Stock Diseases And Farm Management

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 191, 11 May 1938, Page 13

Stock Diseases And Farm Management

Sir,—l think it has been pretty dearly shown that over-stocking combined with an extraordinarily mild, humid summer and autumn are the two main causes of the present outbreak of facial eczema, among sheep and cattle in New Zealand. I have not seen a single case here so far. It requires no scientific, research but only a little common sense for ua to realise Let us get right down to tintacks and admit that we have been asking a little too much from good old Mother Earth. Year after year our best land has been topdressed and heavily stocked with from fiv i or six ewes to the acre. And in many cases only forcing fertilisers have been used instead of alternating or combining them with those of replacing and disinfecting properties such as burnt crushed lime, salt and potash. It seems to me that up to the present too much stress has been laid upon telling us how to cure this disease rather than in advising how it can be avoided. It requires no deep research to demonstrate that this can be done in either of two ways:— . „ (1) By reducing stock carried so as to have a certain amount of roughage such as matured pasture or bracken fern available to change the- stock on to. And always seeing that rock salt and other good stock licks are placed in the paddocks to supply the necessary minerals. (2) In cases where farmers are determined to continue overstocking, if trouble is to be avoided the following procedure should be adopted and strictly carried out: (a) Always have plenty of good hay on hand for use whenever required. Provided sufficient fine weather can be obtained when saving it, anyone can make good hay by having a paddock eaten off bare, then tojxlreasing and shutting it up until it is ready for cutting. In the case of sheep the best way to feed this to them is to place it in long covered racks out in the paddocks, which can be moved from place to place in order to always be kept on dry ground. The bars of the hay racks should be pretty closely spaced so as to avoid waste. A little molasses water thrown lightly over the hay would make the sheep take to it more readily. , I might say I have proved beyond all doubt that bracken fern is very valuable as roughage, and I am quite sure it has been placed in this district in order to counteract the effect on stock of our exceptionally heavy rainfall. I would like to have some growing in every paddock. (b) Keep the harrows, going so that the dyoppinjs may be got into the ground as soon as possible. (c) Where lime has not been used m top-dressing, put on 7cwt. to the acre of burnt crushed lime, after which lighter dressings of this should be applied at reasonable intervals, especially on heavily-stocked land. (d) Rock salt and other good mineral licks should always be available to the (e) There should be plenty of subdivision paddocks so that pastures may ■ be kept as clean as possible. The main cause of the troubles and diseases, both among people and stock, is that we are always trying to improve upon Nature instead of endeavouring to learn her secrets and make proper use of them. But no, to keep in line with, our present so-called high standard of civilisation all our foodstuffs must be refined until most of the valuable pro perties are taken out of them. Scientists in every country are trying to find substitutes for the things that Nature provides, in the vain hope that their puny brains can compete with the .Almighty. In the beautiful words of Longfellow: "If thou art worn and hard beset, With sorrows that thou wouldst forget. If thou wouldst read a lesson that will keep Thv heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep, Go to the woods and hills; No tears Dim the sweet look that Nature wears.” —I am, etc., G. F. MOORE. Bushy Park, May 9.