BUSH SICKNESS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 7 August 1928, Page 2

BUSH SICKNESS

SCIENCE INVESTIGATING A BIG PROBLEM The first quarterly report, of the Research Committee of the Council of .Scientific and Industrial Research, which is tackling the problem of the mineral content of pastures, has just been issued, Mr B. (.'. Aston being responsible for that, portion dealing with the North Island and Mr T. Rigg for that on the operations conducted by the Cnwthron Institute.

MINEHAL CONTENT OF PASTURE

"The aim of the analytical work in connection with the Empire Marketing Board's grant, for research," says the report, "will at first be to obtain fundamental information as to the mineral content of pasture and pasture components growing on lands on which are known to occur those puzzling malnutrition troubles in ruminant stock known as deficiency diseases. We already possess a considerable amount of information as to the types of soil in the volcanic! soil province of the North Island upon which bush sickness occurs and the distribution of those types in the Rotdriiti country. It is intended to investigate further the vegetation of the different types of soils in this country in both manured and unmamired paddocks. The gradual improvement in nutritive value of the paddocks on the Mamaku farm under the influence of fertilisers and other treatment will be investigated, and samples will be obtained for analysis from all the experimental areas whether on. this farm 'or on leased areas or areas set aside Ivy the owners for departmental trials. ANOTHER DISEASE "In the Waitomo and adjacent countries, Otorohanga, etc., occurs another "volcanic air-dejjosited soil upon, which a disease quite distinct from bush sickness occurs, and intensive work is being now carried out by means of field experiments with sheep to determine its cause and cure. Briefly put, it may be said that, on the fine volcanic soil (a loam) the deficiency disease is one affecting the bones, whereas on the coarse-grained soil (sandy silt) the disease affects the. blood (anaemia). In this area also on a. soil resembling that of Rotorim occurs a. disease suspected to be bush sickness, but, which only affects sheep. Here a 100-acre paddock has been reserved for experiment with sheep, since the treatment of bushsick sheep has not in the past received the attention which lias been devoted to cattle, with the result that then? is still much to be learnt of the proper treatment of the disease in sheep. Luckily, the facilities at Te Kuiti for investigating these two diseases are good, and the. Department's staff at that centre are singularly capable and energetic, and are willing lo help the country analyst in his work.''

LAMB MORTALITY IN CANTERBURY Soils and pastures are being analysed in order to determine if the mineral, content may be correlated with the oc-: currence of diseases in stock which are suspected to be . caused through calcium deficiency in the food supply. The cause of the mortality in lambs in Canterbury is also being investigated. The deficiency areas now being investigated are some 100,000 acres of bush-sick lambs around Rotorua, Tauranga, Lichfield, and Tokoroa, half of; which area is settled or held by farmers. Then there are another million acres of bush-sick land extending from Ngaroma towards Taumarunui, about one-quarter of which is occupied. A lime, deficiency area west of Te Kuiti comprises the greater part of the Waitomo Country with an area of about 150,000 acres, the greater part of which has been taken up for settlement. Land round Nelson is also the subject of investigation. "Evidence is accumulating," says the report, "that the whole trouble with pumice soils is due 'to excessive drainage from the soil. If one could impede the downward movement of water in the surface soil sufficiently or bring the water table nearer the surface, as at Ngoiigotaha, it is highly probable that iron starvation would disappear. The most rational method of improving the water retaining power of the soil would be to increase the humus (or organic matter) content by green manuring (the ploughing in of ' green crops).