STOCK DISEASES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23018, 21 April 1938, Page 16

STOCK DISEASES

WAIKATO EPIDEMIC WIDE EXTENT OF TROUBLE SUGGESTED REMEDIES ADVICE GIVEN BY EXPERTS [fkosi ottr own cobresfondf.nt] HAMILTON, "Wednesday The widespread infection of facial eczema in sheep and photo sensitisation or acute prythema in cattlo throughout the Waikato is giving the officers of the Department of Agriculture a busy time. The two permanent veterinary surgeons, Messrs. D. Marshall and T. A. Blake, aro being assisted by two specialists, Mr. A. L. Thompson, of Wellington, and Mr. J. C. Neill, micologist, of the Plant Research Bureau, Palmerston North, It is estimated that more than GO per cent of the flocks and herds of the Waikato are affected. Mr. jS'eill has come to the Waikato to undertake a study of the fungi attacking the grasses in relation to obscure stock troubles. Referring to the outbreak, Messrs. Marshall and Thompson said the remedy for sheep was to segregate those affected, and place them on paddocks where there was rough feed and shade. They should be given 2oz. of epsom or glauber salts, or a pint of raw linseed oil. Ointment such as lampblack and lard should be applied to the faces to keep the sun off. Cattle should be given up to lib. of epsom or glauber salts in water, with one tablespoon of baking soda and from lib. to 21b. of molasses, they continued. The udder and teats should be smeared with black ointment, such as lampblack and lard with a little sulphur and boracic powder added. Cows should be fed with hay and roughage and placed in the shade. The day alter the 6alts were given a full bottle of raw linseed oil sliould be administered.

Cows not affected should have their green feed strictly rationed, and should bo given as much hay as possible.

VISIT BY MINISTER MEETING AT KEREONE [BT TELEGRATH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON". Wednesday The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. W. Lee Martin, left Wellington by the limited express this evening for Frankton en route to Kereone, near Morrinsville, to attend a public meeting of farmers to bo held there to-morrow afternoon to discuss the recent outbreak of facial eczema affecting stock in South Auckland districts. The Minister was accompanied by the DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, 31r. A. H. Cockayne, and the director of the livestock division of the department, Mr. IV. C. Barry. Mr. Lee Martin is expected to return to Wellington on Friday morning. SUGGESTED CAUSE

ERGOT POISONING FUNGUS IN THE PASTURES AUCKLAND AUTHORITY'S VIEWS With Auckland pastures —and in particular their staple constituent, ryegrass—heavily infected this season by ergot fungus, the possibility has been suggested of ergot poisoning being j a prime cause of the widespread outbreaks of facial eczema among stock in the province. Losses already amount to thousands of pounds and, with the clinical picture of the disease said to coincide with the peculiar symptoms of ergot poisoning, it was considered by several authorities last night that immediate research oil this line should be conducted by tho Department of Agriculture. An Auckland authority with considerable experience of ergot poisoning in both stock and humans, said it had been stated that ryegrass was notably subject to the ravages of the fungus and an examination of a number of samples of pasture in tho Auckland district showed them to bo heavily infected. He doubted if there was one paddock of ryegrass, more than two or three years old, which was not affected this year, when fungus growths had been encouraged by the climatic conditions. Samples from Reporoa were particularly bad. There were three forms of ergot poisoning—the nervous type, which produced intense irritation; that which produced gastro-intestinal effects; and the gangrenous variety. It seemed more than a coincidence that these symptoms, especially tho first, should fit the clinical picture of stock eczema so exactly, particularly when it was known that pastures were, at the present stage, very heavily infected with ergot. 1< urther serious losses of stock continue to be reported by farmers. The opinion was expressed yesterday that there was no general conception of the cost of the epidemic and, although it was hoped that there would bo an abatement within a few weeks, its toll was already immense. One Waihi farmer with 300 sheep has had almost nil infected and there arc many others who have had almost equal misfortune. It has been contended that the cause of the trouble is a surplus of green grass after a dry spell, but a correspondent writing to tho Hkrat.t) yesterday said that in tho Bay of Plenty area, where the outbreak is very severe among both sheep and cattle, there has been no shortage of fresh feed for 12 months. On one farm, a flock of ewes which «has been on tho property for two or three years was supplemented in January by other sheep which came off much more bare and dry pastures in the Waikato. Yet, at tho present time, there are three times as many cases of eczema in the ewes the farmer had for years than tho stock lie had newly acquired.