NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14407, 15 July 1912, Page 3

NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

("Weekly Press and Referee,")

Frozen meat arriving in London of lato from New Zealand has boon in excellent condition, says tbe "Austraiian Meat Trades' Journal"; "ship's damage" as to meat from that quarter there is nothing to speak of. For importers to havo claimed on .account of the slight imperfections would not have paid the survey fee; not nearly as many claims of this class are mado on underwriters as of yore. The practice amongst agents and importers of insuring for full risks only 75 per cent, of parcels, and the covering 25 per cent, for f.p.a. and' breakdown, is not unusual. They can insure all risks for about <10s if they co-operato with ■underwriters in this way. No Australian insurance'of this kind is effected. Tho report as to damage to Commonwealth frozen meat is not nearly as satisfactory as with New Zealand meat. A good dca] has turned out in poor condition, spotted, etc. Frozen rabbits have been far from spotless of late •times. A considerable number of cases of rabbits ex Persic were condemned for mould.

In tho province of Coquimbo (Chile) cattle-breeding is a branch of agriculture which receives a great deal of attention, although special difficulties present themselves for treatment. Reporting briefly on this subject, Mr Consul Ansted mentions that, grazing is generally the class of farming adopted in the province under notice, but the cattlo breeders suffer from want of water. This teuds necessarily to limit their operations and to lessen their profits; it has the effect of curtailing the area of ground irrigated, whilst it also affects the movement of cattle across country from farm to farm, and from the grazing grounds to the port of embarkation. The question of fodder, too, is a trouble. "Of hay," says Mr Ansted, "there has been hone to spare, and tho provision for the winter season, when the grass does not grow, is' so small that farmers have to purchase their winter fodder in the southern provinces, and bring it north by steamer. The shipment of cattlo from Coquimbo for consumption at the nitrate works has practically ceased for the time; and tbe scarcity of labour is felt as much in the fields (where the cattle interests aro important) as at the mines.and in towns."-. Deficient rainfall is, however, the chief difficulty which the native cattle breeders. haye to coptend against, and the .past, winters-fall jgave two .inches—-a quantity quite inadequate to.mitigate the .severity.:of the ; water famine from which the province named i has suffered for fivo consecutive' sco- I .sons. - ... '.■.-,■- ■

Professor J. A. Gilruth, in collaboration witli Dr. Sweet, has issued an exhaustive and interesting report upon tho worm nodules which occur in th© Queensland beef.. The report contains an historical sketch of the probable origin in Australia of the nodules, and although opinions seem to differ as to tho actual datej it is very conclusively 6hown that either the buffaloes or Timor cattlo imported into the Port Essington Settlement between . the years 1824 and 1840 "wero the original hosts. In dealing with the character of tho nodules, the Tep-pxt points out that investigations carried on by tho Professor in, North Queensland cattlo indicate that tho *period of infection is during the first years of the beast's life j the more aged the animal is the less i evidence is there of infection. There is little, if any. re-infection after a certain age, and tho tendency is for the nodules to become greatly diminished and ultimately disappear. Experiments in tho way of direct infection were carried out, and it was found that direct infection without the aid of an intermediary host was impossible. Experiments also with the 6oil and The cow louse were also conducted- to discover tho intermediary host, but with negative results! Then, again, it wa6 found difficult to obtain anything definite in the direction of intermediation through a fly. In conclusion, the reoort says that further investigations will be conducted at a later stage, but it is not expected that much will be gained by further experiments.