306 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



and give the breeders a chance to weather a severe winter and 

 dry spring I >ne dipping then is worth more 1 ban four in August. 

 It is often contended that fche Losses from dipping weak 

 cattle outweigh any gain. Our experience is quite the reverse. 

 We never stopped dipping all through the 1916 drought, and 

 n<>: ten head slopped in the dip. Each dipping gave them anew 

 of life, and we saved most of our breeders by it. Others 

 say it is impossible to dip bullocks while fattening. This is 

 wrong. It not only quietens them, and makes them better to 

 drove, but improves their condition and weight. It is not ad- 

 visable to put cattle on the road immediately after dipping. 

 They should have at least five days" rest-in paddocks. Calves 

 can be dipped from two weeks of age upwards, but the strength 

 of t he dip should be less than the accepted standard. Although 

 almost as much benefit can be derived from dipping on big 

 unfenced runs, better results can naturally be obtained where 

 they are subdivided and not more than 1000 to 1500 cattle 

 carried in one paddock. This allows the mustering to be dona 

 cleanly and systematically. Where eight stockmen used to 

 look after up to 20,000 clean cattle formerly with fair success, 

 it requires treble the hands, at least, to work and dip effec- 

 tively that number now. Six men can attend to 3000 or 4000 

 head. Bullocks require about one-third the attention that 

 breeders do. Where no shoeing of horses is done (which in- 

 volves a big addition to the work on basalt country) this esti- 

 mate may not apply. 



■ Now to meet this big increase in working stock under these 

 conditions — allow we save half the cows that die on the average 

 annually from tick worry. This mortality on the tableland is 

 about 80 per cent of the total females branded each year. The 

 balance of 20 per cent (over the actual numbei if returns were 

 forthcoming) are those cows sold and killed for beef. On a 

 holding branding 2000 calves, instead of turning off 200 cows, 

 which very few do in that proportion, they should be marketing 

 at least 500. These extra 300 cows alone at present values 

 would more than compensate for all extra expenditure incurred. 

 Then take into consideration the holding would carry 50 per 

 cent more stock with all the additional returns for an increased 

 turn off and better class of bullocks." 



