IRON FOR DISEASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 28 August 1926, Page 19

IRON FOR DISEASE.

BUSH SICKNESS AMONG ANIMALS. * WIDE AREA AFFECTED. Iron was spoken of atvthe Agricultural Science Club last evening as a preventive measure in case of disease among stock. The speakers were: Mr. W. T. Collins, District Superintendent of the Department of Agriculture, and Mr. B. C. Aston, chief chemist of the Department. They made special reference to bush sickness.

In the course of an interesting address, Mr. Collins said that he believed bush sickness among stock was confined to the Auckland Province. An estimate of the area affected showed that approximately one million acres in the Matamata, Tauranga and Roitorua districts were difficult to farm ■ for profit on account of the disease. Lambs could scarcply be reared; but, strangely, ewes had been found to do surprisingly well, if not put on coarse feed. Bullocks, also, did well and some first-class fat slock from the affected districts bad been sold at Hamilton and Westfield this year.

As to lambs, the first evidences of the disease were seen in the eyes. These became watery and soon the lambs became listless and went off. Young cattle showed the first symptoms in their coats, they felt the cold severely in the winter and refused feed.

At present the efforts to combat the disease were devoted to the animals and the soil as well. Investigators had ascertained that the disease was not epidemic and it appeared to be caused by the food supply. Iron was considered by Mr. A. Park, of Tauranga. many years ago, as a good corrective for bush sickness; but sheep could not be induced to take it in the way adopted for cattle. Much experimental work had been done to find out the best method of administering iron, but this had not yet been ioncludecl. Farmers, in many cases, ■vere using iron salts as drenches to ••heir stock; but the difficulty was to •aye these used in the proper doses.