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Agriculture and Pastoral.

LAMBING. Annnsiox of ins riACENTUM to the wojib. A letter in the Veterinarian, from Buenos Ayras, «ay3:-~ '• Wnat may lie the caus 1 ? of a number of sheep hrrc bclnu: lost from the adhesion of the placsntum to t fio womb? The sheep la'nbi well, but afterwards di«'.s from not hA>vj; alilc to elo mse. On op.'iiinu\ a la"2(# or smaller adhesion of tin- after-birth is always fouud, which, do doubt, couM easily be ivjmoved by nisei'lins* the hand, if done in time, but here the sheep U not observed till it is too hit 3, or it cannot lie caught without folding all the fljek — which always, like all the meiiuo bieeds. feeds and k.i ps always in a mas*, and never wide — wlii-'h would cui^e a greater lissiotliat time in lambs than the less oftlut ewe iinil lattih. " The object, then, of the inquiry is, for a preventive and not ,i cure. We have lost as many as eighty ewos in oik; flock, where peihnps live hundred would be (In total number that lambed, and this entails the liss of eiality lambs, as labor is too scarce to hrmsr ii]) t'lo orphuis. Wu h.tve lo>t lour him I red ewes and th"ir lambs in ouf lamlmm-. But m some of the. coni^e-woolied, badly bred and kept flocks of the ceo'e bicedors, the loss, lam told, Ins amounted to a third of all the ewes lambed. " It is ulwajs the tatto^t sheep th.it <ro ; notwithstanding it is much less in die nnriuo flocks, which are alwass fat, thaa in the above coarse breed, which are acnerally lean. "It is only known in certain years. They are U'c nefally yeais of abundant radi and g - ra«s in spring, followed* by a droimhl in the latter half of summer ; and it iri in the lubter that the sheep are pregnant (\\ lien the adhesion probably takes place from some local inflammation), for it is in the lambing of the end of autumn that this disease is. '•' In theAmbing of spring and early summer, for tliere are tiro lambing* in this country, the disease ia unknown. Duri:r; i)re«;iixncy i:i this limbing the wurherL cold, bcin^ winter, ard the grjss nob luxuriant. " But the principal thine; we have observed ia, that it is unknown almost in the run- of low smdy downs 1 winch we have, "with short scanty grass, and pertains to those of lower level — flat plains with vegetable lmuhland subsoil of clay, mid moot UrcKiant ia grass. '•Yet Keeping the flocks in during 1 the summer season a com -.i lyr.ib'.e p;ut of the d-iy ftom feeding, at the Litter elnss of stations, has b^en tiiod, without perceivim; a marked improvement hitherto. '•J. 11. " [This is a most, int^resiins; com nuniciition, but, unforlu'iately, we cm throw little li^lit. upon it. From all 1 he cireuiuitani-e,, so n-01l and clearly stated b\ our couvspouduiifc, iroui the facL of the dise-a-u occiirri tq durinc; the autumn lambing, in years of abundant 1 lin and '.'ras>, from its absence daiin^ the sprincc lambiiiic. from its occurrence in low-lying luxuri'int uiepdow.s, and its non-appearance- on the li^ht'ii 1 sandy downs where the ara>s is 'short and beauty,' it would scorn that it uui*t be connected wibb the herbasc on the Jlocksi pa -Lure. Our enrlespondenLis mo^t probably correct in his oninion t'tat the •Uhc-'i'mi le-ult from iu'lammation of tlie uleru-i, winch, m he Piirr^ests, may prolnbly h°ve b«en cj'niaMvtel some time before lambing. Ta a cold chan.'eablo climate like our own. v,o micht rcabon ib*y a'jribo such adhesions to inHirai'iaiion. induced '\v evpo-suro and cold, and in some of the low hin2 Kentish marshes and eKewhe;-", ocrMonal ct-Ci lif this de,(j)i]> f ii")n are to be met with, especially when the weather duiinEj lambing time is severe. 15ut in a warm climate lil-e th.it of Baenos Ayres, this view is (|v.ite untenable, and is further demolished by tbe assurance of our correspondent, that the lise.ise is connect 'd only with the autumn lambiiiff, and is uuknown at the spring lavnbinu;, when tlio weather, we prerume, is more wet and dr.mp. I!" w.tc idle to ascribe the complaint to the convenient category of epidemic or epizootic cau^s, for, aUhoiiL'li tliese may sometimes develop febrile symptoms, we do not know of their producing inflammation. Its attacking particular breeds on particular soils aKo contradicts the id^i of its dcpendi'iix on an\ mere epizootic causes. We are, therefore, driven a« it were to the conclusion already slated, that fh ' food must somehow be it fault. We would, ti'ere'o^e, suaß.st that the stations where the complaint provails should, at different times throimhout the FCiison, and especially during the period of luxuriant p;rnss, be carefully examined, if possible by some one possessed of competent botanical knowledge, when there will probably be discovered some noxious irriiatinq plants capable of indusinj? utrrine inflammation. We cannot pretend to exiilain the difficult question wliv the coarse-wooled badly-bred flocks sxuTßir in so much larger proportion than Hie mei-inoes, unless it be that they principally occupy the coarser and more luxuriant pastures, and from their boin^ at certain seasons ' ha Uy kept,' may be compelled to ])artake more largely of those deleterious herbs on -nhieh, as we suppose the disease must depend. We hive laid 1 lie communication before an eminent professor of midwifery, who i.s greatly inlerested in this cl.i*s of diseases, whether occurrins; in women or animals. Ho considers that ' the adhesions must lesiilt from inflammation ; is unable to account fur their formation ; and observes that a more particular and minute account of them should be sought for, vith several specimens which may bo preserved in spirit.' Ila further suggests, that the adhesions, if not organic, may result from imperfect uterine action, and it i.s suppo^ible that some plant may be found that impedes or debilitates uterine action, and on which the sheep feed at certain times.' The whole subject is well worthy ol investigation, for besides beino; irreat importance to sheep iiropricwr.s in Buenos Ajres, it is also of trreat medical and scientific interest. Beyond endeavoring to discover and eridi^a to any noxious phnts, we can scarcely oflVi- any further su»gostion for the prevention of this complaint. An oceasionil uhanqe of pasture, if obtainable, mi^lit possibly^ be advanta^oous. In this c mulry a daily allowance of oil cake is a great promoter of health, and frequently appears to ward ofF disease in a wav not easily explained. In Buenos Avres it mi'^it p'olwbly also b'3 of service. Silt, or cubic nitre, or both, should bo place 1 within reach ot the shoe p, 'md a c, r '">od supply of water, if possible, procured. — Ed. Veterinarian.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18620712.2.6

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 554, 12 July 1862, Page 2

Word Count
1,115

Agriculture and Pastoral. Otago Witness, Issue 554, 12 July 1862, Page 2

Agriculture and Pastoral. Otago Witness, Issue 554, 12 July 1862, Page 2

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