LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 22188, 2 December 1933, Page 12

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

ANNUAL SHOWS VALUE TO EXHIBITORS. An exhibitor who goes to a show thinking that his knowledge of stock is complete, and that he has nothing to learn, may as well stay at home. A well conducted show will provide many valuable lessons to the exhibitor. The ranks of breeders necessarily include some who have not had much experience, and some who have not profited by the experience they have had, and who never will learn anything, but the successful breeder makes better use of his opportunities. The educational advantages to the exhibitor may be acquired in many ways; either in bringing out his stock in perfect condition—there is much to learn there—in competition in the ring, in interchange of views with other exhibitors, and with a much enlarged acquaintance with men in the same line. He may leam a lot from buyers as to the class of stock in demand and by keeping in touch with the leading exhibitors he learns where he is likely to place his stock to the best advantage. Competition in the ring opens the eyes of many a breeder to the good points as well as to the deficiencies of his own stock and those of others. Very few men can indicate the exact value of any exhibit until they have examined it in good company. The close observer has the advantage of various judgments to consider and ponder over, which may guide his future course of action in breeding. He comes in contact in the first place with he judgment of his competitor, next with that of the judges. The public on the rail often give emphatic approval or dissent, which he will not fail to notice and finally with that of the buyers, the most important of all. He must have no small opinion of his own abilities if, after rubbing shoulders with all these men, he does not learn something to his own advantage. Anyone who wishes to run a purebred flock profitably has no option in the matter—he cannot leave his stock at home, he must continue to exhibit them, and invite comparison with other breeders. Otherwise he is tremendously handicapped. He loses touch with the improvements effected by other breeders, and forfeits the competition of the most enlightened buyers. His wisest course is to keep battling, accept what good luck comes his way, make use of the best he can procure, and never on any account tear up the third prize tickets and throw them back in the face of the judge as he leaves the ring with his exhibit. CONTROL OF RAGWORT A MENACE TO DAIRY FARMERS. The control of ragwort, locally called ragweed, is at present exercising the minds of a great many farmers. This weed is spreading alarmingly in many parts of Southland and the great importance of proper control particularly on dairy farms, must be evident to every thoughtful farmer. The Department of Agriculture in recent journals has issued the following instructions: During the past two years various forms or mixtures of chlorates have been tested, and the results show definitely that sodium chlorate is still the most economical and efficient to use. Where sodium chlorate is properly applied it will give 100 per cent of kills in the plants actually treated. It has been further proved that where the plants are nearing the flowering stage, or are in that stage, a two per cent solution sprayed on is quite strong enough to give 100 per cent kills. During the past year considerable controversy has taken place as to the relative methods of spraying or of applying dry with a spreader such as carbonate of lime, rock phosphate etc. Each method has its own particular merits under certain conditions.

The liquid spray method is the more efficient provided water is handy; less sodium chlorate is required per acre, and consequently a saving in cost of material is effected. On the other hand more labour is required. The liquid method is the dirtiest from the operator’s point of view. Where carelessness

(Conducted by

THE WOOL CLIP PREPARING IT FOR MARKET. NEED FOR MORE CARE. During recent years the price received by the farmer for his wool has been well below cost of production. This year, however, it appears that extra care taken in the preparation of the clip for market will well repay the farmer. With prices ranging round four or fivepenee, lackadaisical methods may, perhaps, be excused, but there is certainly no excuse for the farmer, when a little extra care and attention will increase his returns by a penny or more a pound. The Canterbury Agricultural College has the following to say on the subject:— From time to time wool-buyers have complained of the way some New Zealand wool clips are placed on the market. A visitor to the wool stores before a sale will convince anyone with a knowledge of wool that there are some grounds for these complaints. At the last series of wool sales, American and Japanese buyers were emphatic in stating that if more care had been exercised in the preparation of the wool they would have taken more of it. If the woolgrower wishes to create a better demand for his wool, attention should be paid to the following points throughout the year:— Preliminary Care. Usually farmers with small flocks cause more trouble to the brokers and buyers than other woolgrowers on account of the unevenness of their wool. Where sheep are purchased, therefore, every endeavour should be made to obtain lines that show as much evenness in wool quality as it is possible to get. On the other hand, if the sheep are home-bred, a definite plan of breeding should be laid down so that the flock is as even as possible. Changing the type every few years to “chase” the market, means a very uneven wool clip which does not satisfy any particular demand, and is very difficult to class. Probably one of the easiest ways of improving some clips would be the disposal, by sale or killing for mutton, of all nondescript sheep in the flock. Careless dipping may have two effects on the wool; bad mixing of the dip may stain it directly or else through

is shown clothes get badly saturated with the material, and when these clothes become dry there is a grave danger from fire. Waterproof clothing should be used when spraying, and be washed over at the end of each day. If ordinary clothing gets saturated with spraying material, it should be thoroughly washed in several waters before being allowed to come in contact with fire; otherwise there is a considerable risk of burning.' Much publicity has already been given to the spraying method. It is proposed here to deal more fully with the dusting method. The procedure is to mix a given quantity of sodium chlorate and lime and then apply this to the plants. If one is applying the mixture in the same way as topdressing and putting on from 5 to 6cwt per acre a strength of about 5 per cent of sodium chlorate is necessary. On the other hand if only the plants are to be treated, a mixture containing 8 to 10 per cent, should be used. In this case two to three cwt will be found sufficient to treat a badly infested acre. This method has the advantage that the grass will not be burnt to the same extent as where the material is applied broadcast. Where the plants are in the rosette stage a light dressing is all that is required. This method is more effective when the plants are in this stage. If broadcasting is done it should be applied as early as possible as it is now getting late enough. The burnt grass must have a chance to recover after application or the stand of grass will be considerably thinned out. The importance of thorough mixing when using sodium chlorate in conjunction with a spreader cannot be too strongly stressed. Powdered sodium chlorate as usually sold contains a considerable number of lumps. Before mixing with the spreader it is necessary to sieve out these lumps and crush them to the powder stage. Another method of mixing, and a very effective one, is to take 21b of the chlorate, dissolve it in 12 pints of water and spray this on to lewt of carbonate of lime. This ensures better distribution of the chlorate.

The use of this weed-killer, together with an efficient system of grazing with sheep, acting as “followers” to the herd, should be all that is needed to control this weed. It should be realized however, that unless strong measures are taken to combat the weed it will become a grave menace in Southland.

W. S. Allan, B. Agr, Sc.)

lack of control of the ticks or keds which may increase until their numbers are such that their excreta discolours the wool. The dip stain as a rule does not scour out completely, and in many cases the wool is affected detrimentally in its spining qualities. While the tick stain scours out as a rule, it detracts from the appearance of the wool when displayed for sale. Therefore, every care .'hould be given to all operations in connection with dipping, such as using soft water and mixing the dip with the correct amount of water, and following carefully the directions supplied by the makers. Owing to the difficulty of scouring out the usual commercial branding fluids, the brands should be kept as small as is consistent with clearness, and great care should be taken to see that the fluid does not drip from the iron, and that the brand is not smudged when branding or afterwards when yarding. Such substances as tar and paint should never be applied to the fleece, and boiled linseed oil or turpentine, which are particularly harmful, should be avoided when diluting brands. If it is found that the brand requires diluting, some quick evaporating substance such as petrol, should be used. It is asking a lot of any brand that it should be visible on the fleece for twelve months and yet scour out in the mill. The Wool Industries Research Association has done considerable experimental work in endeavouring to produce such a fluid. While there are some brands on the market made according to the formula of the Association, their effectiveness for New Zealand conditions is not known as yet. Preparation of the Shed and Sheep. Two or three days previous to shearing the shed should be cleaned out thoroughly; a mere sweeping of the' floor is not sufficient, but the walls should be cleaned down, birds’ nests removed, gratings cleaned, and the floor given a good wash. The damage done to the manufactured material by pieces of string, straw, chaff, and so forth is so serious that one cannot emphasise too strongly the necessity for a thorough cleaning of the wool shed. All the accessories of shearing, such as bales, seaming twine, needles, stencils, ink, branding fluid, wool bins etc., should be attended to. Sheep should be brought into the shed empty, and during the time they are in the yards they should be gone through and dagged. If this is not done, more wool is stained when the sheep rub together in the pens, the sheep struggle during shearing, with the result that skin and second cuts are too prevalent, the shearing board is dirtied unnesessarily, and the shearer and wool-roller are hampered in their work. With hoggets it is a good time to go through the flock and mark any culls with raddle on the nose, while with older ewes, any dry sheep should be marked if they have not been drawn out previously. When these marked sheep are branded after shearing they should either be branded in a different place or else a special mark placed on them. It is seldom wise to shed up damp sheep, since the crushing in the pens is inclined to drive the dampness further in to the fleece and subsequently make drying more difficult. Handling the Wool. The man in charge of the shearing shed should see that the shearers do their work with every care and treat the wool properly. The fleece should not be broken unnecessarily and when the neck or belly is being opened up the wool should be broken and not cut by the shears while second cut and skin cuts should be kept to a minimum. The shearer should remove the belly wool as soon as it is shorn, making sure that he removes all the belly wool from the fleece. In order to remove second cuts and fribby pieces the fleecepicker should shake the belly wool before placing it in the basket or bale provided for the purpose. In the case of male sheep all stained wool should be removed completely, and if of sufficient quality should be dried in the sun, bagged and sold. After each fleece has been picked up, the floor should be swept to remove all second cuts, leg trimmings etc., before the next sheep is on the board. If this is not done the next fleece will be contaminated by these objectionable oddments which may be overlooked on the rolling table. It is better not to shear the lower portion of the leg in the case of sheep carrying little wool on this part and so minimise the risk of getting hairs into the fleece. Before the floor sweepings are swept under the table any piece wool should be picked out and any dags thrown away

After each fleece has been thrown on the table it should be straightened out to facilitate the skirting and rolling processes and to make sure that any wool which should be removed is not concealed in a fold of the fleece. In the skirting of the fleece only the wool that does not match the bulk of the fleece should be removed. This usually consists of the heavy, greasy, fribby pieces from round the legs and brisket, the light fluffy or knotted wool from round the head and neck, together with any urine or manure stained wool. This stained wool should always be a lot by itself. Where there is sufficient piece wool, the best practice is to make first pieces, consisting of all light, clean wool such as that from round the neck, and second pieces, consisting of all the heavy, greasy wool. In some flocks it happens that only the wool from the head, legs and belly is seedy, and in such cases this wool should be removed and made a lot by itself. If there are only small qualities of bellies and pieces one lot should be placed in the bottom of a bale, a bale cap or piece of clean bagging put in to separate them and then the other lot should be filled in and the bale clearly marked to show the division. The fleeces should be prepared for rolling by turning in some of the neck

end, folding over first one side and then the other, and then rolling firmly but not too tightly from the tail end to the head. Classing the Clip. The classing of a clip depends to a certain extent on the type of sheep, the class of country, and the seasonal conditions, and therefore it is difficult to lay down any hard and fast rules. It can be stated, however, that what is required is a few distinct lines of wool, avoiding wherever possible small fancy lines and star lots. Farmers with flocks of straight line sheep sometimes doubt if proper classing pays. While there may have been, during the time of high prices, instances where the poorly got up clips brought prices as good as those received for the well treated clip, such conditions are not likely to continue in the “buyers” market which is likely to prevail for the next few years at least. Over a number of years the little extra care and time expended in doing tliis is likely to be well repaid. The following example of a flock of about 3000 Corriedale or half-bred sheep shows the results likely to be obtained at normal prices from a clip correctly classed. This flock should yield approximately 60 bales each weighing 3001 b, of skirted fleece wool and would be classed somewhat as follows:— £ 35 bales of fine half-bred or Corriedale (56’s-58’s) at 1/- lb 525 18 bales of medium half-bred or Corriedale (sO’s-54’s) at 10d lb 225 3 bales of strong half-bred or Corriedales (48’s) at 8d lb 40 4 bales of B Wool half-bred or Corriedale (50’s-58's) at 8d lb 40 Total 820 If the wool was sold as one lot the price received would probably be lOd per pound, or a return of £750. Classing would give an extra return of £7O for fleece wool without taking into account the extra return that would be obtained for pieces, bellies and locks, if they are looked after properly. The most that can be offset against this is £2O, the wages of a good classer. Ewe Wool. iln the case of small straight line flocks of from 300 to 500 sheep, the best that can be done is to divide the fleece wool up into fine and strong lots, retaining as one lot those fleeces that are badly cotted or stained. These off sorts should then be reclassed by a broker. As an example of this type of classing we have some of the smaller Romney flocks and some of the larger Lincoln and Leicester flocks for which the following is a typical classification:— Border Leicester English. and Romney. Leicester. Lincoln. A. Ewe Wool (fine) 46's-48’s some 50's 4O's-44's 38’s-40's B. Ewe Wool (strong) 44's-4G’s 36’s-38’s 32’s-36's The few offsort fleeces should be reclassed, and pieces, bellies and locks kept separate for grouping as star lots. With straight-line flocks of from 700 to 2000 sheep, little more can be done, except that the offsorts, i.e. cotted or matted, discoloured, heavy conditioned and tender fleeces will form a lot, which may or may not be classed as a star lot. Some of our moderate sized Romney and Corriedale flocks are examples of this type of classing when the following lots should be made:— Romney Corriedale or half-bred. (A) Ewe Wool (fine) 48's-50's sG's-58's (B) Ewe Wool (strong) 44's-46’s 48’s-50's (C) Ewe Wool (dingy) 44's-50’s sO’s-58’s Pieces, bellies, locks and stained wool should be put up separately. A larger flock from 2500 to 4000 sheep could be classed as follows:— Merino Corriedale Romney or half-bred Super (fine) G6's-70's 56's-58's 50’s (Al Ewe Wool (medium) 64’s sO‘s-54's 46’s-48’s (B) Ewe Wool (strong) 60’s and below 48’s 44 s-46’s (C) Clothing (merino only) any wool shorter than about Ifin. (D) Wool* (all offsorts such as sandy, cotted, dingy, which may be subdivided if of sufficient quantity.) (E) Ist pieces (clean, bright and light). (F) 2nd pieces (heavy in grease.) (G) Bellies, with all stained or fribby wool removed. (H) Locks. (I) Stained pieces. With larger flocks the classing should follow similar lines except that the major lots of fleece wool may be subdivided into those heavy and those light in the grease if there is much variation in this respect. In the case of Romney and other cross-bred wools, should there be much variation in length, then all wools of any lot longer than six inches should be grouped together as “preparing” wools, while wools shorter than six inches should be grouped as “carding” wools: but great care must be taken not to make unnecessary subdivisions. Ram, Hogget and Wether Wools. Where rams, hoggets and/or wethers are kept in addition to ewes, their wool should be kept as separate lots, as it is longer, better feed and heavier conditioned than that from breeding ewes. According to the number of sheep, classing should follow the lines set out above. If the lots are small they may be grouped with corresponding lots of ewe wool, provided the fact is noted in the specifications sent to the broker. Ram’s wool is better baled by itself or, if in small quantities sent forward for reclassing by the broker. Black sheep should be shorn by themselves, the bellies left attached to the fleece, and the fleece and all floor sweepings bagged up without being thrown on the table for skirting. Tliis procedure assures that no black wool will contaminate the white wool. Baling and Transport. The bales should be turned inside out and shaken to prevent any loose jute fibres becoming mixed in the wool. It is preferable to use the bale inside out. During pressing evey care should be taken to sec that the fleeces are kept clean and intact, as it only takes one of two dirtied fleeces to spoil the appearance of a clip. Fleeces should be so placed in the bale as to ensure its being evenly packed with corners well filled out. It is a mistake to make the bales too heavy or to endeavour to get too much wool into a bale, especially with heavy conditioned wool or locks. The bales should be neatly sewn with seaming twine, preferably coloured, since stray bits are more readily seen in the wool at the mills. After removal from the

press the bale should be weighed and branded and particulars entered in the book which should be kept for the purpose near the scales. In the branding, all that is needed is the name or brand of the owner and the number of the bale, which should be placed on the cap end, and on one side of the bale. There is on need to brand on the bale the class of wool it contains as this should appear opposite the number of the bale in the specifications sent to the broker. The specifications should also state which bales are to be sold as separate lines, grouped or reclassed. Where the wool has been shorn slightly damp, pressing should be delayed as long as possible and the fleeces given every opportunity to dry. If wool is pressed damp its colour and the strength of the fibre is affected detrimentally. In particularly bad cases, the temperature may rise even so high as to cause spontaneous combustion. All conveyances used for carting the wool should be as clean as possible, since manure, coal dust, etc., dirty the outside of the bales and give the clip an untidy appearance. Care should be taken also to see that the wool is protected adequately against rainstorms during transport. Summary. At all stages of shearing operations care should be taken to see that the wool is kept clean. Skirt the fleeces by removing carefully all wool that does not match the bulk of the fleece. Class the wool to make a few distinct lines. Take care to keep offsorts separate and avoid wherever possible making “star” lots. Many points raised above seem trivial or of little importance, but the best classing is spoiled if any one of them is neglected. A little trouble and care exercised in keeping the wool clean will not cost much, but will mean a better return for the clip.