STOCK PROBLEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 215, 11 September 1929, Page 21

STOCK PROBLEMS.

PASTURE RESEARCH WORK. MORE FACTS COMING TO LIGHT. (Specially Written by SUPER). Those fanners who have read these articles during the last two years need not be told that the writer is one who believes that many of our pre3ent-day stock problems are due to deficiencies of one sort or another. Eesearch workers in a number of different countries have advanced ideas on deficiency problems, and it is now generally believed by scientists that these are amongst the most urgent of the problems needing solution. In countries such as England and America, where indoor feeding has to be carried out during a great part of the year, and where expensive supplementary feeds have to be purchased, diets have been carefully worked out aqeording to their protein and carbohydrate content. Work there has shown that where diets are deficient in either of these two necessaries, the health of stock suffers. In exactly the same way it has been clearly demonstrated that ■when essential minerals are missing from the diet, stock become sick, and suffer from digestive disturbances. In Africa, Sir Arnold Thieler showed that one of the dread scourges attacking stock there was due to a phosphorus deficiency. In New Zealand it has been shown that iron deficiency is similarly responsible for trouble with the health of stock. Satisfactory curatives have yet to be found.

Studying Our Pastures,

In no industry-is the fact that prevention is better than cure proved more clearly than in farming, where every producer aims at preventing stock troubles appearing in his herd. The desire to keep the herd free from disease indeed lies at the root of the success of all sorts of nostrums, many of which do little else but enrich the makers. Obviously, if we can, by studying our pastures, find out in what respect they are deficient we will be in the happy position ■ of being able to supply . the deficiency, and thus maintain the health of our herds and flocks. This work is being carried out in New Zealand under the control of Mr. B. C. Aston, the chief cliemist of the Department of Agriculture, and his- report on the past year's operations shows clearly that we are steadily amassing knowledge which will later be of practical value. It leads, also, to the assumption that in some mysterious way mineral deficiency is partly or wholly responsible for

such troublesome complaints as temporary sterility and abortion of the noncontagious type.

This is particularly true of investigations carried out in the Wairarapa district, where there are pastures very deficient in phosphates, and where stock diseases are rife. Top-dressing has never attanied a great vogue in the Wairarapa, although it is now attracting greater attention, and many of the pastures which have been farmed for 20 to 40 years have had no fertiliser. Investigation has shown that the phosphate content is extraordinarily low, and in some cases there is a lime deficiency also.

Where Fertiliser Is .Used.

The most interesting part of such investigations, of course, deals with those farms where top-dressing has been carried out, for it is only by comparing top-dressed with non top-dressed pastures that we can form any idea of the value from the health viewpoint (as apart from the increased production aspect) of top-dressing this country. It is interesting to read, therefore, that "this farm yields a pasture which constains the highest phosphoric acid content yet found at Hamua. It is to be noted as significant that very little difficulty is experienced with the cows as regards breeding troubles."

Obviouß, also, are the inferences to be drawn from this paragraph from the report: "The farms of this locality, except those on distinctly recent alluvial soils, are much affected with temporary sterility in the cows. The pastures of those farms which escape lightly or are at present immune from breeding troubles contain the most phosphoric acid of any, but the amounts present are still too low for normal' cow pastures. . . . The use of superphosphates for these pastures must be urgently commended, since those paddocks topdressed with phosphates show a much higher phosphate content than those which have not been top-dressed."

The farmers in this area are being rapidly aroused to the need for action. They are being told that their stock troubles will increase rather than decrease unless liberal top-dressing is carried out and they are taking the advice to--heart. It is in the wider application of these ideas that the writer is particularly interested, for he believes that adequate top-dressing lies at the root of our troubles. We are withdrawing too much from the soil, and replacing too little, except in a few instances where very heavy top-dressing is carried out. New Zealand soils are known to be deficient in phosphates over wide areas —in fact, the condition can be regarded as being fairly general. That being so, every farmer, and especially every dairyfarmer, should supply either superphosphate or basic slag. In certain districts dairyfarmers are thoroughly alive to the need of the soil for phosphates, but sheepfarmers are less so. It is impos-

sible for pasture lands to go on producing large quantities of fat lambs and meat indefinitely if some of the phosphorus removed in the frames of the animals is not replaced. That is why hill country top-dressing pays so well. The animals at once respond to the the phosphatic top-dressing. As yet we are only on the fringe of knowledge in connection with deficiency diseases, and more particularly mineral deficiency diseases. Scientists are naturally cautious. Until they are absolutely certain of their facts, they will not recommend definite treatment against stock diseases. Indications, both here and in other countries, point strongly to the fact that lime and phosphate deficiencies are responsible for stock ailments. Therefore, apart altogether from final scientific proof, it is wise for the farmer to see that plenty of lime and phosphates are supplied to the stock. Top-dressing affords the best method of supplying these needs, and as this also results in increased feed —as well as feed of better quality—it should be a universal practice. Every farmer should have sufficient knowledge of this question to know that it is dangerous to neglect top-dressing. Whether serious diseases such as abortion and temporary sterility are caused mainly through deficiencies of minerals in t"he diet, yet remains to be seen. Meantime, we know that stock cannot thrive without minerals. Therefore, let us supply them.