FOOTROT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21975, 26 December 1936, Page 7

FOOTROT

TROUBLE PREVALENT THIS SEASON It is natural that in a season with such a heavy rainfall as that experienced in recent months, footrot should be prevalent. There are many more indications of it in the saleyards than usual. Such being the case, a note as to the treatment may not be out of place, although few sheep farmers are not conversant with the most effective remedial measures to apply. The following is advice generally followed in Australia 4 It is of the utmost importance that before proceeding with any treatment the hoofs of the affected sheep must be thoroughly trimmed and cleaned. All hoof parings and dead tissue should be burnt, because if left lying about they affect other sheep. Where numbers of sheep have to be treated the use of a foot bath is the best method to follow. The best mixtures for the foot bath are 6oz of bluestone and 4oz of lysol for each gallon of water, or 3oz of sodium arsenic and 4oz of lysol to each gallon of water. After tne feet have been thoroughly trimmed the sheep should be passed through the bath, care being taken to keep them there long enough for the' feet to become thoroughly saturated with the antiseptic fluid. After passing through they should be held in a dry, clean yard until their feet are thoroughly dry. This precaution is necessary to guard against contamination of pastures by the poisonous mixture. They should then be placed in clean pasture, but on no account in the paddock where the disease occurred. The treatment should be repeated until the disease is stamped out. If .only a few cases of footrot are found in the flock, not being sufficient to justify the preparation and mixing of a foot bath, the sheen may be treated individually by dressing the feet. An effective paste for this nurpose is made b stirring into one quart of warm Stockholm tax 2oz of finely powdered bluestone and one tablespoonful of lysol. The mixture should be applied to the trimmed and prepared foot with a brush. Very bad cases can be treated with a dressing of equal parts of formalin and water. MERINO IMPORTATIONS HIGH-PRICED RAMS FOR BLACKFORD A notable importation of merino rams has been made from Australia by Mr R. C. Todhunter, Blackford Station. Methven. Mr Todhunter’s instruction to his representative was to buy the best, regardless of price, and it ‘is understood that there was no mistake about the price part, which implies that there is no question of the quality. . . . ~ „ One of the rams is now rising four years, and last season was used as a top stud sire in the noted Collinsville flock. In the opinion of the breeder, Mr Collins, he is a better ram than Balfour 3, who was sold by the Collinsville breeder at two and a half years old for 1500 guineas, and was later the top stud ram in the Blackford flock. Mr Todhunter’s new purchase has a great carcase and carriage, with a heavy covering of wool ol a 60 s count, and should be a great acquisition to the New Zealand merino flocks. The second purchase is a 24 months old ram from the same stud. Like the other he possesses a great carcase ana constitution. A further purchase for Blackford comprised 45 specially picked stud ewes, also from the Collinsville flock. These ewes will be mated in Australia with top stud rams before being shipped.