ON THE LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1931, Page 10 (Supplement)

ON THE LAND

BALING THE CLIP.

EVENNESS IN PRESSING,

•When baling wool, so as to keep the bales as even in weight as possible, it is advisable to weigh some of the fleeces and calculate how many of each different lots it will take to make a bale weighing 3361 b., advises Dalgety’s Review. Care must be taken with bellies and pieces, which are heavier, to keep filie weight under 4001 b. When pressing wool it requires two men to do the job properly —one in the bale and the other passing the fleeces to him two at a time.

To make a square-cornered, compact bale, the man in the press should start by placing two fleeces in each corner, and standing on them as he goes round, and filling the centre if necessary. Repeat each course until the correct number of fleeces is packed in successive layers.

‘When bales pressed in this manner are opened for inspection they have a more attractive appearance than when put in carelessly. In a small clip from a mixed grade flock there is often not enough of one class to make a bale. When this occurs always put wools of a similar character in and divide them with a sheet of brown paper.

It pays to market wool, as far as possible, in bales of even quality, length of staple and colour. Since bulk classing has proved so successful, the owners of small flocks need not worry about classing their wool further than to keep the crossbred fleeces apart from the finer comebacks and Merinos, and as the wool has all to be taken out of the bales for classing at the wool stores, bales intended to. be treated in that way should be only lightly pressed, and simply branded to correspond with the letter of advice to the woolgrower.

FOOTROT IN SHEEP.

SPONGINESS OF HOOF.

Footrot in sheep may be caused by the horn of the foot becoming spongy through contact with continual, moisture of • wet country, says the Banffshire Journal. In this condition it is easily broken, and infection with dirt leads to extensive ulceration and consequent lameness. The most severe type of footrot is caused by infection with the bacillus necrophorus. This is very contagious and unless quickly attended to will rapidly spread through the flock. The first stage is due to softening of the horn by continual contact with moisture. Dirt accumulates between the digits, becoming hard and causing sores. Heat and swelling occur round the coronet at the junction of the horn and the skin, and a ring of spongy horn forms near the coronet. The disease quickly spreads between the claws and other parts of the foot, and the escape of pus laden with germs provides a ready means for spread of infection., Footrot may also be caused through blockage of the interdigital duct. The function of this duct is to supply the delicate skin and horn with an oily substance, which protect# the parts from wet. When the duct fails to function the skin becomes harsh and dry,- inflammation is set up and quickly spreads, sores form which become infected by germs, resulting in a very severe form of the disease.

In all cases the first symptom is lameness, and the sheep will at once begin to fall away in condition. Later on the sheep may be seen grazing upon its knees, or even on its belly when the feet become too sore to carry the animal’s weight. Good results in treatment are claimed for a recent invention, which includes the use of medicated waterproof canvas boots, which are pulled over the infected foot like a sock and wired above the fetlock. In addition to its curative action, the escape of pus and consequent spread of infection are prevented.

DEFECTIVE WOOL CLASSING.

LOSS TO THE GROWER.

The Agent-General, Sir Henry Harwell, recently forwarded to the South Australian- Government two communications from the secretary of the Internation Wool Textile Organisation concerning resolutions by the secretary of the International Wool Conference held in Leige in September. At this conference, which was attended by representatives from France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Czecho-Slovakia, Holland, Poland, Hungary and England, the following resolutions were carried: 1. “The conference draws the attention of the growers to the fact that the defective classing of ‘ wools causes not only damage to the users of the wool, but that it also results in reducing the price that the buyer can pay to the grower. . In consequence, the conference recommends to the growers to return to the careful classifications which were formerly recognised as exemplary, and hopes that the “small clips,” which, by the efforts of the selling brokers, are collected and classed and constitute “repacked lots, shall have the most particular care at the hands of the classifying brokers.” 2. “The conference draws the attention of sellers of raw wool to the fact that a restriction of sales has the effect to retard all feeling of confidence in the market ‘and insists that they publish the programme of sales in sufficient time before the opening oft the season.” Although large station clips are generally well classed, small lots of wool offered for sale are often bady sorted, and consequently bring much lower prices, according to leading Adelaide wool brokers. With reference to the resolutions of the International Wool Conference it was stated that small growers did not place enough importance upon the classing of their wool. The School of Mines was. doing a great amount of work in inculcating the principles of classing, but not enough attention was paid. Farmers adopted the false economy practice of saving the small fee of an experienced wool classer, and the result was a big fall in values. Bales of good wool brought considerably below their value owing to the presence of a small quantity of low class wool or foreign matter.

Another bad practice was that of sewing up bales with binder twine. The twine, when mixed wuth the wool and made into cloth, would not take the ordinary dyes, and, in consequence, had to be picked out by hand, which was an expensive and slow process. Mr, S. Williams, of Goldsbrough, Mort and Co., said that not enough attention was paid to the presence of earthy back in fleece wool. Buyers would not pay good top-making prices foY mixed lots, owing to the inferior wool the bales contained. Much money was lost annually owing to the faulty classing of clips. Re-classing by brokers was originated in South Australia immediately after the war, and last year 17,000 bales were gone over again before they went on the market. The movement was at a standstill, however, as many small growers were disinclined to pay the small extra cost. In Sydney, the classing was done co-operatively by the Farmers’ Co-op-erative Society, which classed the elm*

of practically all the small growers. In Melbourne, also, 90,000 bales were classed last year, although the scheme was taken up only three years ago. In New Zealand, 50 per cent, of the wool of small growers was reclassed under the, co-operative system. It cost about Jd. per lb. more, but more than paid for the cost by the increased return received.

SELECTION OF RAMS.

BEST NOT MOST EXPENSIVE.

In selecting rams for use, care should be taken to procure the best, either home-'bred or purchased from other flocks. It does not always follow, says an English writer, that the most expensive ram will prove the dearest, when it is considered that a good sire produces a large number of lambs, and the extra money expended ought to be more than repaid by the improving value of his stock. Those rams should be selected which have good points in ■which the ewes are deficient. The rams should not be too fat, and should have plenty of exercise before the season begins. When ewes are put to the ram, it is generally believed that if a liberal supply of food be allowed them they will produce more twins; there is a difference of opinion as to what food is best, but most flockmasters and shepherds have their own ideas upon the matter.

PIGS IN THE ORCHARD.

GOOD AND BAD EFFECTS.

Pigs in orchards may do a great deal of good and at the same time derive great benefit for themselves; but, on the other hand, they may do a good deal of harm, says an English writer. In the case of an old orchard, especially where the trees are of no great worth, pigs running among the trees would no doubt do a great deal more good than harm. The ground would benefit, and if the pigs were ringed, as would always be advisable, the grass would not suffer.

In dry weather, when there was a plentiful supply of herbage, pigs, even if not ringed, would not root to any serious extent. They would not be likely to molest old trees unless there were a shortage of food, in which case they might be tempted to bark the stems. One has known pigs to run in an orchard for months on end without attempting to touch the trees, but one can never be quite sure that they will not do so if food becomes short, and they are prevented from rooting.

Sometimes a mischievous old sow will start gnawing at the bark, and if, that happens all the rest will follow suit. If the trees, whether young or old, are of any worth, it is always wis- , est to protect them in some way. A eoil of fine wire-netting bound round the stems, with three or four slats inside; the coil to keep it away from the bark, affords a good protection for a tree of fair size. For small trees two or three stakes driven in near the stem, with barbed wire coiled round them, will afford a better means of protection. Pigs will always make a more determined effort to get at a tree with young bark tha-n at one which is older and less tempting. ' ;