BETTER QUALITY SHEEP.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 79, 2 March 1929, Page 5

BETTER QUALITY SHEEP.

SELECTION AND BREEDING. ■ (By “Ploughshare.”) The large numbers of sheep that have been offering at recent ram and ewe fairs, together with the high prices which buyers are prepared to give for quality stock, serve to indicate that farmers have every confidence in the future of the sheep industry. The season’s series of wool sales shave shown a good demand at prices which, while slightly lower all round than those ruling the previous year, show a fair margin of profit. The lamb and mutton market, has been quite up to expectations and record numbers are being dealt with at the works. Within the past few years it has been frequently sated that, on the smaller sheep farms lying near to dairy factories, the dairy cows would soon replace the breeding ewe and that sheep farming would be practically confined to country which is unsuitable for dairying. Present indications are that no such development is likely to take place in the near future while sheep products are selling at satisfactory rates. The position occupied by sheep in providing the financial revenue of the country is one of ‘first importance and is capable of further S development along the lines of effecting ■ improvements in the quality of the stock Sand by better management. The herdStesting movement, which is now being so Ifcenerally put into effective operation in harder to find out the unprofitable cow, claims solely towards the elimination of the Minimal that does not pay the dairyman |o keep. Similarly there are many thousands of ewes kept for breeding purposes which are unsuitable for the production jkf the best quality wool or for rearing Edeal lambs for export. The season is now |resent when the type and the general Iharactcr of the future flock are determined ; this comes with the selection of Bie siros and the dams for mating. It is generally conceded that breeders of stud ind flock sheep have succeeded in developing splendid representatives of the various breeds in which they are interested. These •heep are becoming more numerous every year and are made available to dockmasters at prices which are within the reach of all. There are, however, many who still continue to use for breeding purposes males and females which are> long past the age of profitable usefulness. 'The best authorities are agreed that it is false economy to buy cheap and inferior rams when others possessing tho required vigour and other essential characters are available at reasonable prices. The ram possesses one-half the parentage, and as he is usually of the purer breed his influence on the offspring is greater than tiiat of the ewe. In giving some general advice on - the selection, of the ram a writer in a farm journal stresses the importance of the quantity of wool and the fineness of the fleece, the main object of the farmer being to rear an animal which will show a profit. The ram should show mo sign of weakness in the fleece in any part. He should stand firm and square upon his legs, with a good chest, well a i died ribs, and should be short in the Jeg with good feet. In a final word, in tlie selection of a ram, the farmer i 3 advised to avoid the purchase of anything in the nature of a crossbred. He has no type with which to stamp his progeny; his stock cannot be dcjiended upon; and. lie will prove in the future, as he has done in the past, a fraud and a disappointment. It is recommended that some weeks prior to tho actual date that the rams are to be used for the season they should be individually looked ..over. The feet require the' ‘most attention. Activity is the lust demand for the ram if full service is expected. This cannot tie obtained on lull country or even on small farm enclosure if' lie is lame or has tender feet. The feet of affected sheep will need to be pared and dressed. It is desirable that file rams should be dipped before they go |p the ewes. That the rams should be in kirong condition for useful service goes Without saying, and generous treatment uiould be extended to them. . In establishing a ewe flock the breeder Ims many opportunities of improving the sheep by selection of the rams and the judicious culling of females. Ihe whole secret of building up a flock is by culling, as far as possible all sheep not conforming to tho type the breeder has in mind. It is the sheepowner’s object to class and mate the sheep and secure, if possible, a similar type ot wool throughout the flock. Very much more depends upon the careful selection of females than is generally supposed in attaining an even type of animal The rams, if well built and well covered with an even quality wool, may work wonders in some poor ewe flocks in a short time, but classing of the ewesi is la!ways essential for the best results The (best percentages of lambs are obtained firom flocks which are m good fresh conLlition at the time of mating. The mipulse U) mate is directly associated with the vigour of the animals that are concerned and that vigour is intimately associated with a constant and generous supply of food. In practice this is effected in the instance of the larger flock, by the rcsei- , vation of a special pasture. lor the smaller number of ewes, the provision of I ii suitable forage crop is if suitable altei“ative to that pasture. The better system, f unless the flock is very large, is the forage crop with a run-off to a tairly good pasture, where the access to water is convenient. This is the ideal, for the sheep are assured of a liberal supply of food and water; besides, this, the flock iirouirht together twice every day. The jxerciso in moving the sheep to and from ■She forage crop and the P“ st J“ e w . 1 .11 ,! >e f,| benefit, and the rams will be well distributed through the flock. ■ ! Tho high regard shown, towards New Zealand lamb in Great Britain is sufficient Evidence that the quality of this product ias reached a very high standard Ihe lome consumer admits that the best or ,ur lamb is the equal of the Home grown uoduct. While this position is very i ratifying, it has to bo remembered that t t is by supplying only tho very best that I ho good opinion of the British consumer t an be. retained and competition from F .ther exporting countries be successfully net Not all of the lamb exported from Niew Zealand is of first grade quality, and .bile it is gratifying to know that oui post are in a class by themselves, it is veil to bear in mind that anything below ihe best quality meets .with strong com(.ctition from countries which are more avourably situated as regards transport ii" ourselves In the course of an '■lclress by'Sir George Clifford, chairman ’l tho Canterbury Meat Company, atten on was drawn to the fact that certain unnanics had lowered tho standard by 1™ exportation of lambs which were even elow second grade quality. It is a latter of regret that last year lambs weio xported that would have been better flowed to live,” he said. Continuing, the lairman urged upon sheep men tho ■cessily to maintain the highest standard quality. “Shareholders and farmers ioidd fully realise the condition of flocks South America, where the improvement so great that our chief competitor is ,o Argentine. It is imperative that Now caland does more than ”“S[ n ll t lalitv of its production of lamb—lt must I on"to improve it, to bo m advancie of irnnetition from all sources. It is quality ways that attracts the British customer id *if he wants smaller joints, Jet u ideavour to meet the demands as far as : flVew’ Zealand has an undoubted lead the supply of frozen lamb and mutton. imaiZr/that load and toi increase it is obvious that the type of the ewes tor ending should be brought up to a andard and, where it is necessary to ■new the breeding flock e J ould be the endeavour to select ewes at are suitable to produce the lamb that does tho lamb thrne. MORTALIT’TaFTER DIPPING. VETERINARIAN'S j

'» %7 B °c r “ TSr'ihSto* "f A 6 ™.ltu™, cgr.« .•estimation, made as to the mortal ty oc ary ca°e inquired into it was found that

tho deaths occurred during the first dipping of the season and that rams and lambs were the classes of sheep particularly affected. The" affected sheep bore a very dejected appearance, standing apart from the remainder of the flock, breathing heavily, and with their heads down. In some cases there was a blood-tinged frothy discharge from the nostrils and in others slight salivation. Post-mortem examination of tho carcases of slicep that had died showed cvi-. dence of broncho-pnuemonia. “Pneumonia,” says tho report,, “may follow dipping in two ways: First, merely as a result of chill and loss of vitality following dipping under unsuitable conditions, of which common instances aro shown when lambs are dipped late in the afternoon and aro not dry at nightfall. In such case, if after sundown the temperature of the air falla quickly, and especially if there is a strong cold wind, there is a great probability that number of lambs will succumb to pneumonia. Tho same risk attaches to dipping adult sheep, but in . a lesser degree. The second cause of pneumonia, and by far the more common of tho two, 'is tho accidental aspiration of tho dipping-fluid into tho lungs of the sheep. This is known as traumatic pneumonia, and vas the condition met with during our investigations. “In some cases the sheep had been yarded overnight; in others they were in a paddock adjoining the dip; and, again, others had been driven through several paddocks and. even distances along the road. Was the dip at fault? Many farmers thought tho strength of the dip had been altered; but against this, as far as we know, every known liquid or paste dip on the market was reported as having been used. One farmer using a particular dip which will be called ‘A’ had losses. He then changed the dip and used what may be termed ‘B’ with good results. A little farther away another farmer used ‘B’ dip and had losses, so tried ‘A’ with good results. Again, in one case where eighty lambs were dipped, twenty-eight died, although the following day one thousand sheep wore put through the same dip with only one or two deaths, which were in all probability due to weakness. The dips themselves as a cause of the trouble must therefore be clminated from tho case.

“The term ‘non-poisonous’ as applied to carbolic or cresylic dips is a misstatement of fact, and in most countries these dips must by law be labelled ‘poisonous’ and be treated in the 6amc way as other poisons. All these dips contain the coal-tar product ‘phenol’ and other oils which are not very soluble in water, and therefore need some emulsifying ingredients which the manufacturer adds. Tho manufacturer gives advice as to the best way to mix and uso the dip, and such directions should be strictly observed. Hard or brackish water destroys or renders inactive tho soap present in fluid dips, with the result that tho emulsion is broken up and the acids and oils are liberated. The effect of this is that when these acids and oils are inhaled pneumonia supervenes, usually with fatal results, and this is what occurred in the cases under review. I am of opinion that there was a combination of causes to bring this about:— “(1) The summer being dry the water was possibly not as soft as usual, and in the absence of rain most of the water in the races came from springs. I had one lot of racewater analysed, and although it proved to be soft there was evidence afterwards that rain had fallen between the time of the fatal dipping and the time the sample was taken. Mortality was not general, but occurred in patches where tho sources of the water-upply wore similar. “(2) Apart from the water, the dips were mixed in various ways and were not always formed into a proper emulsion before putting into the bath. The phenols and oils would float to tho top, and the sheep on rising to the surface would be more liable to inhale them into the lungs, which in fact did happen. “(3) Sheep driven straight in off the paddocks and dipped on a full ■ stomach would be more liable to inhale tho fluid than sheep with empty stomachs. This occurred in some cases. ,

. “(4) Numerous rams which died were in high, condition ready, for the. season. Such animals always requiro Special 'care in tho dip. “In conclusion, all farmers may be advised to take the following precaution’s When dipping:— “(1) Do not dip sheep while they aro in a heated condition, not heat them up by driving after dipping. “(2) If the water is hard, soften it by adding 21b washing-soda to every 100 gallons of water. ’ “(3) Follow directions given with the dip and mix it overnight, stirring again before using. “(4) Avoid dipping the sheep on a full stomach. “(5) Take time, and do not rush tho sheep through the bath. “(6) Use the crutch yourself. “(7) Remember that dirty-woolled sheep means soiling of the dip, thereby weakening it and rendering it more or less inert, j with tho result that the sheep are not I properly treated—which may result in their . being ‘ticketed’ at the sale-yards. “(8) Run off the dip-fluid after dipping is I finished. ; “(9) Put fresh water in the dip and'run j if oft again before the first dipping of the season.”

WELLINGTON PRODUCE MARKET. (By Telegraph.—Special to “Standard.”) WELLINGTON, March 1. There is not much vitality in produce lines and prices are almost unchanged, from last week. Wheat is in plentiful supply at 7s 2d to 7s 4d per bushel. Pollard.—£lo 153 per ton, | Bran. —£8 10s per ton. I Oats are slightly easier, being 4s 2d to 4s 5d per bushel. | Maize.—6s 9d per bushel; crushed im- , ported, 5s 9d. There are good supplies of new chaff I of sound quality and old lines are also available, both at £7 15s per ton. There are plentiful supplies of onions from the north, and the south, the latter being well spoken of by merchants. Quotations, Us to 12s per cwt. for fair average lines. Small lots of southern potatoes are to hand, the quality being fairly good. The average prices are 10s to Us per cwt., with lower quotations for under grade. DAIRY PRODUCE. Dalgety and Coy., Ltd., report under date London, 28th February, 1929: Butter: Market quiet. Danish, 188 s to 190 s (190 s to 1945); N.Z. finest salted, 170 sto 172 s (174 s to 1765); Australian finest unsalted, 172 s to 176 s (180= to 182 s); Australian finest salted, 168 sto 170 - (174 sto 1765); Australian g.a.q., 164 s to 166 s (170 s to 1725). Cheeso: Market firmer. Australian, white, 83s); coloured, land, white, 90s (84s); coloured, 90s (86s); spot price for Canadian white, 106 s to UOs ! (106 sto UOs); coloured, 106 sto UOs (104 sto 1108=). Canadian cheese, market slow. N.Z. improved and appears tending in favour of 'sellers; this is uncertain. Last week’s prices [ are shown in parentheses. i . SKIN, HIDES AND TALLOW. The fortnightly sale of hides, skins and tallow was hold at Wellington yesterday. There was the usual attendance of buyers. Quotations: —Dry sheepskins: Good competition at full late rates. Halfbrcd, 143 d to 15d; fine crossbred, 123 d to 143 d; medium, Dijd to 14d; coarse, Ufd to 123 d; half wools, 9d to 12Jd; quarter wools, 9d to 12id; pelts, 8d to 12d. Salted skins; On -a par with values current at auction sale held at Wellington a fortnight ago. - Pelts, 4s to 4s 8d; quarter wiools, 4s Id to 6s 8d; half wools, 5s 7d to 7s Id; threcquarter wools, full wools, extra large, none offering; lambs, 2s Id to 63 4d. Hides: As compared with prices current at last auctions cow were id to 2d higher; ox, kip and yearling on a par; calf unchanged.— Ox 331bs. to 441b5., to 7gd; -451b5., to 521 bs Bid to 9d: 531bs. to 591b5., 8d to 93d; 601bs" to 691bs„ Bid to lOd; 701bs. and over, 10id- cow, 331bs. to 391b5., 6£d to 73d; 401bs. to 481b5., 63d to 73d; 491bs. and over, 7M to 73d; kip, 251 be. to 321b5., 5d to 9Jd; 171b=. to 241b5., 81d to 9§d; yearling, lllbs. to 161b5., 9gd to lOJd; calf, 91bs to lOlbs 71d to 9d; 61bs. to 81b3., 9d to 14id; lib. to cu.g lid to 16Jd. Tallow: Full late rates. Tn casks. 31s to 325; in tins, etc., 16s to 26s 6d. Sundries: Cow tails, 183 d; hor6e hair, 16id.