Ewes at lambing lime. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2471, 24 July 1901, Page 9

Ewes at lambing lime. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— The great value of the aitieles that weekly issue from the pen of your talented contributor, "Agricola," meets with the recognition of your readers. They are of so much interest to the agricultural community, and generally of such a practical and instructive nature, that I am sure the writei will not feel angTy if I beg to take exception to his statement in a note in your last iss>ue under the heading "Assistance at Lambing." Your contributor says: "(1) Untimely interference is to be avoided, and it is only when ewes do not lamb within three or four hours of first showing symptoms that assistance should be given. . . . Never draw say when (2) the ewe is pressing, . . . See that the hands are clean and lubricated with caibolised oil— that is, (3) one part of carbolic acid to 20 parts of sweet oil." 1. It has been my experience when attending in-lamb ewes that if a ewe cannot lamb inside of an hour she requires assistance. Young ewes, having their first lamb, will sometimes be longer, and still give birth to a live lamb ; but with other ewes, especially if served with Lincoln tups, it is always the safest practice to assist them. Thousands of lambs are annually lost through want of attention at the proper time. Formerly I used to lose a great number of lambs every season in consequence of not taking the ewe in time. I was like many others — I did not like to do what I thought .Nature could do better, and invariably I <uly

stepped in in time to find the lamb dead and the mother exhausted 2. Here, again, I must beg to differ with your contributor, but shall admit freely that it i<! much better, and also safer, not to "draw" unless the ewe is pressing. There are cases, however, and I fancy a large percentage, m which the ewe, after trying, maybe for hours, is cfiute done, and unable to help. In these cases we must act independently of any assistance from the ewe, and we must use strength, together with care and commonsense. Sometimes ths lamb may have to 'be sacrificed, but not often if properly attended to by an experienced shepherd. 3. I am afraid that very few shepherds cany caibolised oil about the paddocks with llicm, and I see very little necessity for them to do so, either, though I admit that it is a &*-fe piecaulion to take in extreme cases. In any case, the proportion of acid given by your contnbutoi to be used is far too powerful. One part of carbolic acid to 30 parts of sweet oil is quite enough to use; the ordinary proportion of carbolic is 1 part of carbolic to 40 parts of oil. So long as the hand is clean, and the parts of the ewe lubricated with salad oil or other sweet oil, and a little ordinary csre used, there is small danger to be apprehended horn any of the operations necessary in such cases as we are considering. Thanking you in advance, and tru=tmg your able contributoi will forgive my grumble. — 1 an:, etc., CALLIOPE.