LAMBING AND SHEARING

Manawatu Times, Volume XLXI, Issue 3481, 15 December 1926, Page 11

LAMBING AND SHEARING

EFFECTS OF THE WEATHER. TAIHAPE, Friday. Now that shearing has been commenced and the sheep mustered, it can be said that the losses of lambs caused by the bad weather during the lambing season have not been very great, except, in isolated instances, where the sheep were on very bleak country and docking was commenced too early, says a Taihape correspondent. Generally, farmers have found that losses were surprisingly small, considering the abnormal conditions which prevailed almost throughout the lambing season, when there was an unusual amount of snow and cold winds were a feature. Most of the sheep farmers in the district have found that lambing percentages have been above the average of previous years.

Though the weather during the past few weeks has been anything but ideal, there has been no serious stoppage of shearing operations in the district, and farmers in all parts have been fully occupied during the last week. Lambs are well forward for this time of the year, and farmers who go in for fat-stock raising are experiencing a good season. One farmer on Wednesday had a lamb killed and dressed which turned the scale at 501 b. One killed a few days before went 4 81b, and the average weight of butchered lambs is 441 b. On account of the cold weather in the early part of the season, and at intervals since, dairy farmers have been experiencing a not altogether good season, and supplies of cream to the dairy factory have shown a falling off compared with two seasons ago. The supply, however, is now picking up.

A fair amount of new season’s wool clip is being carried to the railway at Taihape, but the bulk will not bo in till early in January. Since the last wool sale at Wanganui on November 23, prices have been exceptionally good and farmers’ clips so far have realised more than has been expected, prices being reported as very satisfactory.