FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22094, 27 April 1935, Page 15

FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE

Sir, —For the benefit of farmers who do not realise the seriousness of importing stock from countries affected with foot and mouth disease, I am sending you a cutting from the Daily Mirror, dated November 26, 1934, which records that a farmer in Hants had more than 440 head of his farm stock destroyed in two years owing to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. We will get the disease here soon enough without importing it with purebred stock, which is not absolutely necessary where we have a change of climate range of 1000' miles. The practice of inbreeding is not detrimental to stock where a system of transferring breeding stock from a cold climate to a warm climate, and vice versa, is carried out. The early high development of the Scottish Shire horse was entirely due to this system, during which period no outside shire blood was imported into Scotland. After all, every country develops a typo of its own, and it is well known that the first progeny of imported stock is invariably disappointing, which goes to .show that climate exercises an influence on successful blending of types. Concerned.