FARM AND GARDEN

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15977, 3 May 1924, Page 18 (Supplement)

FARM AND GARDEN

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 10. MONDAY. Stock Sale at Cambridge. i," TUESDai. Stock Sale at Hamilton. WEDNESDAY. Horse Pair at Hamilton. Stock Sale at tMaiamata. Stock Sale at Coromandel. THURSDAY. Sstock Sale at Tirau. Stock Sale at Kauroa. Stock Sale at Morrinsville. \ ; . FRIDAY. Stock Sale at Ngaruawahla. SATURDAY. Stock Sale at Te Awamutu. ’//; ' i, ■ * THE WINTER SHOW. -ENTRIES CLOSE ON MAY 10. The Waikato Winter Show, which will be held over the dates l'rom May 27 to June 3, promises to be the most successful of the many prominent exhibitions which have been held under the? auspices of the society. The (jaitfy dlviskin entries arc of record dimensions, and in this connection the show easily eclipses- anything ever held in New Zealand. Tnc root section of the’ ; show will again be one of its features and the entries promise to cover a'-.vie'ry wide area of the province. Owing to the halt in communications during the period of the strike, the executive has decided to extend the closing day of entries until May 10. J V'" -.: THE FAT LAMB TRADE. IMPRESSIONS OP LONDON; , - “-'Mr .T. B. Gramsie, chairman of the Australian Meat. Council, recently visited the - Dominion, and his impressions Hav'e been given to a farm journal .on the other side ■of the Tasman. “For a long time past I have verymuch regretted that the producers of Australia Mid not turn their attention more extensively towards larnb raising for 1 .'export,' - I feel could well bn done without lessening in any way the production of out- merino wool clip. Tlite feeling has been greatly strengthened by my recent visit lo New Zealand, where I made full inquiries into their methods of production, feeding and fattening lambs. . Demand and Supply. “Lamb is a commodity for which the', demand is greater than the supply, and I consider without -in any way .affecting the market prices, tlie London market could easily absorb another one Or two million lambs, providing the, quality was suitable for their' requirements.

“During mv recerrt visit to Now Zealand. I was greatly impressed with the care taken in the breeding, feeding, and fattening of lambs for export. It is true m that country' they have a climate and rainfall much morp suitable than most parts of Australia for• this .partioular branch of our industry-, but we have many districts in New South Wales, where I claim that the. industry could be profitably carried out, and where the average rainfall is in the vicinity of 25 to 30 inches. Such districts as Glen Innes, Aripidale,. Invereii, Orange, Goulburn, Wagga, Young, etc., would in my opinion be quite suitable the raising, of lambs for* export. "In New Zealand the carrying capacity varies from iwo and a-half ewes;., to the acre in the good country, Winch has been sown with English grasses, to one ewe to the acre in the hilly country. The average lambing Is estimated at 00 to 100 per cent, in the good country, and it is calculated to send off 50 to 70 per cent. of .the whole drop of lambs as prime suckers at about four months old, the balance being then placed on rape, when they are generally ready for the market in about four lo six weeks later,. - “A regular annual rainfall and intense cultivation secures these results, and in London to-day New Zealand lamb is alway# in demand, and brings -.the-top price for imported lamb.

Production at the Right End.

“Extreme care is also taken in the Dominion to start the production at the right end, by securing either by purchase or breeding the proper kind of ewes to breed from. The most popular ewe being used at the present, Hme is bred from either the Lincoln or Leicester crossed with the Romney Marsh ewe, and these in turn are .mated with the. Southdown rams to secure the best 'results.

“I cannot conceive any more successful way of carrying out. a closer settlement scheme than by mixed farming, which will enable the settler to produce annually some two to three hundred fat lambs, and in New Zealand most of the settlers who produce fat lambs are on small areas, the results being excellent. In that country lamb raising has been proved to be specially suitable for the small man. The crops to be grown for unioning arc lucerne, rape, oats, hale, etc . and in very few instances did I hear of any of the producers having lo carry over lambs from one season to the .oilier. A careful examination ’Of the 'carcases being . treated at the various works which I inspected showed’that up to 90 per cent, or the lambs being, slaughtered were being graded as first quality. Closer Settlement. "I am a keen believer in closer settlement, where it is shown that it can be carried out successfully, and it is only in such districts where this is .shown that I am prepared to support it. The production of another million lambs for export would mean a great amount of employment for railways, yard, hands, slaughtermen, by-product men, freezing hands, wharf labourers, etc., and I am inclined to think that it yyould increase the value of our production more than the extension of any other industry. “Jn the old days in New South Wales it used to he claimed that if iambs were produced out of season there were no exporters prepared to bin - , as their works would be closed. Such is not the case to-day. There lire always works open ready to freeze pnd ready to handle lambs for export, and if 'wo were only to take the matter seriously and start out to produce the best class of lamb required in the markets of the world, we would eeivtiainly he in a position ‘to extend our closer settlement in a profitable manner, and increase the value of our exports very materially. ••I recognise the . great, value of . the production of our line merino wool, hut I claim that the increased export of lambs from Australia would not, in ;any way affect the quantity of merino wool; 1 produced,- but would be an .added production of an which is in "keen demand In the world’s markets to-day.”

PARASITES IN LAMBS.

A NEW TREATMENT

Shortly after weaning-time. lambs may suffer from parasitic gastritis, a very fatal disease, which was first known about 27 years ago under the name of “Lincolnshire lamh disease,” writes Professor T. W. Gave. The losses experienced by dock-masters in Lincolnshire were very heavy at that time, and for a long time the actual cause of the loss remained obscure. Ultimately Sir John McFadyean discovered the presence of very minule round worms in the fourth stomach of lambs dying from the disease. The worm was named by him the strongylus cervicornis. owing to a peculiarity of the central ray of thp bursa of the male. This ray resembles a minute stag’s horn —hence the term “cervicornis. The worms are very small, the. males being about, three-tenths of an inch in length, and the females about two-fifths of an inch. The body is round, very delicate and fine, so it is possible for many hundreds of these deadly worms 1.0 be present in the stomach of a dead iamb, and yet be over-looked on post-morlem examination.

Another and larger worm, the strongylus contortus, is also found in the fourth stomach of lambs, causing very considerable loss in some seasons. Jn other cases, either one or the other may be present in very large numbers; hundreds, or even thousands, of these parasites clinging to the lining membrane of the stomach and gradually draining away the blood of the victim. During the life of Ihc lamb the worms cling to the mucous membrane: but when the lamb dies the worms loosen their hold and are lo he found in the contents of the stomach.

It is probable that most sheep and lambs harbour a few of these worms, but they only give rise to serious illness when present in large numbers. Outbreaks of -parasitic gastritis take place when tiie number of worms reaches the danger point. This may occur when sheep and lambs live on old sheep-soiled pastures, and especially when the land is too heavily stocked with sheep. There is a gradual increase in the number of larvae or eggs in the pasture, so that the sheep and iambs grazing on it take, in very heavy doses. Under such conditions an outbreak of parasitic gastritis is sure to follow. •

Unfortunately slmep show few symptoms of illness until the final stage of the disease is reached. Occasional brief attacks of diarrhoea,- may be noticed, but very little else. Sooner or later, Ihc sheep or lambs become seriously ill with severe diarhoea, rapi.l emaciation, and extreme anaemia and weakness. They soon are unable io rise from the ground, but will often continue to feed ori the grass they can reach. Swellings may- appear about the lips and nose: and the wool-may begin to fail off, leaving bare patches of skin along the back. These symptoms usually last only a few days, and the animal may ,then die oU’cxhausti'oh. Where there is reason to fear, that, lambs may suffer frnm;_pti.ra si tie “gastritis after • weaning. ■ - prayentalive methods should-be adopted.-"We are indebted to Mr H. G. Bowes, F.R.C.V.S., of the Leeds University, '-for a new form of preventative' treatment. This consists of.the dosing of lambs, before any symptoms of illness are seen,' witli a 1 per cent solution of copper sulphate or biuestone. A solution is'prepared by dissolving one ounce, of,pur.c copper sulphate in five pints of water/

The iambs should be dosed at the middle of summer and autumn, "find once more later on one dose per month. The, first, dose should be one tablespoonful, the second .dose one and a half tablespoon fills. , It is claimed that Ihis solution.: has given excellent results, both as a preventative and a curative agent. CLEANING BURRY WOOL, CARBONISING PROCESS. The system of taking out burrs, seeds, and any foreign vegetable matter in the wool is accomplished by the process of carbonising. Of the many different methods of freeing wool from these impurities, this process has proved to the most economical, both in matters of waste of wool and time. All kinds of seedy or burry wool, whether long or short, can be put through this process, it is essentially necessary that the wool to be treated should be thoroughly cleansed of ail impurities, such as yolk, sand, or soil. The scoured wool is then put info a bath of sulphuric acid and clean cold water, after which it is taken out and left to drain, i.c., if it is not dried by mechanical means. The drains are so situated lhaf the acid will return to the carbonising tank to be used over again. It is now necessary that Ihe wool should be thoroughly dried, and if there is an artificial wool-drier, it will lie more successful if the heal, is raised to 100 degrees Fahr., when all the vegetable mailer becomes brittle and thoroughly disintegrated.

After this treatment, all the impurities that are left in fall out during Ihc process of combing and carding. Carbonising has one drawback. The acid causes the fibre to be damaged,, more especially if the wool lias to be spun into fine counts. This is Ihe result of Hie acid and heating, which leave the wool harsh, and unyielding, thus destroying two great features required in the spinning process. Carbonised wool always suffers in price, but at the same time the process is necesr sary, in the:circumstances; as,.almost in every case the longer stapled wool collects more burrs and seeds than the shorter, thus much long combing wool is saved for that process. ’