THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 96, 24 April 1926, Page 24

THE LAND.

WHILE WAITING FOR THE VETFIRST AID FOR STOCK. ' Choking in cattle occurs from obstrucv : tion of various parts of the gullet -with food material, and sometimes, though rarely, from material other than, roots. There is sudden cessation of feeding, ; obvious distress, and, unless promptly 1 relieved, then accumulation of gaa in {the rumen, or paunch, and difficulty in I breathing. The most effeotive means lof relief is the passing of an instrument i called the probang. This is a straight itube of gum-elastic, or leather,, coverj ing. a spiral wire, furnished at one end : -with a perforated metal bulb, and at j the other with a bone cup, through which a stiletto passes down its centre. This stiletto stiffens the instrument, and, when the bulb is passed into the etomach down the gullet, pushing the obstruction before it, its withdrawal ! allows gas to escape. This instrument ! can be used to give relief in cases of : bloat, instead of by puncturing the rumen. The cow-gag, an instrument of solid wood perforated with a large hole in the centre, through which the probang is passed to direct it straight to the gullet, and prevent its being injured jby the teeth, is necessary to its effec- ! tive use. We have seen cases of choki ing in ■ which the obstruction has sponi taneously passed on us the result of j improvising a gag, securing it to the ! fcorns, and turning the , animal adrift in a large box or yard. In cases where HO probang is available, or there is lacking the skill to use it, it is really a good plan to gag the cow, and leaves her alone till the coming of the vet. Cattle treated in.this way do not bloat Ibo much as a. complication, and consequently the distress is less. Before using "the probang, or resorting to the Treasures above suggested, an endeavour should be made to, locate the obstruci tion; ''"If in the throat, it may be posj Bible, with the mouth gagged, to reach it with the fingers, or if in the cervical (or I neck OT- upper) portion of the gullet, the J administration of a little oil and care- ' ful manipulation outside may cause it jto move on. When it is located in the j portion •of the gullet passing through i the chest and. near to the - stomach, I the passing of the probang is generally 'essential. This instrument needs,to ! lie used with great care in order to avoid i rupture of or injury to the gullet. Pro- ! fcangs improvised out of pieces of - cane, '■ whips, etc., are highly dangerous. . Congestion of toe Lungs. . The most common cause of this is ■evere exertion when out of condition, and bringing an exhausted horse into a hot, badly-ventilated stable from a cold ' atmosphere, or after a_ distressing day to turn the into an exposed paddock. If not promptly relieved it quickly terminates in death, or runs on : to inflammation of the lungs. The sympt»m3 are a generally distressed appear- ', a nee, anxious countenance, hurried j breathing, widely-distended nostrils, eyes staring and red, nose poked out, , ears and' legs cold, clammy sweating ' over the body, and heart-beats irregular and disordered. These symptoms may i occur during exertion or when returned Ito the stable. If the attack occurs in 1 the:.stable, the horse ehould be removed . j to a cool place, or the ihot stable cooled j by. opening doors and windows. The ears, body and legs should be well rubbed, and the latter bandaged, and .a i et/imulant given. Spirits or ale and I Bing er ar 6 better than nothing, but if j it; can be produced, give the •following:—----j Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm; nitrate ,of potash, spirit of camphor, £oz; I eweet. spirit of nitre, l*oz; water, £ • pint. This may be repeated in two hours, jif necessary, and if relief is not soon : obtained, rugs soaked in hot water and ; wrung out should be wrapped around j the - body, and • then covered with dry ■ i rugs, or mustard paste applied to the' i Bides of the chest. Bleeding is use- ! ful, v but phlebotomy is now almost a I lost'art amongst the present generation. j Tdie. belladonna mixture is a good one !to keep on hand, for.use in.emergencies, i and may be given to horses suffering from chill, or exhausted after a hard, day's hunting. Pleurisy, which generally commences suddenly and presents symptoms not unlike those of congestion ©f-the lungs, may be treated on similar I lines pending the arrival of the vet., ' the, prompt application of hot-water ! nigs or mustard to the chest being ! most ■ useful. In pleurisy there is a ■ j abort, painful cough, pain on pressure ' over the ribs, a characteristic grunt jon moving, and abdominal breathing I the ribs and muscles of the chest being 'almost fixed. Fever of the Feet. Laminitis, "fever in, the feet," or , " founder," generally comes on. suddenly, i and as the early or congestive stage is ; that in which treatment is most success- , ful, it is very desirable, if "dropped ; ; eolea" .or "pumiced feet" are to be . avoided as a sequel, that there should '; be no delay. The majority of cases i are preventable by the avoidance of the j causes, but with this we have nothing to : j do-here, and it* will suffice to say that •' better management and more intelligent i L owriers have resulted in a marked de- : crease in the number of cases as com- ■ pared with (the times of forty years ago. j The symptoms are quickened pulse, in- : creased frequency' of respiration, cvi- ■ dence of severe pain, and frequent shifti ing of the affected feet, with attempts .to relieve them of weight. All four feet may be involved, but fever or inflammation is most common in the fore- ■ feet. They are placed well out in front : so. as to throw the weight on i the heels, and the hind legs are brought forward under the body. jThe hoofs are hot, and tapping causes pain. - There is great difficulty in getting the animal to move. Give a full dose of physic, and Bend for the vet., at once. If there is any delay, remove the shoes and apply cold water, or put the feet in large cold poultices of bran. Colic in Horses. Colic ie a v disease that generally comes on suddenly, that will not wait while miles have "to--be-travelled to o'o- ' £* X. et ? rmw T aeeietance, and in which ~s l r r :s rV

lent—and both, are preventable, because invariably associated with errors in diet or bad management. In spasmodic colic there is spasm of the intestines without any external manifestation, except the symptoms of abdominal pain. Iα flatulent colic, In addition to the pain, there is great die- ! teneion of the abdomen with gae. The j attaok is sudden, frequently occurring shortly- after the horse comes in from work. There is uneasiness, scraping of the fore-feet, stamping with the hind ones, kicking at the belly, and, in bad cases, profuse sweating and groaning and a determination to get down and •roll. A favourite drench is:—Oil of turpentine, 8oz; tincture of opium, loz; linseed oil, 1 pint. Give as it is, follow with a little warm gruel, walk the horse about to prevent rolling and rub the belly and legs. The drench may be repeated in two ihoura, but not more than two doses should he given. LIMING. Lime, like the slower-acting fertilisers, is best applied in the autumn, ao that it may became thoroughly incorporated with the soil during winter, and in a manuring scheme is of special value for preceding superphosphate. Lime is often applied in the hope that it will make wet land drier. This is a great mistake and a waste of good material, for such land must first be efficiently drained before any good effect can 'be expected either from lime, manures, or cultivation. Where liming is not intended to be repeated in-the near future, ground limestone should be applied at not . less than . one ton per acre, or ground burnt lime at from lOcwt to 12cwt, on, average soils. If an application is to be made every two or three years, however, dressings of from 6cwt to lOcwt per acre are quite satisfactory—in fact,, are generally quite preferable to heavier applications at longer .intervals. ( MAIZE SILAGE FOR DAIRY COWS. ' V. :■• • : Maize silage is now generally reoognised as one of the most-valuable foods that can be fed to dairy-cows. When it was first introduced it was hailed as the greatest help toward decreased cost of production of milk that dairymen had discovered, and the use of the. silage has now, become so, widespread that it should. be regarded as indispensable on most well-managed dairy farms. There are' those who feel that an abundance of lucerne hay, well cured,, will enable the dairyman to get. along without silage, but it would seem that the, latter is still safely enough entrenched to keep it in its present important place in dairy farm economics for many years to come. Silage owes its importance in the feeding of dairy cows to the fact that for them, succulence is more important than for any other class of livestock. The dairy cow is a very hard working animal and this fact provides the need for a cooling and somewhat laxative feed, that will enable the system of the cow to operate without danger of injurious results from heavy feeding. Silage also whets the tappetite of the animal and encourages her to consume larger quantities of feed than would otherwise be the case, so that if these feeds are chosen with intelligent Tegard for the" requirements for maintenance and milk production, the result from the feeding of a carefully selected individual is a larger production of milk that is produced at the minimum of cost. : • The beet results from snage come only when that which is well made is fed. Like all other feeds, silage may be abused, and __ unless this feed - is properly ensiled 'from maize that' is well-grown and'matured, , its value will not -be equal 'to silage at its best. Improperly made in the-silo or the stack, it encourages the development of mould and by admitting air allows the fermentation changes to continue and eventual spoilage to occur. The value a silage as a feed .is owing to several advantages which this type of feed possesses. The crop from ; a given area can be stored in less space than in the form of dry fodder and crops which would otherwise be of little- or ho use as feed, can be ensiled to fairly good advantage. When properly ensiled, less of the nutrients are wasted through fermentation than would be> lost in the process of \ curing . hay or dry fodder. Silage is a low-priced, high quality, succulent feed that is eaten practically without waste, and can l>e ensiled in weather that would be unsuitable for the curing of dry fodders. The succulence of silage is particularly valuable for dairy cows owing to the fact that it tends to keep the bowels normal, the tissues sappy, and the skin in a soft, pliant condition, exerting influences in this manner upon the body of the. dairy cow similar to those following the use of good pasture. A common rule in feeding silage is to feed three pounds of silage to one pound of dry food, as hay, to each 100 pounds of live weight of the animal, since It has been proven by "a numher of experiments and trials that from 250 to 350 pounds of silage ■ is worth at least as much, and possibly a little more, than 100 pounds of good clover hay. . ffhe dry matter in, silage, which is the important thing from the standpoint of nutrients (aside from the succulence and palatability of silage), is usually about 26 or 27 per cent, if silage is well matured, as compared with 55 to CO per cent dry matter in hay, but where the silage is poor and very succulent it is much more watery and may only contain about 16 per cent of dry matter. The latter condition, of course, reduces its feeding value, and it will be necessary to feed it more liberally; in order to ensure that the cows get a sufficiency of feed to make a ful flow of milk.—"Hoard's Dairyman." Provision of a clean water supply is ah important item in farm economy for ensuring the health and thriftineas o r . stock of all kinds. Where a good streair of running water is available specia , measures and precautions are not alwavr so necessary, but even in this case tlir dangerof cattle.and sheep getting various forms of worm infestation is always present especially in weaflw r, ■