"BUSH SICKNESS."

Northern Advocate, 3 September 1919, Page 3

"BUSH SICKNESS."

WHAT IS IT?

For some considerable time settlers from outside have not been keen to take up land about Mamaku on account of the bush sickness amongst cattle. There might have been some reason for this many years ago but to-day it has been proved that th'trouble is steadily decreasing or practically eliminated. In fact some of the settlers told the "Times" report or that they have not experienced it, and these people were not in the iiabit of "changing" their jrom exhaustive inquiries extending over two days the conclusion was come to "give a dog a bad name and it will stick to it."

Through the courtesy of Mr R. A. Jackson, the manager, the "Waikato Times" representative was allowed to go all ovfer the State Experimental Farm, where some interesting work is being carried out. At the outset M/: Jackson said t,hat on account of certain methods having being adopted there was not much bush sickness evident in Mamaku district at the present day. Undoubtedly it had been prevalent, but the difficulty had been overcome by the farmers having properties in other parts of the Waikato to which they had, at various seasons, transferred, or "changed" their stock for a time. It had been thought that the cause of the sickness amongst cattle had been the want of humus, or de composed vegetable matter, which could be gained by turning the ground over after it had been cropped. Exhaustive tests are now being carried out in this direction. It had also been discovered that cattle would stand six to eight months longer on country Which had been top-dressed. LITTLE KNOWN DISEASE. Bush sickness is a strange and really little known disease. The first symptoms are shown by the beast beginning to double up in the middle. Later on the eyes sink right back into their sockets and the animal pines away, and if not treated by a system of drenching, immediately the malady makes its appearance, it dies. Experiments are also being carried out per medium of what is termed an "iron brick." It is contended that \ho disease is caused by the want of iron in the land. Undoubtedly the iron is there, but it is not in soluble form, and it must be got out in this itate to do any good. At the present time six picked steers are being experimented upon with the "iron brick" medicine. They .appear to like the treatment. It is the intention not to "change" these beasts and results are awaited with much interest.

Various other remedies have be n tried on the ground. It has been found that the most successful treatment is a mixture of super and basic slag manure put down in quantities of 4cwt to the acre. Oxide of iron was not a success and sulphate of iron proved no better. Guano has also been tried but it was found to be not as good as the super and basic slag. It has been contended that the further away from Mamaku sheep and cattle are brought the better it is for them.

To give some idea of how cattle thrive in this country your representative was shown a mob of 21 head of cattle which three months ago were declared to be a very poor lot. Today they are almost ready for the market. One paddock at the State Farm has been drawn 21 years, and during that time it has only had two top dressings, and to-day cattle will fatten on it just as well as ever. It is a well-known fact that where you get the worm in the ground that land is good. Up till quite recently the worm was unknown, but to-day a 12 acre paddock which had been treated with lime shows plenty of signs of it.

On the other hand you will find settlers who declare they have never experienced any "bush sickness" amongst their herds. To show now good the country is Mr J. 0. Lever has milked his mixed herd for five seasons and has done well. His strain is mostly shorthorns. v

An instruction has been promulgated by Defence Headquarters dealing with the issue of free railway passes to soldiers in hospital. A free return railway pass may, at the discretion of the O.C. of the hospital concerned, be granted to in-patients after having been under treatment for one month, and thereafter one free railway pass every three months. In the event of any such patients being medically unfit to travel, a fresJ railway pass may be issued, as abov, to permit of the next-of-kin visiting them in hospital.

"New Zealand wants a publicity bureau very badly in America," said a returned traveller the other day; "an orily about one in every 10 Americans know that such a country exists, and their ideas about New Zealand are very hazy. If more prominence were given to New Zealand it would result in a great amount of tourist traffic coming this way from the States, and there would also be a considerable number of American workmen emigrating if they knew wore about the conditions under which the New Zealand workman lives."

The ■will of the 'late Father James Patterson, who died at Takapuna- on June 4, has been proved, the value of the estate being: shown to be under £10,000. The bulk of the e.s(ato Iki.s been bequeathed to the (Mill Hill Mission of Josephan Farthers, Sal ford, England, with which Order Fattier Patterson was connected. Small legacies have also been left to distant relatives and former domestics, and an amount set apart for lou<U pharity. A condition of the latter beques£ is that it is to be distributed personally by the trustees to necessitous -persons jrrespecitjye

of creed.