GRADING OF LAMBS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17057, 11 June 1926, Page 5

GRADING OF LAMBS.

CRITICISM OF CONDITIONS. WHAT SUITS FARMERS? (Special to the Herald.! CHRISTCHURCH, this day. "The grading of lamb under the present conditions presents returns which are, to say tho least of it, unpopular here," said Mr. .1. D, Hull, in bis presi- ! den tin I address at, the annual provincial conference of the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday. Continuing, Mr. Hnll snid : "The old I grade of 36-421 b lambs is what farmers believe suits their farms and slock, and it seems a change that might bo proven- : table to cut the highest-priced lambs to a maximum weight of 361 b. It is bad enough to have the price of a 421 b lamb 1 reduced this year by 8s 9d—from 12d to 9Jd per lb—without having another 2s ■ 6d taken off bcear.se tho highest price for first quality lambs is restricted to 361 b. This may suit graziers turning off milk ! lambs at" the lower weights, but it does not suit fanners who are growing rape as part of their farm rotation, and aim at turning off a 421b' lamb later in the season. it may be true that the English consumer can detect, something wrong with the class of lamb which has been exported from Canterbury for many years, but it is hard to believe that this ■ should be.so. In any case someone has ! got to accept the responsibility of deciding whether anything can be done, or hviicther the prices in England for the various weights are going to be left entirely in the hands of meat, exporters and Smithiield dealers." j LATE FREEZING SEASON. ; Referring to the trouble '-which occurred this season owing to the fact that the freezing works did not open before Christmas. Mr. Hall said the companies would open the works in December if the farmers would guarantee 5000 lambs. Th'd deterioration of our ewe flocks for lamb producing purposes required very careful consideration. The fact that about 80.000 North Island ewes had been sold in Addington this season, and that I they are mostly Romneys or Romne.ycross. did not promise well for maintaining the typo of our Canterbury lamb. There seems to be no answer to the adI vice so often given that farmers should J not sell their best ewe lambs', and trust to providence to got breeding ewes for the next year. Keeping 20 per cent., or even IS per cent, of his good ewe lambs would ensure a farmer maintaining a regular and healthy flock of breeding ewes instead of having M buy ewes of j the type they had been getting from the north' "this year.