NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

It has never yet been satisfactorily decided whether foot rot in sheep is Foot Rot, infectious or not, and it is

extremely doubtful whether that point can ever bo settled. If sound sheep are put in a paddock which has been grazed by toot-rotted sheep, and contract' tho disease, it is said that the soil was infected by the previous lot of sheep, and thus given the rot to the . ound ones pxit in after them. How is it to be ascertained, however, whether &uch is the sase, or whether the fact of the condition' of the giass and the soil being such as would give it to the one lot would not also give it to the other? The same conditions will produce similar results without involving any question of infection or contagion or otherwise, just as in. the human subject bad drainage and uneleanliness may j cause typhoid to appear in widely-separated places without infection or contagion. Any damp and rich soil carrying a thick growth of grass is undoubtedly the primary cause of foot rot, and if the purulent matter which exudes from a rotten foot comes into contact with a sound foot, the latter will most probably become infected, but the disease cannot J assume a serious form unless the conditions art favourable for its development. Therefore, though sound sheep standing for a time in a pen or yard or paddock in which rotty sheep have been contract the germs of the disease, it will do no iniury unless 'they are placed on land oi the description which favours the growth of the rot. If, instead, they are going on to a high and dry pasture, the germs will die for want of moisture and other necessary conditions. If pasture which causes the foot to rot cannot be improved by draining or othei means, the only plan is to check the progress of the disease in every possible way. Paring the turned-over walls af the hoof, and frequently dressing the sores with the lecogn-isod applications, and al&o lemoving the sheep foi a time to drier and firmer land, arc the usual curative and precautionary men&uro«. In small flocku the treatment can be giv^j* by handling each, in-

dividual sheep,, but iir the case of larger lots a more wholesale method is necessary. The flock must, after the feet have been pared, be made to pass through troughs containing the curative antiseptic preparation, after first going through water, to clean the feet and allow the healing fluid to penetrate to the innermost recesses of the hoof. Bluestone (sulphate of copper) solution, used for dressing seed grain, is as effective as anything I have ever tried, and the addition of a little fresh lime reduces ' its caustic properties without decreasing its effectiveness. The preparation is made as follows : — Five pounds of bluestone dissolved in sgal of water, 61b lime slacked in 4gal of water ; mix the two colutions and dilute with 9gal of water, making 20gal in all. This should fill a good long trough 2in in depth, and to prevent splashing over, some clean straw or chaff can be put into the mixture. When the feet have been pared and the sheep put through a few times and placed oh dry pasture, the disease will disappear. I may add that clayey soils, however, could rarely cause foot rot because of their colder nature, and also because such soils rarely^ grow such rank grass as to cause the hoof to grow long and turn over. Under any circumstances, however, a sheep having a long hoof, with a tendency to turn over, should bs .examined and have its foot trimmed to normal length.

Jl" saw a case recently reported in . which a

farmer was mulcted in damages for supplying dirty and immire seed to a merchant

who' had bought the seed in good faith and by sample, but" sustained loss through the bulk not being "according - to sample. This is a turning of the tables and a reversal of the usual thing ,in seed cases, in which the farmer is «ommonly the -^ ictini of bad seed supplied. On the principle that what we want done well we must do ourselves, it is undoubtedly the best, plan for farmers lo grow their own seed as much as possible, and thus be free from running^any risk from dishonesty or carelessness on the part of others. It is scarcely possible, or, at any rate, convenient, to apply this rule to all kinds of seeds required for the ■farm, but we should, at least, do so in regard to many of the simpler varieties. Turnip seed can be grown without much trouble, and the balance not inquired for home use can be marketed at a fair profit. The chief point is to pick out a sufficient number of sizeable and shapely roots before bitten by (.he sheep, and, pit them until the spring. As soon as they begin to sprout they should be set out in rows in a sheltered plot of clean oncl suitable toil. They may be laid out in a- furrow behind a plough, and covered by the next turn of the plough. • Two feet apart in every third or fourth furrow is a suitable spacing, and no further trouble after planting' is necessary beyond keeping down any rank weeds until the plants get well forward, after \yhich they will take care of themselves. When ripe, the seed ii cut by hand with a hook, and threshed at once on a sheet. The seed, roughly cleaned on the sheet, can be properly dressed at leisure under cover. In the case of some roots — parsnips, for example — it is essential thai the roots be lifted it> autumn and.replanted out in the spring, or the roots will Tie forked and worthless. I have not found, however, .that this rule applies to turnips. I knew a farmer who last spring found that he had a nice plot of turnips in a snug situation which he did not require for feeding off. He therefore let 'them remain and run to Seed, which he harvested, and for which he obtained a good price. He had not the trouble of pitting and planting L out, and I do not anticipate that the seed thus grown will ''sport," or that the 'roots grown from it will prove to be of indifferent size or shape. A repetition of the plan for a few succeeding years may result in a deterioration of the resulting crop, but there is no need for anyone to run the risk of adopting such a practice year after year.

The local markets are very bare of fat sheep of any kind, and it is re-

Our Sheep Stocks.

ported in northern districts ■ that freezing will be very

slack for some months, or until grass-fat stock are ready for freezing. It is hard to say whether the scarcity of fat sheep is owing to the poor turnip crop in many parts of the colony or to the fact that wethers and maiden ewes are in such short supply that farmers are inclined to hold until after the shearing, in hopes of getting bumper prices off the shears. In any case, prospects are good for high values for some time to come, and the duration of such values must depend chiefly upon the state of the London market, for it is owing to large exports that the present conditions prevail. We cannot eat our cake and keep it too, or, in other words, we cannot expect to send away the cream of our lamb crop and still have a full supply of good sheep in the country. So long as the best of our ewf lambs are shipped away in such large numbers, we cannot reasonably expect to 'maintain the full capacity in number or excellence. Though the system of freezing the cream of our young sheep is to be deprecated from one point of view, the fact remains that were it not for the good lamb market at Home, we should be in a sorry plight. The country would soon be very much overstocked, and sheep would have to be kept for the clip alone, or boiled down at ruinous prices. Some of us cannot resist the temptation to send away every fat lamb at the ruling high prices, and though this practice is condemned as being greedy and short-sighted, I would ask what would be tho result of a sudden closing of the London market to our surplus stock? Every sheep in the colon5 r would immediately drop in value to the few shillings its fleece might be worth ; works would be closed, and thousands of hands thrown out of employment-; and such n fearful slate of stagnation would prevail that, if long continued, -would necessitate repudiation' of interest upon our national debt. I say, then, let us be thankful for our good market, and make hay while the sun shines, and if some choose to ship away all their owe lambs, it makef a betle. local market for those who keep them for breeding-, or for selling later as stores. ,

The fashion of oiling show "sheep and also

Artificial Colouring.

tinting them in various colours has become so prevalent in Britain that the Royal Society has th&ua'ht it advis-

able to ascertain the views of the chief sheepbreeding societies iipon this question. 'I see by a' report of a meeting of the Lincoln Sheepbreeders' Association that the communication from the "Royal" came tip, and was warmly discussed. " One prominent Lincoln breeder &aid he felt very strongly that no lestrictions should be placed tipon breeders at to how they should place their sheep before the public, and he hoped that the association would decline to fall in with the suggestion to prohibit oiling and colouring. He said he had been a judge at the Smithfield show, and it was true that many of llio &heep were daubed with grease and ochre in a filthy "way, and though it was ail advantage to some of the sheep, it> was disadvantageous i°. the

good ones. Nevertheless, he thought it was a matter that ought to be left "to the discretion of the breeders, as they could be trusted to treat their sheep in the best way. Another breeder said there was no doubt that the practice was sometimes' carried to extremes, but he was in favour of having a free hand in the matter. Others thought it was a disgusting thing that people could not handle the sheep without being denied, and were of opinion that Nature was the best guide without artificial aid. Eventually it was decided not to adopt the proposal of the Royal, and to "allow matters to remain as at present. * AGRIOOLA.