STOCK MEDICINES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13831, 18 August 1908, Page 7

STOCK MEDICINES.

A few of the most useful and commonlyemployed drugs for emergent or minor cases among stock are mentioned: — Barbadoes Aloes (purgative): Horse, 4 to 6 drachms; cattle, |oz to loz. Best kept for horses in capsuled balls, which can be dissolved in boiling water for administration to cattle. Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia, (diffusible, stimulant, anti-spasmodic and antacid): Horse, loz to 2oz ; cattle, 2oz to 3oz ; sheep, 2 to 4 drachms. Carbonate of Ammonia (same action as the aromatic spirit, but much cheaper, and perhaps more effective in eases of ".hoven" 'in cattle): Horse, 2 to 4 drachms; cattle, -|oz to loz; sheep, J,- to 1 drachm, highly diluted. Extract of Belladonna (anodyne, anti-spas-modic, narcotic; useful in chill, cough, sore throat, etc.): Horse, J to 1 drachm; cattle, 1 to 2 drachms. Spirits of Camphor (febrifuge and antispasmodic) : Horse, ioz to loz ; sheep, 20 to 30 drops. i Chloral Hydrate (sedative and anti-spas- ;' modic; useful in colic in horses and par- | turient apoplexy in cows): Horse, 2 drachms to loz; Cflflfrs, loz to l|-oz. Carbonate or Sulphate of Iron (mineral tonic and luematie; useful in anaemia, debility, and worms): Horse, i to 2 drachms; ccttle, 1 to 2 drachms sheep, £ drachm. Acetate of Lead (astringent and sedative, given in dysenteric diarrhoea, but of most use to the stockowner in a solution or lotion for sprains, bruises, and sore shoulders): Strength, Joz to 1 pint of rain water. Linseed Oil (safe laxative): Horse, 1 to 2.pints; entile, 1 to 2 pints; sheep, 4oz to 18i,oz. Magnesia Sulphate (Epsom salts). Timehonoured saline purge. _ Should not he given to horses unless in small doses as an alternative: Cattle, 12oz to 141b; sheep, 4oz to 6oz. Tincture of Opium (laudanum). Narcotic, sedative, anodyne, and anti-spasmodic. Useful in colic, superpurgation, and " heaving" : Horse, loz to ljoz ; sheep, 2 to 4 drachms. Nitrate of Potash (saltpetre). Diureti« and febrifuge: Horse, 1 to 4 drachms; cattle, i.07. to loz; sheep, 1 to 2 drachms. Bicarbonate of Potash (antacid and diuretic; useful in rheumatism): Cattle, to loz; pigs, ? to 1 drachm. Chlorate of Potash (diuretic, febrifuge, and antiseptic; useful in colds and sore throat): Horse, 1 to 4 drachms; sheep, 20 to 40 grains. Sulphate of Quinine (antiseptic, anti-perio-dic, and bitter tonic; useful in fevers, bloodpoisoning, and inappetence): Horse, 20 to 30 grains; cattle, 20 to 50 grains; sheep, 5 to 8 grains. Sulphate and Hyposulphide of Soda (antiseptic, disinfectant, and alternative; given to survivors in outbreaks of anthrax and black-leg. and relieves " hoven" in ruminants): Cattle, goz to loz; sheep, 2 to 4 drachms. Sulphate of Soda (Glauber's salts). Saline purgative; action and doses similar 'to Epsom salts). Sodium Chloride (common salt). Vermifuge and tonic; best given in lumps to lick: Horse, £oz to loz, with the food. Santonin (active principle of worm-seed, vermifuge): Horse, 20 to 30 grains in ball. Sublimed Sulphur (brimstone or flowers of sulphur). Alternative and diaphoretic; locally parasiticide: Horse, 1 to 4 drachms; pigs, £oz to loz, as a laxative. Sweet Spirts of Nitre (stimulant, antispasmodic, and diuretic): Horse, loz to l£oz; sheep, 2 to 6 drachms. Oil of Turpentine' (stimulant, anti-spas-modic, diuretic, and vermifuge; useful in colic in horse and husk" in calves and lambs): Horse, loz to 3o;j; calves, 2 to 4 drachms: sheep, A to 2 drachms. Sulphate of. Zinc (white vitriol). Astringent; useful in lotions. The vegetable bitters, stomachics, and carminativesgentian, ginger, aniseed, caraways, cardamon, cascanlla, fenugreek, fen-. Del, etc., so largely used for horses in powders and in "drinks" for tattle, are given in doses of from 1 drachm to loz, according as several are combined or given alone,—Farm and Home J ear-Book, ;

POTASH AS PLANT FOOD. The element pota»h is now known to be one of the most important ingredients of all. plant foods. Large quantities of it are required by all crops, whether grown on. the farm or in the garden. Professor Leow estimates that the . amount required annually per acre of pine forest is 6.11b, for the same area of wheat field 30.Tib, a clover field 83.41b, and a potato field 102.31b; while an acre of fruit trees in full bearing will require in leaves.and fruit, and for the storing up in the fabric of the trees, about 1501b of potash annually. A considerable part of the ash of most plants consists of potash, and. though closely related to the element soda in its chemical properties the latter cannot replace it in the plant. Recent research has demonstrated the fact that plants growing in soils containing more soda than potash in their composition j will, nevertheless, absorb much more of j the potash. One of the first signs of a lack of potash in the soil is a decided cessation in plant growth, without other apparent cause of trouble {says London Field). The plants on such soils will often have their normal green colour, but will make very little starch or sugar, and almost no protein or nitrogenous matter. In one of the plots of grass at the Rothamsted experimental station, plot- 10, half an acre area, has received for 47 years (1855-1903) 4001b per acre of ammonia salts. It also received during the first six of the 47- years a mineral manure containing phosphates, soda, and potash. But during the remaining 41 years the potash has been omitted from the manurial mixture, and an increased amount of soda was applied instead. The effect of the exclusion of the potash from the manure was greatly to reduce- the amount, of produce, and to lessen tho number of plant species developed. Further, there, has been a great : reduction in the tendency to stem formation, the herbage being more- leafy and dark green in colour, and remaining backward and urripe, while the adjoining plot 9,' with the potash supply, would be fit to cut. With the less amount, and more leafy and consequent unripened condition of the produce, the percentage of nitrogen in the dry substance of the hay is much higher; that is to say, the nitrogen of the manure was taken up, and the green chlorophyll of the plants was formed, but the. assimilation of carbon and starch and sugar formation were restricted in detect of sufficient, potash. The change in the composition of the ash of the hay is more striking still. Thus, during the six years of the application of the potash, tho ash, when submitted to chemical analysis, contained 29.5 per cent, of potash, but 'over the remaining years of the exclusion of the ingredient potash from the manure, the ash contained only 17 per cent., a reduction of 12.5 per cent, On the other hand, during the six years of the potash supply, the ash contained only 5.8 per cent, of soda, but during the remaining years it, contained 15 per cent., or about twice and a half as much; still, however, the soda did not attain to the proportion of the potash. With the deficiency of potash supply there were somewhat higher percentages of both lime and magnesia in the ash of the hay. The interest of the variations in the percentages of the ash, and in the amount of. constituents found in the produce per acre, due to variations in the supply, is, of course, in the fact that the differences aro associated with differences in the botanical character and in the organic composi- | tion of the producethat is, in the descrip- ! tion of plants encouraged, and in the character of their development, whilst upon these depends the value of the produce for stock-feeding purposes. The cessation of the application of potash was not only followed by less amounts of total hay, as already stated, but the produce became almost exclusively grassy, to the exclusion of clovers, and at the same time the better class of grasses died out, and some of the inferior kinds became very prominent. But, independently of the description of plants encouraged, the produce from the want of potash showed a leafy dark given and immature condition, to which the deterioration of the hay was characteristically due— in fact, in defect of sufficient supply of potash the merely vegetative, as distinguished from the reproductive and maturing tendencies of growth, predominated, the result being a relatively deficient production of starch and sugar. At the Royal Agricultural Society's Show, held at. Park Royal in June, 1903, in the Educational Department, six specimens of turf were shown, selected from the Rothamsted permanent grassplots, illustrating the effect of 47 years' continuous treatment with the same manure. Plot 3 was without manure for the whole period, and yielded an average of 22.2cwt of hay per acre. Plot. 7 received a full mineral supply, comprising sulphates of potash, soda, magnesia, and superphosphate, but without nitrogen, and yielded an average of 39.5cwt, of hay per acre, or 17,3cwt per acre in excess of that without manure. Plot 8 received a manurial mixture similar to plot, 7, but without potash, and yielded an average weight of 28.5cwt of hay per acre, or llcwt per acre less than plot 7, which received the potash. From a botanical analysis of the herbage which has now been made, it is found that plot 3 produced 7.8 per cent, of clovers and vetcblings, plot 7 produced 39.2 per cent., while plot 8 produced but 18.5 per cent. These results show that; there was an increase of more than 25 per cent. over the unmanured plot by the use of potash on plot 7, and a decrease of 14? per cent, on plot 8 without potash compared with plot 7, which has the potash supply. These, figures give an illustration' of one year only, but the same kind of result is afforded every year, varying, of course, somewhat according to difference of season. As a guide to those who have to cultivate grass land, it may be stated that the ingredient potash may be applied to pastures in the form of kainif or sulphate of potash; generally the dressing should consist, of from 4cwt to 6cwfc of kainit per acre-; this material contains from 12 per cent, of potash; or from 2cwt to 3cwt of sulphate pota-sh per acre, which will contain 50 per cent, of potash. To this "should be added about scwt of basic slag or 3ewt of superphosphate of 30 per cent, phosphate made, soluble. It is important that those manures, both the potash and the phosphate, should be applied as early in the. winter as the weather permits, in order that they may be well washed into the- soil before the active growth of the herbage begins in the spring.