DISEASES IN COWS.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 2028, 18 September 1913, Page 5

DISEASES IN COWS.

MR PRIMMERS DEMONTRATION

Yester'ay afterDoon Mr Primmer, Government veterinarian, under the auspices of t*<e Partners' Uuion, gave a' 1 address and practical demonstration at Mr Cook's farm, Kairanga, upon the diseases of cows. Although t' e lecture was highly interesting and practical, there was a miserable attendance of farmers. It was quite astonis iug to find that the farmers of Kariauga were so bo ay as not to tie able to atforl one hour to liKten to something practical regarding the treatment of their stock, which mig 1 1 be the means of saving M em many pounds in a season. Mr Primmer pointed out that in all classes of stock prevention was better than cure, and especially in soc*i cases as contagious abortion and mammitis. A cow should be moved before calving into a gool clean field free from contamination of other diseases. There was an-

other advantage in t'e faot that the yoang grass was easier to digest. The cow shooll be* orenche i to tide ! er over the critical period. It was also u-cessary to clean the outside quarters of the c >w to minimise to risk of germs For this purpose soap, warm water and disinfectant s ould be used. Assum-

ing that a cow had calved all right, attention then had to be paid to the cleansing which, be destroyed iu order to minimise the spreading of germs to other cows A spoonful of lysol co Id also effectively be used in t»>e water. It was not advisable to use a strong irritant at the first washing. By taking these precautions t-'ie risk of contagious abortion was greatly reduced. Acute indigestion while a cow was carrying a calf was one of the causes of ab rtion Indigestion caosed gas, whic' in tnm cacsed pressure aroun ! t e calf, cutting off the circulation an 1 causing fe»«c animal to die. It was always advisable not to fake any risks and treat the first oase noder notice as contagious abortion. Contagious abortion was caused by a genu, and could be easily spread t'iroughoot the herd. If a case was noticed it as always a visable to remove the cow to a separata pa " cck. It was much easier to do t" is than t* try and disinfect a 40 acre padd-ck. Contagious diseases am ng human beings were isolated and the same should apply to stock.

The abortive cow should always be brought in last, and the yard fctu roughly cleane; afterwards The tubes should be boilei' before using, and if there were several cows to be treated to tubes should be need and dro'jpe" l afterwards into the boiling water. tubes should be long enough to go into the womb. Corrosive s* blimato should not be used with metal. It should be diss lve ■ in an enamel or glass ve e sel. Care should be taken not to make the solution too st ong so as net to injure tr>e inside lining. No ideal solution had yet been discovered, but experiments were being carried out in this direction.

' Contagions rnainmilis was also, dealt with. T-'ie lecturer pointed out that this disease was easy to detect by the thick substance coming from the udder. The sub acute form gave the racst trouble, as it was more difficult to detect, and the milk passing thro r gh the cups of machine carried the infection to other cows, and the following season a ■whole hero be in ected. N Isolation was recommenced. The cow should be milked by ban'*, and the ban s disinfected after milking. Tbe teats should be dipped in a so-

lution of lysol after milking. In an acute stage it was almost impossible to cure mammitis It was advisable to treat ail cows at the end of the season with a solution of borasic acid, and inject it into the teats before the ccws were turned out. By tills treatment a vast amount cf good would be accomplished At tfre conclusion if his address Mr Primmer gave a practical demonstration of cleansing a cow, whic-'i was watche I witn great interest.

Mr Wingate. president of the Farmers' Union, thanked Mr Primmer for his address, and considered it was a pity that the farmers ha i shown so little interest Mr Balsillie supplemented the remarks, and urged a stronger combination amongst the farmers. Several of the visitors were subsequently entertained t<» afternoon tea at the resi euCe of Mr and Mrs Balsillie.