AILMENTS OF SHEEP.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12538, 27 April 1935, Page 12

AILMENTS OF SHEEP.

RAVAGES OF FOOTROT. PREVENTIVE MEASURES. Sheep men on heavy pastoral lands in. New Zealand have come to look upon footrot as almost an unavoidable evil. Indeed, it'is so common an ailment that little notice is taken‘of it excepting when a considerable number of sheep arc* noticeably lame. Footrot appears to have been introduced to New Zealand with the longwool breeds about 40 or 50 years ago, states a writer in the “Auckland Herald.” The sheep population being then principally Merino.;, which are particularly susceptible to the trouble, it was looked upon as a disaster. Before long it was practically impossible to keep Merinos on the low-ly-ing damp areas, where they were- ultimately replaced by the resistant Romney. There is no question that footrot is infcctous, and there is oonsderable donbt whether sheep which have been affected with the disease may not carry the infection in a latent state in their Wood for some months to suffer a. recurrence of footrot, without further infection from outside sources, when conditions are again favourable to it. It is transferred from one sheep hv the medium of damp grass, weed, or any moist surface favourable to the survival of the germ, into which the hoofs of the sheep will sink to a sufficient depth to bring the soft coronet in direct contact with the infected material. RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS. The footrot germ appears to be unable to penetrate the horn, or even the softer sole op a healthy hoof, and also to have little power elf mobility. Some years ago I commoted an experiment which convinced me of the truth o.p these conlusions. A moh of sheep badly affected with footrot- was held in a concreted pen for 12 hours. Immediately the animals were turned out the pen was filled with sound sheep from the same mob, which were held on damp and presumably infected concrete for a similar length op time. No footrot was transferred to the sound sheep, which were Merinos. The concrete was then covered with damp straw and chaff and the experiment repeated, with the result that 80 per cent of the sound sheep contracted footrot. This displayed itself first- as a sort op scald between the claws and around the coronet, and where not treated at once developed into true footrot. This led to the conclusion that long damp grass, mud stirrouncling drinking places and in gateways, and boggy sheepyards were the principal means of distributing footrot through a fl-ook. THE USE OF LIME. Liming sheepyards, metalling gateways and building stone or « ooden platforms around troughs and other regular drinking places, had the effect of reducing the disease roiridernbly. It is difficult, however, to prevent the transference of the disease by medium of the pa'.turn gr ass, the only effective measure being to keep the grass dose-cropped, ana change the sheep to fresh, paddocks as frequently as possible. It is- remarkable, ; n view of the considerable loss which footrot causes, that practically no research has been conducted to disco /rr the nature and life history of the causalivc germ, llere is a field which could profitably be explored by .pesea-ch workers in New Zealand, whore a bun dant materials for experiment is always available. From practical observation, however, there appear to be at least two types of foots ot, and to both off these the fine wool led or mountain and Down breeds .are more susceptible than the long-wools. The germ, or germs, nay attack the 'soft coronet, and having pcntiated there, work their way down just inside the horn, and ultimately across the solo of the hoof This is the common typo df footrot. Infection may sometimes enter and inflame the canal known as the “interdigital. pit,” and then work upward to the knee. The leg becomes very inflamed and tender, anifl finally the large amount of puis formed may burst out through the skin if it is not previously lanced. Such cases are very difficult to euro, and unless the sheep is a. valuable stud, the kindest thing is to cut the animal’s throat. It is possible to cure this “legrot” by opening the sinus at the Icnee, and with a powerful syringe force disinfectant—preferably a weak -solution of formalin—down the cavity to the interdigital -pit. This treatment will ho extended over some time, and weak iodine solution should alternate with the formalin. METHOD OF TREATMENT. The only effective way to cure footrot established under the horn of the hoof- is to relentlessly cut this away to expose th seat of the diseaseTTie treated sheep should then he stood for at last an hour in a five per cent solution of bluestone, or a two per cent solution off formalin. The latter is preferable, as it does not stain the wool as does bluestone. The sheep should then be stood on battens or concrete until the hoofs are dry, when the wounds made in paring should he painted with shellac. As a result off experiments which, however, are so far inconclusive, it appears to me that immunity to footrot can be built up in a flock even where the conditions are adverse,.. Mineralised licks containing potassium iodide, which has the effect off encouraging healthy and hard horn growth, apparently aid the sheep in resisting attack, although the generally improved health of the animal receiving the essential minerals may have more effect in securing immunity than any one particular ingredient. Dry underfoot conditions and ishort grass, remain, however the prin cipal large-scale measure for prevention, .

herd-testing. ENGLISH PENNY PREMIUM! In England, the Ministry of Agriculture is putting forward a scheme vp,hereby herds certified as tree from tuberculosis will receive Id per gallon premium for their milk. There is no legislative authority in New Zealand for the enforcement of the payment of a premium on certain mlk, but a scheme grading milk from certain dairies might have the same result. The scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture in England is regarded as uncompromisingly severe. It entitles ari owner who has taken steps to eradicate tuberculosis from hi,s herd to make an application to the Ministry for an official test provided that no reactions were found in the herd on the occasion of the last two private tests if carried out with an interval of not less than six and not more than 12 months between the tests and if the last of theso two tests was carried out not more than 12 months before the date of applioacation. The application .should be supported with certificates to this effect signed by the veterinary surgeon who carried out the tests on behalf of 'the owner. A certification of attestation is valid ior one year. It .will be renewed annually, if desired by the owner by the herd, after a further official test of all rattle in the herd, provided that no reactions are 'disclosed and the Minister is satisfied that the herd and the premises on which it is located continue to he suitable for attestation. If any reactor is found the renewal of the certificate of attestation will be suspended, and the reactors must immediately lie isolated and disposed of by the owner as quickly as possible and the promises thereafter disinfected. The non-reactors must he submitted to further official testing, such tests to take place not earlier than GO days irom the date of completion of the disinfection of the premises, .ft no reactor is revealed as the result, of such re-test, the certificate of attestation will be renewed for a further period of six months. if the reactor is found as the result of the re-tesr it must be immediately removed from the herd and the premises again disinfected. A second official re-test will then he carried out at the expiration of 60 day- from the date of completion of the last disinfection of the premises. If any additional reactor is found as the result of the second re-test the herd will he removed from the register of attested herds and the certificate of attestation will be cancelled. These official tests will be carried out without charge to the owner, and while his herd is on the register the Ministry of Agriculture will pay him a bonus of Id a gallon on all milk sold from the fund provided hv the Milk Act-. 1934. Ho should also qualify for ibe INI ilk Board’s bonus under the accredited scheme, and he may be able to obtain a special service premium from a buyer who is prepared to pay Id a gallon morn for milk from a tuberculin-tested herd. A NEW CULTIVATOR, GYROTILLER IN ACTION AT W AIM ATE. A new type of cultivator, known as the gyrotiller, of which the first machine to arrive in the Southern Hemisphere is now in the Waimato district, is creating a great deal of interest among farmers and others. The cultivator, which is a 175power machine, indicates, that it might completely revolutionise agricultural methods. The soil is tilled from a depth of 1q to 24 inches, and it is possible to obtain either a fine or a coarse tith. The two rotating tillers, consisting of a number of blades set in rotating drums, revolve in opposite directions in disintegrating soil. T he machine is able to cope with either hard or soft soil, for although weighing heavily, the weight is so distributed that the load is only 121 h to a square inch. The machine cultivates a width of 11 feet at a time, and turns in its own length, so that there is practically not waste in headlands. Supplementary implements, such as tooth harrows and ridging bodies, can he attached behind the tillers. A ditching body will dig a. trench lip to rhron feet wide and 2-1 inches rfeep and a central tine may he attached lor subsoil drains below' the tilled soil. The machine has a, six-cylinder Diesel engine, using 7 t 0 7' gallons of luel an hour, and cultivates ,irom three quarters to on acre an hour. In England this machine has proved up to expectations, and the number now in use, has reached fit), as .against, 20 three years ago. More than 50,000 acres wore gvrotilled at a cost of 02s <>d an acr e . ' Tt has been found that this machine is able to break u p the pan of tho land which could not be adequately cultivated by ploughing, thus allowing drainage in winter and conserving moisture in dry seasons. This resulted in an increase of from .15 to, 75 per cent. The machine costs £6OOO in England. and approximately £BOOO in New Zealand. Mr A. D. Paterson, of British Pavements, Ltd., i :S responsible for its introduction into this country, and an interesting demonstration, which attracted a large number of farmers from all 'districts, was given by Mr B. McKee on Mr W. Hayman’s property, Studholme. Tho gyrotiller is scheduled to proceed to Mr J. G. Ritddenklau’s property, ; ‘The Valley,” on a 200-acre contract.