Farm & Station

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11382, 6 December 1930, Page 12

Farm & Station

CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS IN

SHEEIP.

NECESSARY PRECAUTQNS AT SHEARING TIME.

(By Iho Live-Stock Division of tlie Department of Agriculture.) .

This disease, .which rarely affects the general health of sheep and lambs, hut is of. great iniporta*nco in. connection with our meat; export trade seeing that all affected carcases have to treated as ‘‘rejects,’’'is one which is capable of being greatly reduced as regards tho. number of animals affected by it, and possibly stamped out altogether on. farms where it exists, if all possible precautions to prevent its spread are taken and efficiently carried ■ out. The Live-stock Division of Department of Agriculture has made, a practice, when affected - sheep or lambs are found by inspectors at freezing works or abattoirs, of. ascertaining the property from whence they came, and 'directing the owners to the fact ‘and advising them as to the methods to he adopted for dealing with the trouble. Leaflets have also been issued broadcast, i A great deal of valuable preventive work can he done at shearing and crutching time as there can be no doubt that infection of ' wounds made during shearing and crutching is one of the main methods by which the disease is spread. The disease is characterised by the enlargement of lymphatic glands (kernels) in which abcess formation occurs, resulting in the glands being practically converted into abc-essos contairfing a creamy, greenish-colored material. These abscesses frequently burst on their own accord, and the matter exudes on to the surrounding wool and clings to it. Then, in

shearing, they pick up the infection from this contaminated wool, each wound made afterwards can be automatically infected by the shears. A very probable additional method of infection is by dust- or soil from sheep-yards getting on to newlymade shear wounds, as the soil of yards is likely to carry infection on farms where this trouble exists, and it is quite possible that adjacent holding paddocks may also be infected.

Hence, it is a wise and desirable precaution to saturate the soil of tho y.nrds with a. strong antiseptic solution, say one part of non-poison-ous sheep dip to twenty parts of water. Holding paddocks might be ploughed and resown, and the shearing shed should be well -washed down with a solution of non-poisonous sheep dip before shearing commences. Apart from this much valuable and necessary preventive work can be done at shearing time.

Research work has been going on at the WaHaceville Laboratory where a, small flock of affected sheep is being kept, and the latest knowledge obtained indicates that the following methods ought to bo adopted:—

(1). When sheep have been mustered for shearing, examine each sheep carefully for the presence of enlarged glands, or ruptured abscesses, and .set aside qll those in which enlarged glands are detected. These sheep should be kept back and not shorn until all the'rest of the flock has been shorn. In shearing them special care should bo taken to. apply disinfectant to all wounds inflicted. They should preferably be blade-shorn,.and the. shears should t'o frequently dipped in an antiseptic fluid. One part of honpoisonous dip in thirty of water, or, alternatively, kerosene alono would .answer this purpose. (The method of detecting affected sheep before shearing is described below), ■. > • _.

(2.) Carefully disinfect every wound made during the shearing of the apparently unaffected sheep, as well as those on affected ones. This can bo done by using either—(a) A dip in water of non-poison-ous dip, or—(b) Equal parts oi tincture of iodine and water. Tar is in common use, and is good from the disinfectant viewpoint. It, however, clings to the skin, and later, to the growing -wool, and is liable •to thereby depreciate the •wool from tho manufacturers’ standpoint. Shear blades should be cleaned and disinfected frequently. This is easily done with blade hears but owing to the accumulation liable to bo present upon them, machine sheds ‘atre not easily flisdihfected.

lnt order to detect the presence of glands enlarged through lymphaden> itis infection, each sheep must bo examined carefully -at the poir. ?s where the infected glands a.ro almost invariably found. These points are at the. front of each shoulder, and, 1 in the fold of! each flank. They can easily be found, though - the shoulder. glands are a little . below the surface of fhe skin. Not only must enlarged glands .be sought by careful handling, "but the skin and wool at these parts must" be examined in order to detect, the sears left! by ruptured . gland abscesses, and collections of piattor. in tlio wool derived from,: these "ruptured abscesses. ' -

In view of the bjoso/approach ’ of tho sliearing season; it is sincerely hoped that all sheepownors will carefully 'act on the advice given above.

WOOL POOL

GRAZIERS’ OPPOSITION

“What the Minister for Agricul-' turo said of, the plight of the graziers because of tho slump in wool is unfortunately'true,” the chairman'of the Australian Woolgrowers’ Council (Sir Graham Waddell) said in Sydney (lie other day, ’‘but I 'cannot agree with him. that co-operative marketing or a pooling system offers the Way out ns far as this industry is concerned.

“Tho whole subject of' wool marketing was thoroughly discussed in Brisbane by the annual meeting of the Australian Woolgrowers' Cohncil, which agreed that tho adoption of any scheme which had at its basis tho artificial 1 fixation of prices, or ignored the law of supply and demand, would not be in the best interests of the woolgrowing industry. The meeting was ■ attended by delegates - from all the farmers’ organisations, in all the States, and represented 90 per cent, of the woolgrowers of Australia. “Faulty marketing did not bring about the slump in wool prices, and I am among those .who believe that wool 18 better marketed iii Australia than any other big primary product in iho world.

“We are agreed that our wool marketing can be 4in proved in certain directions, more particularly by careful regulation of offerings through established channels, together with scientific research and publicity, and perhaps through co-ordination of offerings in Australia, Britain, South Africa, and New Zealand. Probably tlie established channels can. be put to still better use but wo desire to retain those channels —we cannot see how a pool Would work better, or as well, or for the matter of that ’work’ at, all.

“It is also our emphatic opinion that to restore the wool industry to a •sane economic footing, costs must be got down all round. The Australian Governments’could help hero by striving to reduce taxation, and transport charges,- by readjusting the tariff t'o Australian pastoral conditions, and by endeavouring, to establish a saner in-’ Austria!, outlook. .

“Our wool problem is acute,” Sir Graham added, “but .we who are in control of marketing are certainly not disposed to try desperate remedies.”

FO&T-AND-MOUTII DISEASE

OFFICIAL SANCTION FOR SERUM TREATMENT .

The British Minister of Agriculture has issued an order under the Diseases of'Animals Acts making provision for the treatment with scrum of animals which have been in contact with animals affecdod with foot-and-mouth disease or which have in his opinion been exposed to the danger of infection. The order provides that expenses incurred in its execution jtia.v be recovered summarily as a civi} debt from tee owner of any animal seized or detained or from the consignor or consignee. who may recover from the owner by proceedings in. any Court of competent jurisdiction. The Times’s agricultural correspondent writes: —The experiments with serum treatment to which the order refers constitute an interesting departure from the official attitude hitherto adopted towards the scourge. The serum to be used which is not of Argentine origin, is believed to' possess certain preventive, if not curative, properties and it is understood that the merits of the preparation will be tested, in a way that will reduce to a minimum the risk of spreading the disease or of subjecting healthy animals to attack, at any rate until there lias been opportunity for forming some definite idea of the value of the system.

Naturally ah investigation of this kind, involves the exercise of great ,care and shrewd discernment, and the Minister is unlikely to sanction innovations that would. endanger the herds and flocks of the country. On the other hand, there is much to he said for the official trial of preventive measures concerning a very infectious and destructive disease, provided, of course, that adequate safeguards are observed against the possible spread of infection beyond affected stock. It is believed that the interesting experiments .that have been arranged need occasion no fear on the part of stockowners as to,the continuance of rigid regard for the control and suppression’-of tlie infection. • The policy adopted in the past respecting foot-and-mout h disease-. Is no; to be changed in apy-.important sense. ■There is to be no halting procedure, ■in cases of actual disease;... They will be dealt with as in the past, but it is believed that means can. be .found, without incurring serious-,, risk, for subjecting the now process ' to a thorough test. The development of events can be awaited without: anxiety and, it is hoped, with a.monsuro of confidence.

USELESS ADORNMENTS

HORNS ON . STORE-CATTLE

The Minister of . Agriculture for Northern Ireland has, directed attention to the . advantage of hornless store cattle says ‘ap overseas paper. Horns on store ' cattle are useless adornments, reducing the selling .value of - the .animals : and also . tho profits of r the farmer. Purchasers of store cattle "want hornless 'beasts, and are prepared to pay at .least £1 a 'head more for them than for horned animals of similar quality, The de-liorn-ing of cattle is a simple and. inexpensive operation if done- at the right time, which is before the calves aro'JO days old. ' A slight rubbing of' the horns with - caustic potash at tKis. stago, prevents further * growth,. and the calves so treated will. be hornless for life. The cost by this mot hod, including laboiir,- is flot’> more than Id a calf. One stick of caustic' potash, which can bo purchased for a few pence, will de-horn several calves. No skill is required in using it, but the treatment' to bo . effective must bo carried out before the calf is 10 days of age. Hornless cattle ■ are also an advantage in a daily herd, and many dairymen who run grade cattle make a practice of de-liorning their calves. Breedors of pedigree horned stock have strenuously opposed de-hofning on tho ground that it detracts from the appearanco and beauty of tho animals.

MATING PROBLEM

AMERICAN PROFESSOR’S VIEWS An interesting article dealing with the mating- of a- bull back, on to his daughter appears in “Hoard's Dairyman’’ ovor the name of. Professor Eckles, of Minnesota Agricultural. College, who states, inter alia ;

By "RUSTICUS.”

“I am aware that it is not always ■possible for the owner of a small herd to retain and use the old bull even if it is'known that liis off-spring are high producers.; However, if I had a bull known to'bd'a sire of highmerit, I would hot '.hesitate to breed him to his . own daughters rather than to get another, the merit of which I did not know. It is well known that in breeding intensifies: the • characteristics, of the animals mated. If they are deficient in any . respect this is likely to appear even stronger‘than in the parents. If the animals are strong and vigorous and have the dairy characteristics wanted, the offspring are all the more certain to’have the same if the parents are' related. ‘''Where; the herd is large enough tbunake.it practical .the' tiling to do in : many cases is to-keep two hulls, or at least* retain'the hhll after lie is used until it is possible to see how his daughters milk. Of course it costs money- to feed an extra bull, but the daughters inay be’ enough better to pay the extra expense many times over. . .

“I. should say that .the question of using a son of a present herd bull would; not be at all objectionable provided liis dam comes from a good strain of breeding, and is herself a good individual and a heavy milker. In case 'the daughters of the old bull are also satisfactory, showing that lie. is a prepotent sire, this would he a gopd plan to follow. “In-breeding is generally applied to the mating of animals within the first degree of Relationship, such as parent and offspring, or brother and sister. Line .breeding is mating animals having the same ancestors, hut not so closely related; for example, the same grand-parents.”