CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10081, 17 March 1896, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE IMPORTATION OF BONEDUST.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l see in your issue of March 9th a very good and sensible letter re prohibiting the importation of bonedust, signed H. Chrispe. I certainly endorse his views on the matter. I really don't see why the farmers of the whole colony should be taxed because a disease has broken out iu a certain spot, the cause of which is to be put down to imported bonedust. Now, lam informed on good authority that the manure used on the said farm where the supposed anthrax broke out, was not imported. If the Auckland Agricultural Association want to know the facts of the case, let them send up a representative to make inquiry in this district, and he will find out all about it. The cattle no doubt died from blood-poisoning, the origin of which is well-known bore. There was no anthrax in the business at all. Anthrax 1 know is blood-poisoning, but all blood-poisoning is not anthrax, You will say, " Of course, what do you know about? You are not a vet" No, lam not; but when I was a young man I attended lectures on the diseases of farm animals, but that,would not qualify me to speak on this occasion. But it is this; I have been in this colony 32 years, and have had a good deal of experience with cattle, so I know what I am talking about, and my experience is, that, owing no doubt to climatic influence, no contagious disease will live for any length of time in this colony. Three times to my knowledge thu pleuro has been imported, and each time it died out, when the importation stopped. Captain Ranciman will bear me out in what I say, and he is a man of experience. Furthermore, I tfever heard of rinder pest, foot and mouth disease, and many other diseases that cattle are subject to in ether countries, in this colony, neither have we glanders or hydrophobia, two moat terrible diseases. If imported bonedust brought disease into the Waikato, and then only at Ohaupo, why did it not distribute the germs in other districts? I trust the Auckland Association will be successful in getting the restrictions removed, and that manures will be allowed to come in free as heretofore. It is actually raising the price of bread, as we can grow nothing without manure. Some people think we ought to say nothing about it, &a it is too dangerous a subject to discuss, but I don't see why we should submit to a stigma on our character as it were, when we don't deserve it.—l am, etc., H. Roche, Ohaupo, March 14,1896.