624 Prevention of Damage to Hides, etc. [nov., 



present being investigated in the Board's Veterinary- 

 Laboratory. 



Damage to Hides owing to Dirty Condition of Animals. — 

 The value of the hides of cattle is materially affected by 

 the uncleanly condition of the animals. Farmers, though 

 they may recognise the importance of cleanliness in the case 

 of dairy cows, seldom make any effort to keep fattening cattle 

 clean, with the result that dung and dirt accumulate, par- 

 ticularly on the buttocks. This spoils the hair and makes the 

 grain of the hide tender, with the result that the quality of 

 the leather is depreciated. In addition it affects the cleanli- 

 ness of the meat after slaughter. 



It is desirable that fat stock should be groomed from time 

 to time in order to encourage the growth of hair and preserve 

 the condition of the hide. 



Tar Branding of Sheep.- — The practice of branding sheep 

 with hot tar is one which frequently results in damage to 

 the wool. 



When the sheep are branded in the early stages of the 

 growth of the fleece, the marking material, whether tar or 

 pitch, becomes nearly worn off by the time the fleece comes to 

 maturity, and no very appreciable harm is done to the wool. 

 Flockmasters, however, frequently mark their sheep with tar 

 and paint late in the season, and then when the wool comes 

 into the* hands of the wool-sorter, the tar and paint marks 

 have to be clipped off. This enters into the calculations of 

 the buyer, and a higher price is paid for clean fleeces. The 

 Chairman of the Home Wool Buyers' Association estimated 

 that the loss in this way is about i oz. per fleece, which repre- 

 sents a material item on a large quantity of wool. 



It is therefore to the advantage of the farmer to see that the 

 branding is done at an early stage in order to avoid deprecia- 

 tion in the fleece. The tar, if used at all, should be used very 

 sparingly. 



The Board have published a leaflet (No. 82) on the Prepara- 

 tion of Wool for the Market, in which this subject is dealt 

 with as follows : — 



"Where it can be avoided, tar should not be used for 

 marking sheep. A large quantity of wool used for manu- 



