SHEARING TIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20111, 23 November 1928, Page 7

SHEARING TIME.

CULLING ON THE BOARD. HINTS FOR THE FARMER:! EYE ON THE WORKMEN, ny 11. H.T. In most districts tho shearing t*f the dry sheep is now well under wfijy and during this month the ewes will going over tho board. The advantages of woolclassing and tho best systems and methods to bo employed havo so often been stressed that if ho docs not liavo a thorough grasp of tho subject tuow tho fault is surely tho farmer's

Hie shearing season, especially where tho wet ewes aro concerned, -coffers the farmer an unparalleled opportunity of observing his sheep, both in .'grid out of the wool, and of doing such culling as will improve tho evenness of his flock as well as its constitution. Too frequently the manager or owner of a .-sheep farm considers that it is his duty to rush about doing odd jobs. Admittedly thcro are plenty to do and many a conscientious man in charge feels that lie must givo a hand with tho mustering, thio drafting, shedding, pressing or wool-rolfing, while countless other jobs call him hither and (hither on a wild rush. This man may do tljreo' men's work in the day, and yet lie neglecting tho most important job of all —tho job that "-only too can do thoroughly. On the Shearing Board. Throughout the year tho farmer docs this and that with his stock with the object of improving their condition, their wool or their lambing. Tho lambing past so far as percentage is concerned, it remains only to check over the condition of (lie ewes which are rearing these lambs, and to judge the success of his methods of farming by tho condition and quality of the wool.

Up and down tho board sheep are coming under the hands of the shearers every minute or so. that time it is possible for a man who knows his sheep thoroughly to visualise tho ideal at which he aims and to class each sheep more thoroughly than he could do at any other time of tlhc year. He sees the wool; he can take n sample of it if needs be from shoulder to breech and examine it for wcEtkness, duality, etc. If shoulder or flank wool reveals a break in any particular spot ho is warned that at the time of the year when, that fault developed (tho date can be approximately arrived at from the position in the staple at which tho break occurs) his sheep received soma check that should be provided against in future years, if the staple is uniformly tender, either the sheep has been ill or badly done throughout the year, or it lacks constitution and should at once be culled from the flock.

A "Comprehensive Survey. j To confirm tho latter opinion the j farmer need only look at tho two ends of the sheep. If the sheep has a small muzzle and a daggy tail there is no question that it should be among tho annual draft-, but if otherwise desirable it might be given another chance if the muzzle showed copstitution and internal parasites or other foreign causes were i reasonably suspected of being the cause of " bad doing." The presence and extent of hempy fibres in the breech, and perhaps in the flank or back wool, would show whether a ewe should bo retained or rejected. Ago marks can be seen at a glance while the sheep are being shorn and be used as a check on opinions based solely on t3ie condition of tljo wool. An inspection of the belly wool as it is torn by tho shearer from the llecco is often a guide to tho approximate weight tho sheep will clip,/ while tho condition of tho sheep itself often helps to indicate the type or breed of sheep that does best 011 tho land being farmed. The farmer can devise his own , marks to indicate those sheep which he wishes to cull. A mark on the nose, or' poll enables him to detect these sheep later when branding is being done and they can (hen bo distinctively branded. 15y remaining 011 tlio board throughout sheading the farmer not only has a unique opportunity of culling his flock and observing the success of his methods _of farming, but ho is also in tho best position to control the activities of shearing. Benefits of Supervision. A farmer's keen interest in all tho operations is conducive to better work being done by the shearers. He can prevent "legging-out," which results in so many dislocated hips and injured loins. Cut sheep and " second cuts" in tho wool are not nearly so frequent when his eyo is 011 tlio workmen, while everyone 111 tho shed, from the " lleece-lio ' to the pressors, takes in wo interest in tho work when they know that iliey will be brought up with a round turn ii any slumming is detected. A sheep-fanner should not regard shearing as tlio time when the wool has to bo got off tlio sheep as quickly as possible and dumped into the bales post haste. It is the sheepman's harvest time. Ho has presumably spent all tho year, living to grow tho best possible wool the country will produco and his clip deserves that care in preparation for tho market which' will show it off to tho best advantage. The inannger or owner of a sheep station obtains returns commensurate with tho extent to which ho uses his intelligence and his knowledge of sheep. One can buy muscle comparatively cheaply even in these days, but organising ability combined with knowledge and application are tho qualities that are, hard to find and the possession of these is worth his money bccauso ho makes big money. .