HEAVY LAMBS.

Northern Advocate, 5 November 1932, Page 13

HEAVY LAMBS.

COBBIEDALE WEIGITTS. A recent paragraph recorded the birth of an abnormally large lamb on the farm of Mr AV. T. LiII, jun., of Westerfield, which weighed, when horn, 1211 1. it was a Romney-merino cross. A prominent North Canterbury pastoralist writes interestingly on the subject of heavy lambs, basing his remarks on the paragraph referred to: — ‘‘The item was rather a surprise to me, as over a good few years’ lambing experience 1 never bad regarded a 121 b lamb as remarkably unusual or abnormal in any way. ‘ 1 With our Corriedale Hock we have always had a 5 to C. percentage of lambs dropped at weights of 11 to FI lb, with an odd one to 141 It. This year, due, I had concluded, to a good winter, the percentage at these weights seems to he larger' than usual. ‘‘Last year a 2-tooth had a 141 b lamb, though not without considerable assistance. It was a day or two before the ewe could stand, but eventually both ewe and lamb did well. This lamb, apart from its weight, was particularly well boned, and when placed in an upright benzine case it stood with its head comfortably above the side.

“I have always regarded those large lambs with not altogether nnmixed joy, as they invariably require assistance, though one of just under 121 b was safely dropped the other day. ’ ’ .Referring again to the clipping: ‘‘AA r onld not the lambs mentioned as averaging (5 or 71b be rather under

weight for ewes that have been well wintered and not over-fat? AAUtli the exception of twins and the lambs from the 2-tooths, our lambs from what I have weighed the last day or two, appear to be near an 8 to 91 b average, nearer the 9 if anything. The twins are about 21b lighter, though one pair weighed averaged 81b each.

“Since reading this item I have wondered if the larger lambs are due to a certain strain in the flock, as they are almost invariably of the same type. “As I believe Lincoln College have been experimenting in lambs' weights at birth, it may be of interest to other readers of your page, apart from myself, if you could ascertain from them what should be the normal weight of the lamb from a well-win-tered ewe, and whether a 121 b lamb can be regarded as abnormal." CO-OPERATIVE EFFICIENCY. AN AUSTRALIAN EXAMPLE. A splendid example has been set by the orghardists of Batlow, Now South Wales, in the southern highlands, in the co-operative handling and marketing of their produce on standardised lines. A great deal of the progressive spirit that has marked these activities can be attributed to the fact that several of the leaders were men of business experience and training before they came to Batlow to grow fruit and potatoes. Tlie district pioneered the cold storage of fruit in tlie country and organised the first central packing-house for the handling of apples and pears. Later came a pota-to-growers’ association for the grading and marketing of guaranteed seed and culinary potatoes.

Provision is to lie made for the extension of these latter operations by the erection of a large packing-sited of a capacity equal to the district's output. The fruit-growers ’ co-operative organisation is also about to embark on the treatment of two additional products that will make still mere complete the service to the orchardiats.

A cider press has been secured, with which it is planned to utilise hotter small and low-grade fruit, primarily for making vinegar. The object of this is to process the walnut crop, which is of considerable and increasing bulk, and of which probably 50 per cent, is lost owing to damage by black spot. The proposal is to take the fruit in the immature stage before the fungus disease affects it, and pickle it. A. market for the product has been secured.