classes in all shows are very poorly supported, whereas in no case should thero bo lack of competition. It irritates me to hear a man on show day leaning over a pen and telling a companion that he had" better stuff at home, I and that if he had entered it ho would have beaten tho present exhibitors easily. Why did he not do so? If he had 'goud stuff in his paddocks or his sheds it was clearly Ins duty to trot I it out for the benefit of the show and the edification of his neighbours and those who attend tho show. There is no telling what the' commencement in show work may lead to. I know of men who casually put in a few entries perhaps on account of patriotism to the local show. Perhaps they won, and having done so it was their ambition to keep up their reputation. On the other bond, if they were defeated they werei determined to do their best the next chance they got. So they were dragged into the fray, and it is safe to say that very few men who do so are sorry for it in tho long run. Then there is another phase of show work that should he touched upon, and that is tho committee business and the job of helping on tho grounds on show day. Many committeemen do not take any interest at all in the doings of the committee from ono year's end to the other. _ They seldom or never attend the meetings unless there is a " scrap " of some sort on. They are v.ery ready to find fault, but they do not often help in tho constructive work of the executive body. Then when show day comes, instead of helping the officials in whatever capacity they may occupy, they

stroll on the ground when it suits them merely as spectators. Anyone who accepts the job of class steward or other official should give the day up to it, and should bo there early in the morning. How often have wo seen class stewards come on the scene when tho work of setting out the exhibits has been done. They shine when the judge is doing his work, but they are not available when the getting of things straight is in hand. Some self-sacrifice is needed to give up the best part of the holiday to the work, but if one accepts the position one should be prepared to take one's share in the toil and the responsibility. And a class steward is in a position to pick up a good many hinte about the stuff, live or dead, which he is handling. And last but not least, if there is an agricultural and pastoral association in the district it is the duty of very farmer to belong to it. More than that, he should never let his subscription get into arrears. Finance is a very big factor in these societies as in everything else, and prompt payment will save work for the secretary and worry for the officials. THE MONTH. Shearing is put in hand during this month, and it is to be hoped that the weather will now become warmer, so that the work may be gono on with in the knowledge that the animals will take no harm through the loss of their coats. The wool has been taken off some of the dry sheep already, and some of the sheep that will be seen in the show next week have had their fleeces removed for some time. But generally speaking there has not been a great deal of shearing done up to this timo. The weather has been too uncertain and 6heep are too valuable to take any more risks than are necessary. At anyrate I consider that it is early enough to shear ewes yet. Ou the more tavoured country it may be done where the weather is warmer than elsewhere, and where there is plenty of shelter. In any case, the wool cannot by at its best on the ewes at this timo of the year. For my part I like, to wait till at least the end of the month, and if tho shearing should be a little later I am not displeased. Of,course, we cannot all shear at once; some must be early and some cannot help being late. Very often the matter resolves itself into waiting till the shearers can come along. One hears of cases where up-country runholders get the wool off their sheep in this month, and it is said that they do not have many losses. Of courso they run a great risk, but at the same time the weather is often more settled about this time than it is later on. However, there are not many who would care to take the risk. It has been stated that the reason why some of i the station owners get on to tho job early is because they have found that when the sheep are losing their wool after a hard snowy winter, it does them no harm to get the remainder of the fleeces taken off, a course that is almost necessary in order to prevent the wool from being scattered all over the country. Howover, I am of opinion that tho shearing is better left undone as long as possible, both for the sake of the wool itself and the sake of the sheep, especially if they are ewes with lambs at foot. Advice as to the correct method of dealing with the work of shearing when it comes along has been given so frequently that it is scarcely necessary to go over the ground. Cleanliness is one of the first essentials about the yards and the shed for the sake of tho sheep and the wool. Tho animals should bo crutched before being penned up if they aro dirty. This saves much good wool, and reduces the work in the shed as well. Of course the shed, itself should bo thoroughly clean to start with. I like to see tho shearing board as white as a kitchen table, and it iy not difficult to get it so. Chaff, seeds and other matter of a like nature must be cleared outj and so careful should one be in regard to foreign substances in the wool-shed that the bits of string that' aro cut off when opening up or sewing tho bales should be picked up and put out of harm's way. As for the classing, it should be done in a way to suit tho clip, and there is no hard and fast rule that can 'be laid down. It seems to be a good plan to send tho wool for reclassification to some of the firms who will undertake that matter. They deal with the wool in bulk, so that although it is made of many or several small clips the product gets exactly the Same treatment as it would get in a big shed. It receives the undoubted benefit of being classed into exactly the sorts that it belong,? to, so that practically every fleece is sold on its proper merits. 7f this is not done and the clip is put up one or two sorts only it stands to reason that tho buyers cannot give it the same consideration as they would be able to give a big clip properly classed. The reclassing is an excellent way of getting over the difficulties surrounding tho get-up of small mixed clips, and it is to be hoped that the practice of sending the wool to be treated in this way Will inorease, just as it is to be hoped that shearers will invest in small sheepshearing plants and go round the district dealing with farmers' flocks in rotation, something in tho same way as in chaff-cutting,' wood-sawing or threshing. This is a better method than that of erecting central co-opera-tive sheds such as has been done in some parts. Most farmers have a very strong objection to sending their sheep off the place for the shearing, especially ewes and lambs. Many losses nave been sustained iu carrying "out this practice, and it is not a good ono. Then sheep have to be off feed for too long, and if a cold snap comes up just as they have lost their coats we know what happens. Even under the greatest care on the farm losses will occur at times, and sheep,are too dear nowadays to run many risks in the manner indicated. It is necessary to havo the sheep in the yards for some time before penning up, especially at night time,

but it is not wiso to let them get too hungry and empty. If a cold snap should come along while animals that are empty are being put through, the freshly shorn sheep should be put back into the shed or into some shelter ol some sort. Even a good plantation is not to be despised. In some cases the sheds are built well off the ground, and provision made for the shorn sheep to run underneath in a wet time. Generally they do not need any persuading to get in out of the wet and the cold. It is not necessary to put tar on all tho cuts, but it is a good plan to liberally sprinkle lime and disinfectants about the yards before the shearing commences, especially if there have been any other animals about the yards during other parts of the year. As far as possible the yards should not bo used to hold cattle and pigs, but should bo kept as clean as possible throughout the year.