FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 June 1936, Page 4

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout”)

ANIMAL TUBERCULOSIS.

ever-present danger.

This article, which came in the iorm of a letter to the editor of the Dairy Exporter, was written by a man whose work takes him into close contact witli carcasses alter slaughter In writing of pig rejects, therefore, he is writing of what he knows. 1 hough our position regarding 'tuberculosis is relation to overseas countries is satisfactory, we should not become complacent, but rather should seek to stamp out whatever tuberculosis there is in New Zealand herds, realising our wonderful climate, plus proper attention to stock, should make us immune from this scourge. It. is with the hope that some expressions of opinion of those actively engaged in the industry may be put forward that I venture to write on a subject which mu,st be exercising the minds of most dairy farmers at the present time, namely, the amount of loss which accrues to the pig feeder from the number of pigs condemned and rejected for export on account of tuberculosis. Not only is the percentage of pigs condemned or rejected .for export large at the present time, but annually appears to be increasing. Should this number grow to such an extent as to influence many farmers to give up the raising of pigs, then, without doubt, one of the finest opportunities that has come the way of the New Zealand fanner in recent times has been missed. Many farmers have taken a great deal of trouble and gone to considerable expense to overhaul their piggeries and readjust their systems of feeding and management, and have in many cases found it of little or no avail.

I should like to draw attention to this problem from another point of view. ‘ It is generally known that tubercular lesions are found to a much greater extent in the head of the pig, i.c., showing in the submaxillary gland than in any other part of the carcase. Lesions on these glands would show that the animal had been infected by the entry of the bacillus by way of the. lining of the mouth, surface of the tongue, or skin of the nose or cheeks. It would seem a fair assumption to say that the pig had been infected by its food, as there are often abrasions to be found in these parts which would supply an ideal entry for any germ which came into proximity. It can be safely said that 90 per cent, of the pigs in New Zealand are fed milk products, and those which are not, are, I believe, remarkably free from tuberculosis. From this it seems that the farmer must look further than his piggery for the source of his loss. Surely the trouble lies with the dairy herds. Too often in tho past it has been assumed that tuberculosis and tho dairy cow were inseparable. Britain, we are told, has approximately 40 per cent, of her cows tubercular; Denmark’s percentage is possibly a little higher. No definite figures are available for New Zealand, but it is safe to say that the percentage is high for a country where percentage is high for a country where cattle are kept out of doors all the year round.

IDEAL OUTDOOR CONDITION

In the past we have taken refuge in the belief that only definite tubercular infection of the udder was a source of danger to the user of the milk. This refuge has been taken away by the discovery that the bacillus of tuberculosis is able to pass into the milk though the lesion from which it comes is in a part of the body remote from the udder. The tuberculin-tested herds of Great Britain and America are definite proof that tuberculosis can be banished from the dairy herd. General tuberculin testing of dairy cows should be the ideal of all farmers, but in New Zealand, as in most other countries at the present time, this is still only an ideal. I believe, however, that much may be done in the meantime by judicious management to eradicate this scourge.

British farmery claim that if they could keep their cattle out-of-doors all the year round, T. 8., to a very large degree, would disappear from their herds. They quote, quite soundly, the example of the sheep, which has been kept out of doors in all weathers from time immemorial and is almost immune to T.B. This wished for ideal of the British and Continental farmer is an accomplished fact here in New Zealand, and yet we have a high percentage of T.B. Where is our system of husbandry at fault? I should suggest that the fault lies in the wintering of our cattle. Careful observation during the winter months in any of our principal dairying districts would show that whilst here and there individual farmers are feeding their cattle well the vast majority of cattle show signs of not receiving sufficient food to maintain their condition at a level at which resistance to disease is assured. These cows are then subjected to the tremendous strain of milk production without the slightest reserve of flesh to draw upon. There are undeniable grounds for asserting that it is at this point, when the strain of producing milk has begun, that the bacillus gains its hold on the constitution. The resistance is at its lowest point and the disease finds little difficulty in getting established. From then on the story is simple but tragic, as it involves danger to any person or animal which consumes the milk from this cow. It is estimated' that in Great Britain 33 1-3 per cent, of the cases of T.B. found in children under five years of age are of bovine origin.

Better provision of supplementing feeds for winter months would help to alleviate, although it would never really stamp out, this disease in dairy cattle. Complete eradication can only come through tubercluin testing, which, however, would be futile in th' 1 absence of better feeding of dairy cows during the off season. The whole problem turns on the point of more carefully planned farming, par-

ticularly in the supplying of adequate supplementary feed for the winter months by the conservation of every available acre of summer growth of grass in the form of well-made hay or ensilage. A farmer who does not conserve every possible acre of glass during the flush season is not doing justice to his farm, his cows, himself or his customers. It would be wise io give this problem deep consideration as its effects strike at the veiy core of what are fast becoming New Zealand’s greatest asset—the dairying and pig industries.

WOUNDS ON ANIMALS. Wounds, no matter of what type or on which variety of animal, must be treatest with the greatest care. It is no exaggeration to state that at least half the wounds on farm animals become septic, if not actually “fly-blown” through neglect. Whether wounds are incised, lacerated or punctured, the main object is to keep them thoroughly clean and endeavour to rejoin the tissues. Any proved antiseptic used in the correct proportion answers the purpose. If possible, it is far better to bandage all wounds. Certainly this is not always easy, particularly with animals unaccustomed’ to be handled. If bandaging is not possible some powerful-smelling substance, disagreeable to flies, such as iodoform, is of tremendous value. Never use unclean rags and leave them on for days. It is far better to do nothing at all. The first thing to do will be to stop the bleeding. This can be done with a bandage of clean white' muslin tied directly over the wound or above it. Often the bleeding artery will protrude; a thread .can be run under it with a. needle and tied. Do not use flour or cobwebs. They will produce a dangerous infection.

Having stopped the bleeding, remove the clots of blood and trim up the ragged edges of muscles with sharp scissors. A pan of antiseptic solution, permanganate of potash, for preference should be provided. Place all instruments in the solution and wash the hands before beginning. Clean out the wound and wash thoroughly with antiseptic. See that there is good drainage from the wound at the bottom. Do not allow it to start healing with a pocket holding pus.

If maggots get into the wound, a little turpentine will bring them to the surface, when they can be picked off. Should the wound be deep and punctured, such as would be caused by a bone thrust or the teeth of a hoar, and pus collects, inject peroxide of hydrogen. This will break up the pus, which will pour out in a stream. In the absence of lint., carbolised bagging twine may be used to keep a wound open, and thus allow any discharge to find exit. Always bear in mind that to heal quickly and properly a wound must be absolutely clean and free from germs from the start.

MANGE IN HORSES

Mange in horses should be immediately treated as soon as noticed, otherwise neglect may lead to endless trouble, to say nothing of the labour and expense incurred for treatment. A treatment which has proved successful is first to thoroughly brush tho skin, afterwards anointing the affected parts with a composition of one ounce sublimed sulphur and eight ounces of vaseline. After this dressing has been on about 48 hours it should be washed off with warm water in which some soda has been dissolved. The skin can be thoroughly washed with soft soap and warm water if more convenient than the soda water wash. Then apply with a brush every second day, for at least a week, a liniment made up of equal parts of linseed oil, oil of tar, and oil of turpentine. This dressing should be thoroughly washed off with soap and warm water before another application is made. If preferred, an ointment can be applied, composed of one pint of linseed oil, four ounces of flowers of sulphur, four ounces of oil of tar, and two drachms of white hellebore. This dressing shopld be applied daily for several days and then washed off with warm water and soap, and if necessary the ointment dressing should be repeated' as previously. It is very necessary that the patient should have plenty of green food and boiled linseed or oil cake, if green food is not available. The stalls and stables should be thoroughly cleansed, using diluted carbolic acid according to directions.

All clothing used while under treatment should be baked or boiled, and all rags, etc., used burnt. If any itchiness appears or an affection of the skin, about the head and face under the brow band the affected parts should be dressed with an ointment made with equal parts of mercurial ointment and soft soap made into a lather with hot water, and applied with an old brush. “Do it now” is the policy to adopt as soon as the least indication of mange is noticed, always remernbernig that delays are dangerous.

BRITAIN’S FOOD.

IMPORTS HEAVILY INCREASED

Tho statement just issued of the imports of agricultural produce for the first quarter of this year makes fair reading for farmers, with one or two important exceptions (states the agricultural correspondent of the “London Daily Telegraph”). Briefly, imports of grain, except oats, flour, cereal by-products, oilcakes, maize, chilled beef, frozen pork, potatoes and eggs, were up, and imports of other kinds of meat, outs, poultry and dairy produce were down’l The most disturbing thing was the I heavy increase in barley imports, which were 67 per cent, above those lor the same period last year and 31 per cent, above the average. Dussia sent 73,500 tons compared with 500 tons last year, and the U.S.A. 4-1,000 tons against 13,000 tous.Barley imports from British countries, how-

ever, declined by 41 per cent. It is not surprising that East Anglia has found it difficult to sell barley profitably this season in .the light of these figures. Imports of oats declined by 66 per cent, to the lowest in recent years, and March imports were the lowest on record. It is evident from this that the ruinously low price of oats can only be a reflection of sinking, demand. Wheat imports were up by 12,000 tons, but the wheat subsidy insulates farmers from any bad effects on this score.

Maize imports increased by 53 per cent., but stock feeders—and that means the vast majority of farmers — will have little reason to find fault with this.

The 500,000 people engaged in the poultry industry will not be pleased to find that egg imports for the first quarter of 1936 were 39 per cent, greater than a year ago. Danish supplies were up by 42 per cent., Dutch by 19 per cent., Polish by 250 per cent., and’ Belgian imports rose from 16,000 great hundreds (120) to 245,000 great hundreds. But Australian and Chinese imports were down by 49 per cent, and 19 per cent, respectively. The only thing that can be said is that in spite of these increases egg prices have been better, on the whole, this year than last.

The increase in chilled beef imports was only very slight, namely, 400 tons, while frozen beef imports were reduced by 5,500 tons or 19 per cent. Frozen mutton and lamb imports were also down by 7 per cent., and bacon imports were the smallest recorded since 1922. Ham imports were down 3 per cent., and fresh pork imports down 6 per cent., but frozen pork was up by a similar percentage.

Butter imports, although 4,000 tons less than in the same period in 1935, were 2,000 tons above the average. New Zealand and Australia sent respectively 5 per cent, and 22 percent, less.

Cheese imports were also reduced by 7,000 tons to a total of 31,000 tons, which is the smallest since 1923. No cheese came from Italy, compared with 1,200 tons last year. Imports of all forms of condensed milk showed considerable reductions.