Rural Talks.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14015, 25 September 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

Rural Talks.

By Koradi. AMONG THE LAMBS. The rough, cold, wet turn in the weather, on Tuesday last, was not welcomed by cither ' agriculturist or pastoralist. Tho former was hindered in his grain sowing. The land, being fairly wet • underneath, soon gets sticky on top, and'it takes but little rain to make cultivating and sowing operations impossible for a time. The sheep breeder does not want any rough, wet weather at present, although the grass seems to put on greater growth after each shower. Lambs will stand a soft drizzling, warm rain very well, but they cannot stand a great deal"of really heavy rain, driven along by a cold sou'wester. It usually happens that sudden changes in the weather occur about the middle of September—a time when lambing is fairly general. Sometimes it comes a little earlier; sometimes a littlo later, but we rarely get right through the lambing season without a tew bad turns. Last year, 1 remember, we had some very heavy rain in the beginning of October; in 1907 rough weather was experienced on September 12th, 13th, l'lth and loth, the last date being an exceptionally wet day. The year before that the 21st and 22nd were very wet and cold, and in 1905 the beginning 4 of September was marked by a run of bad weather. With weather of this description coming at lambing time, some kind of shelter becomes a necessity. Good live fences and plantations are worth a good deal, as they save many a lamb's life. On hilly country sheep can get on the lee side of downs, and in comparatively sheltered gullies, but even there the benefit of a good gorse fence, or a, clump of trees, is very considerable. The fact that shelter pays in many ways has become so apparent that a good many trees have lately been planted, practically for that purpose only. Gorse fences are a constant expense on a farm, but they afford the very finest shelter for all classes of stock, especially if they are kept trimmed, and are niade to grow compactly. Annual trimming is the best, and it is the cheapest in tho long ruii. Wire fences, unless they are exceptionally well put up, become unsatisfactory in a few years' tirao for holding stock. They, too, need constant attention and overhauling, and they.are,, of course, absolutely worthless for shelter purposes. One cannot help pitying stock on flat, wire-fenced farms, with only a fewtrees round tho homestead. On a cold, 'blustering, miserably wet day. tho climate on the. lee side of a plantation or thick live fence, is many degrees warmer than it is on the weather side. . ■ .'; A few good mangels or swedes are very useful at this time of the year for breeding ewes. Mangels are especially- useful at this.time of the year, and if thev have been well pitted, they will be very palatable now. A few' thrown out to the ewes daily will be much appreciated, especially in localities. where the grass is usually a,bit backward. ■ r We must expect a reduced price lor our lamb next season, and we shall therefore need a greater number to bring in the usual amount of revenue. Let us hope the lambing will be a record one. The feed prospects are much better than usual at this time of the year.