FARM TOPICS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9605, 21 December 1896, Page 2

FARM TOPICS.

TCBKRCOXOSI3 AND INVERCARGILL CatTLS. Editor, Fanner—Sir, there is a paragraph in your issue of a recent date relative to some testing for tuberculosis done by Mr Park, the acting Government veterinarian, on which I trust you will allow mc to make comment. Whether or not luch paragraph

—or, rather, tjie report on which it is based —would have appeared had I still been in New Zealand I do not know, but I do know that the public would not have long bsen allowed to retain the misconceptions and unjust inferences which may have been gained by the misrepresentations in it. I am in ignorance of the text of the report from which ths paragraph is extracted, and am consequently at a disadvantage in replying to the aspersions infereatially cast on mc. I take it, however, that in one of the herds I inspected four months ago for the Borough of Invercargill twelve cows were tested with tuberculin, and in the hands of Mr Park such animals gave no reaction. I do not know which herd is referred to, nor do I know- by what means the identification of the animals tested with any in which I diagnosed disease to exist was made. But I wish to observe that, regarding the stated negative results of the tuberculin in this instance it would be interesting to know, firstly, the source and potency of the tuberculin used ; and secondly, what rises in temperature in animals of different ages Mr Park considers to constitute a " reaction." A knowledge of his limited experience in practical tuberculin testing prompts the question. Again, rsgarding the post mortem appearances. I imagine that an examination of those "hydatid cysts " found in all the cattle destroyed (it is strange no spiroptera were found) might be interesting to a student of tuberculosis. If these animal? are identical with those examined by mc it is significant that morbid lesions were found in all, and it would have been moro satisfactory to have had these lesions examined by some oue.conversant -with the pathological anatomy of tubercuskilled veterinary pathologist or medical man, say. Certainly one of the gentlemen who assisted Mr Park was unable to recognise a tuberculous growth (as such) in June last. The presumption that the presence or absence of the tubercle bacillus in a lesion can be definitely determined by " microscopic or other' examination in a day is erroneous. Some time ago the cattle throughout the length and breadth of Queensland were declared by Mr Park to be free from tuberculosis, because he had been unable to demonstrate the bacillus in any case examined either ante or post viortcm. Now the Invercargill cattle are apparently given a clean bill because the tuberculin test as I applied by him has failed. For the sake of the farmers about Invercargill it is to be hoped that the disease may never be as rampant amongst their herds as it was then and is now in Queensland. In fact, if the disease prevails to no greater extent than j estimated —viz., less than 35% —the Inver- \ cargill dairy cattle are as free from the insidious and dreaded scourge as any in any part of the world. The concluding statement in the paragraph—that "apart from an expert's point of view it wa3 evident that in each instance the suspicion of tubercle was erroneous " —is simply gross presumption, seeing that it is made by one whose inability to detect cases of tuberculosis or its symptoms until they were pointed out to him by another veterinary surgeon was, so recently as May last, demonstrated in the witness box (vide evidence in the Palmerston cowpox inquiry).— I am, &c, S. S. Camkron, M.R.C.V.S. Melbourne, October 19th. VkTKUTNAUY IIfSTHTTCTIOK. We are very glad to learn that at last Christchurch is to have a vetei"inary school, and that it will be under the direction of a thoroughly able and competent veterinary surgeon. It is surprising that this town, the centre of the greatest stock .-carrying area in New Zealand, should have been so long withouta school of the kind, and only the enviable freedom so long enjoyed by our flocks and herds in respect of the usual diseases of stock combined with the mildness of 'our climate can explain it. Now, however; imported disease and the inevitable results of heavy stocking warn us that we are no longer above the necessity of attending to the possibility of illness in our fields and byres and stables, and that it behoves the farmer's son to acquire at least the rudiments of veterinary theory and practice, , if he would be successful in his future management. For the services of a skilled vet. are not always obtainable, and in many cases an ounce of prevention will save more money than a pound of cure ; or rather, proper precautions taken at the appearance of the first symptoms of disease will do more than all the work in the world can do afterwards if these are neglected or omitted. The Christshurch Voterinary* School will be under the direction of Mr J. R. Clmrlton, whose qualifications are of the very highest, and whose practical success is well-known. Any young man—or any man for that matter—desiring instruction will'do well to take the opportunity thus offered and apply wittfcufc delay to Mr Charllon at the address advertised. DcNLOrs. A Scottish ' correspondent writes to a London paper :—" You are very near the mirk when you say Dun lop is a town in Ayrshire, but you would ba much more accurate if you said Dunlop was a parish and district in the Cunningham district of Ayrshire, famous for its cheese-making for more than a century and a half. The, Dunlop system of cheeae-inaking.was ousted by the Cheddar system about fifty years ago ; but at the Kilmarnock .-cheese Show, the;greatest in the kingdom, to be held next week, there will still be found a class for ' Dunlopa.' It may also be mentioned that tho famous Ayrshire dairy breed of cattle was a century ago known as the Dunlop breed, having been formed, says;.:ti?iditibnal history,, from' Flemish, covrib introduced by thb Dunlops of Dunlop, a very.ancient and powerful-Ayrshire family." NITRAGIN NOT YET ScCCKSSFUL. Like many another supposed specific, the lately invented German method of inoculating soil with bacteria beneficial to leguminous plants, such as lucerne, peas, and beans, has failed in practice. Professor Nobbe, of Tharandt, Germany, was the first to prepare a gelatinous cultivation of these nitrogenproducing bacteria, and to place it on the market in commercial quantities under the name of " nitragin." It was claimed that for an expenditure of 4s 6d an acre of land could be infected with nitragin to the immense advantage of the farmer. Practical test, however, has failed so far to justify this claim. A series of careful experiments arranged by Dr. Somerville, of the Durham (England) College of Science, have not proved favourable to the preparation. For instance, experiments on a plot of l-500th of an acre of lucerne yielded 1051b without, and 1021b with inoculation, and similarly a plot of red clover produced 159£1b in its natural state, while with the application of the nitragin it yielded only 1551b. A Relief Rod fob Mowbrs. One of the leading defects of the mowing machines at present in use is authoritatively declared to be overcome by an improvement invented and patented throughout the colonies by Mr D. J. Crosby, of Black Oak Farm, Kadina, S.A. Every one who has need a mower knows that a stone or strong stick or any other obstruction that may be I caught between the fingers ofj the bar and ', cuttere is apt to break some . part of the machine or bring it to a sudden stop. Mr Crosby , * invention is designed to

do away with this risk. It consists of a spring relief connecting rod, which ia said to entirely overcome all diffiealties caused by the catching of small obstructions in the bar. A trial of a machine fitted with the spring rod was lately made at Glenroy, Victoria, and this is the report of the ; Australasian : —Several wooden stakes were ! placed in the crop, and among other obatruc tions used were a lin by _in iron rod, a rasp, and pieces of hoop iron 2in by £in. Yet in no one instance was the mower > stopped. The machine used in this trial was a Walter A. Wood, with a sft cut. The crop, a heavy one, estimated to give four tons of hay per acre, was cleanly cut, and the machine was not injured in the least. The Spcckss of tub Scotch Breedirs. An English Shorthorn breeder, who recently paid a visit to two of the leading Shorthorn herds of Scotland, those of Mr Duthie, of Cellyiiie, and Mr Marr, of Upper Mile, both in Aberdeenshire, attributes the success of both those herds—apart, of course, from the skill of the breeders—to the fact that the cattle are kept in a natural ; condition, without any attempt at pampering. In summer they have only the pasturage to depend on, and when the season for housing come 3 round they are kept on the ordinary plain, healthy food, grown on the farm, without being forced. Again, milking qualities are regarded as a sine qua non of the matrons of the herd, and any cow that cannot give her calf a liberal supply of milk is not considered good enough for breeding purposes. While kept in this healthy state of Nature cattle do not secrete such an amount of fat as those kept in unnatural condition. Fat is spare blood, and a certain amount of it is necessary in all well-nourished animals, but when accumulated in excese it becomes a disease. Another point of great importance in those herds is the ample room for the viscera, giving plenty of play for the heart and lungs, insuring strong constitution. The Scottish breeders believe that, like the Royal stags which roam on their mountains, their cattle should have plenty of lung power, the most perfect preventive of tuberculosis. Of course aptitude to fatten and early maturity, which are largely cultivated in cattle exclusively bred for beef purposes, militates to a great extent against hardiness of constitution, and it is in maintaining these two that the skill of the breeder comes into play. Brackrn As Good Foddkr. Bracken is usually regarded as the most useless thing that grows. Cattle may eat' young bracken when the ground is absolutely bare of other fodder, but as a general rule nothing but starvation, will induce them to touch it. There is one way iv which bracken may l>e made available for fodder, and that is through the medium of the silo. It has been said that bracken ensilage contains all the feeding qualities of clover; but perhaps that is too sanguine a view. It is certain, however, that it is-rendered palatable and nourishing t o stock. It may be kept for three or four years, is particularly good for milch cows, it imparts no flavour to the milk, and, being saline in taste, cows soon become fond of it. Bracken ensilage is also said to prevent scouring in lambs at weaning time. Bracken or fern silage was made as long as thirty years ago in England. In districts where this weed flourishes as it does in some parts of Queensland, this should be good news to farmers and graziers, who look upon bracken only as one of the ills that beset mankind. Lkaenino From the Enemy. The Melbourne Leader gives currency to a report that a Danish representative is touring Australia with the object of gaining particulars as to the cbtsdiiion , and prospects of dairying, and to v i,seertain the true.value - of the opposition? wliich Denmark may expect from the'; Australian colonies in connection with that industry. The Good Old Way. Old established methods are not to be lightly cast aside as "out of date." In a novel churning competition lately field at Plymouth, England, in which the old; fashioned hand and tub method was pitted against the most modern machinery, the judges reported that the results obtained in the various contests had, in their opinion, indisputably established the superiority of the old-fashioned Devonshire method of tub and hand over any dther style adopted as regarded (1) the time occupied, (2) the weight of butter made, and (3) the quality of the same. _Ihk Plot System Condemned. . One of the ablest and most elaborate articles that has been published on the subject of agricultural experiments has been contributed by Br. N. A. Cobb to the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales Dr. Cobb, in giving ?the results of experi. menls conducted by him during the last twenty years, condemns the plot system on account of want Vof reliability. Hβ prefers the row system, by which each plot is practically reduced to a single row, which may be as long as desired, or as the land will allow. The two plots to be compared thus become reduced to two single rows. In this way many of the errors due to variation of soil, are minimised. It is almost impossible to secure two plots of land," even adjacent to one another, which are precisely similar in all respects ; either' the nature of the soil or the aspect .is bound to show some variation. Other advantages claimed for the row system are ease of planting in case .of failure of seed to germinate, and the facility it gives for making allowances, by . counting the plants, for any defects due to the Tavages of birds or insects. The Neglect of Seed. On the subject of selection of seeds Dr. Cobb is emphatic. :—"-The grad. ing of seeds is almost_wholly neglected by farmers in most of great agricultural countries, and this very fact is one that is sometimes pointed out in defence of not grading the seed. I have heard it said in substance by a well-known teacher of agriculture—a. man whose »word is respectfully listened to by thousands of farmers—that there could not be much* in-graded seed, or farmers would not so generally neglect the matter. . . . One might pertinently ask this teacher of agriculture how, if a practice is to be its own sufficient defence, any improvement is ever to take place, and inquire of the advocates »f pinched seed why Dame Nature doe 3 not provide all her plants with pinched and puny seed, if they are so much better. The truth is that, other things being equal, plump seed is much better than shrivelled seed, and that where the results obtained from shrivelled seed are better than those obtained from plump seed, the result is due to other factors than the quality of the seed. . . . The vitality of seed diminishes with age, h_nce it is necessary in comparative experiment* (except such as are devoted to ascertaining the rate of decrease in vitality due to age) to make sure that the seed used in the different plots and rows is of the same age. 1.