AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12, 15 January 1910, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

WHAT IS "DRY BIBLE".! A cable from Australia a short time ago made mention of the fac.t that the Government Bacteriologist of South Australia had announced liis discovery of the cause of "dry biblo." The "name" of the disease evidently caused consternation in the ranks of cable sub-editors in the Dominion, for most papers (the Post being an exception) incontinently relegated the cable to the waste-paper basket. Certainly, without amplification, the term would have to most readers more of a theological than a stock connection. As a matter of fact, the disease derives its name from a dryness of the contents of the third stomach — popularly called "the bible," or "book." "Bible," a word of Latin origin, is, of course, liere used in its primary sense of "book" ; in NorthBritain and in many parts of England the organ is called the . "monyplies" (many folds), the comparison in each case being to the leaves of a book, which it resembles. The South Australian Bacteriologist was fortunate enough to find several cases close together, and obtained specimens from cattle that diedSjf the disease, and also from those slaughtered while suffering from it. These were cultivated, and finally three organisms were isolated, which were called Nos. 1, 2, and 3. No. 1, in a pure form, was injected into two cows in large doses, and had not the slightest effect on their health. No. 2, though it did not kill the animals inoculated with it, made them sick. Then cultures 1 and 2, mixed together, were injected. No fatal results were obtained, and the symptoms produced were identical with those obtained when s No. 2 was the subject of inoculation. "No. 3 culture 'produced quite definite results. Several cows were inoculated with it, and the bacteriologist gives the following account ofi its action :—: — "A few minutes after inieotion into & healthy cow there is a shivering fit, and the animal falls to the ground, the respirations are hurried, and the animal is very distressed. This, in the majority of cases, lasts only a few moments, and the animal then rises to its feet, and presents the following symptoms : — Pulse, respiration, and temperature much accelerated, trembling of the forequarters, twitching of the muscles above the eye, and a glassy appearance of the eyes. Death may take place in from nine to ten hours, and in other cases a fatal issue is not obtained until after several days. AH the experimental animals were submitted to a most searching post mortem examination, and all the lesions found in cattle" which, acquire the disease in a state of nature were present. Several theep have been tilled with this micro-organism, death taking place in about four hours. Although such a fatal organism to ruminants, the small laboratory, animals — the rabbit and the guineapig — do not euccumb to experiments. This germ has already been submitted to a searching investigation; it has been repeatedly cultivated from the tissues of the various animals killed by inoculation, and when again injected info healthy cows has caused death under identical conditions." In succeeding portions of the report, the bacteriologist gave an account of an observation noted during the month of March. At a large dairy farm, on which a number of cows were milked, dry' bible broke out, and it was discovered that the water supply was collected by blocking up a road on which there was much traffic and turning the water into a large waterhole. It was" decided to treat the water suppjy^yitlia.libßi:al amount pf,, sulphate of copper";*" alid", tHis being drfrie,' no more cases occurred on the farm. So far as is known, the disease has not affected the Dominion, but "to be forewarned is to be forearmed" ; and if other observers should corroborate the observations of the South Australian Bacteriologist, there is no doubt that he will be credited with an epoch-making discovery. An Australian farmer has experimented in pig-breeding with considerable success. By crossing the Berkshire and Big Black he has produced a perfect baconer, which, on being dressed, shows the fat and lean to bo well distributed. He shipped ten pigs of this cross, only five months old, to Sydney, and they realised over £29, and returned him nearly £26 clear, an average of £2 12« per head. Judicious , crossing in pigs should be made a study by our small farmers, for, afe we know, "the gintleman that pays the rint" in a certain distressed country may help to swell the returns of farmers in this more favoured one. At Huiroa (near New Plymouth), recently, a calf was born with an earmark similar to its mother's. As a result of the continued moisfc weather in Hawkes Bay province, Irish blight is said to have made an appearance in the potnto crops. Tho highest price obtained for wool in Hawkes Bay this season — 14|d per lb. — fell to the lot -of Mr. J. A. Mac farlane, of Ben Lomond Station, near Maraekakaho, his clip Consisting of over 200 bales. Some experiments upon separated milk for pigs have been carried out at the Clonakilty Agricultural Station, Ireland. The experiments extended over two years, and were repeated three times on three lots of pigs. Separated milk and potatoes were fed to one lot; separated milk, potatoes, and meal to another; while the third received meal and potatoes, but no milk. Two questions were submitted by the Department of Agriculture to their expert: (1) What is the value of separated milk when fed to pigs? (2) To what -prica must pork fall to yield less than Id per gallon The answer to the lirst question was that when pork was selling at 48s 3d per cwt. separated milk, fed aa above, yielded 2d per gallon ; and to the second, that so long as pork was selling at 40s 4d per cwt. the separated milk returned Id. The experiment further showed that pigs cannot be reared profitably without milk. The Manawatu A. and P. Association paid out for green feed for stock at tho last show the sum of £57 ?s. Horses will eat carrots whole, but it is better to slice them, as they are eaten j more promptly and with less waste. | The value of carrots lies not in their nutritive materials, but in the cool'ng, laxative, healthful effect on the digeativo system, making the horse to thrivo and his coat "to shine. A comparatively small amount of carrots is enough, 811) to 101b daily per horse being the usual lation. Larger cmounts add nothing lo the beneficial effect on the system. At the Tamworth (New South Wales; experimental wheat plots, one of the new varieties bred by the department, Thew, proved the best yielder; Comeback .was second, and Rymer third. Budd's Early, manured only with superphosphates, yielded > 20 bushels 31b, and as ifc was the local wheat chosen for purposes of comparison, there were several plots of it. One plot sown without manure gave 19 bushels 151b, while another plot, manured with superphosphnle and potash, gave 18 bushels 471b. Indeed, the figures would seem to indicate that the mammal trials were only qualified successes, as the increases in most plots were small.