8 April, 1908.] Lanib-iuarkiiig. 207 



longer, for, apart from the cooling action of a windy day on them, the 

 ewe lambs would at times urinate as soon as the iron was placed on the 

 tail, and so cool it. A much heavier iron was made ; at first a wooden 

 handle was attached, but, as this gradually got burnt, an iron handle was 

 turned on it. It did not matter whether an open fire or an oil drum 

 was used ; a bucket of water was kept near, in which the handle could be 

 cooled. 



The heavy iron was too thick, and held too much heat. It burnt the 

 anus of the wether lambs, and the entrance to the genital organs of the 

 ewe lambs, which, in the latter case, could be noticed in after years, and 

 was thought to make more difficult the service of the ram. For general 

 purposes, an iron, three-quarters of an inch in thickness, is therefore 

 better. A handy size is two and a-half inches wide, and two inches deep, 

 with the cutting-edge sloped V-shaped, equally on both sides, from a 

 blunt edge to an inch up ; the handle should be sixteen inches over all. 



The man holding the lamb can do a lot towards preventing the 

 burning. When a man has been used to holding for the knife he will 

 lean the lamb forward, for, as soon as the tail is off, he merely lets go, and 

 the lamb drops over the fence, but with the iron in use the lamb should 

 be held leaning backwards. There is more in holding lambs for the iron 

 than for the knife. The iron can be leaned slightly away from the lamb as 

 well — there is no excuse for burning them. There are several handy 

 Avays of using three-quarter-inch boards to go between the iron and the 

 lamb. There are careful and very neat ways of doing the work, and they 

 are in use mostly with owners not bound to time in getting flocks out of thii 

 yards. Some owners have one side of the iron made with a bulged surface, 

 so that in going through it presses more against the veins. This iron needs 

 careful handling ; as each tail is treated the operator must see that the right 

 side is to the lamb, and that the latter is not burnt. 



Some owners are doing good work with an instrument made like a very 

 large pair of scissors. The patented machines also do good work, but 

 with the farmer the plain iron is mostly used. It is either home-made or 

 made by the local blacksmith, and when an iron handle is turned on it, will 

 last a lifetime. 



In late spring and early summer, and in autumn, flies are troublesome, 

 and the knife is then the best, but, as a rule, there are not many lambs 

 at those times to tail. When tailing with the knife, it comes natural to 

 pull on the tail, but if a little time is taken, the habit can be acquired 

 of holding the tail loosely. After the customary glance at the lamb to 

 form an idea of age, and consequently the likely distance of the joints 

 apart, the thumb is run over to find the joint. Then, instead of pulling 

 the loose skin towards the operator, push it towards the lamb, and when 

 placing the knife on, keep it just a little to the operator's side of the 

 joint, and also press slightly towards the lamb. By so doing it will be 

 found that when the tail is off, the loose skin, that has been pushed 

 towards the lamb, will come back over the end of the tail where severed, 

 cover the two veins, and check the flow of blood. 



