SHEEP-FARMERS IN CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2913, 12 January 1910, Page 8

SHEEP-FARMERS IN CONFERENCE.

A conference of sheep-farmers was held at the South-eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent, recently for the purpose of discussing the various ailments prevalent among sheep in the marsh districts, and their prevention. The parasitio and other diseases which have been the cause of serious losses in recent years have bee* closely investigated by Professor T. W. Cave, of the Wye College, and in papers which he read at the meeting he described! the results of his inquiries, and reviewed tho situation generally. The great advantages of a conference of the kind (says the Field) is that it provides an opportunity for a free interchange of opinion and experience. The scientist, as well as the practical farmer, learns much from an exchange of views, and the general outcome of !the recent meeting, which was attended by about 130 fleck-masters, will bomutual benefit to all concerned.

It when those diseases assume epidemic 'form that anything is heard concerning their ravages, but they constitute a constant menace to the welfare of flocks in Kent and many other parts of _the country, the losses of lambs in some cases amounting to 60 per cent. Mr Cave attributed the prevalence of parasitic diseases in -lambs in Kent and other sheep-breed-ing districts to the soiled state of the pastures, a condition which it is difficult to avoid! wheie the full complement _pf stock is maintained. But as lambs arc 'Constantly exposed to the attacks of various parasites, he emphasised the importance of taking every pcssiblj precaution to diminish the risk of attack. As a useful palliative he advised the top dressing of the land with . salt, lime, nitrate of soda, or old gas lime. He had noticed that where sajj; had been applied there was a decrease in the mortality from parasitic diseases. The practice of laying down pieces of rock salt on the pastures may be helpful, but it is quite uncertain, as there is no knowing what amount of salt each sheep will consume, or how frequently an animal will take a dose voluntarily. He advocated instead the administration daily of small doses of common salt and sulphate of iron' mixed with a sufficient amount of nutritions dry food. T,ho formula he recom-. mended was one bushel each of finelyground linseed cake and' pea meal, 41b each. of common salt and aniseed, and lib of sulphate of iron. The cake pea meal should be mixed in one heap, and the salt, ani*. seed, and iron in an ether heap, then tho two lots mixed thoroughly, so as to ensure the equal distribution of the salt anel. iron. From a quarter of a pint to half a pint of this mixture may be given.daily to each lamb with any other dry food which can be conveniently provided, and it should be given in covered troughs, as wet renders the mixture unpalatable. The time of the year at which this mixture should be given depends upon the particular kind of parasite that has to 'be dealt with. For tapeworm May, June, and July are the dangerous months, and though parasitic bronchitis, or . husk, and parasiti.o gastritis, or Lincolnshire lamb disease, occur later, Mr Cave believes that the risk will be materially reduced by giving the mixture described in May, June, and July. A paper bearing on the prevention of lamb diseases and describing a system of cropping for providing green food for lamba was read by Mr W. N. Wale. Mr Wale emphasised the, argument advanced by Mr Cave, that old pastures were responsible for the mortality among lambs due to . parasitic diseases. The difficulty is to thoroughly eleante pastures which have become contaminated with the diseases. The eggs or germs of infection are capable of surviving for a longer time than it is convenient for the farmer to rest the land, and hence the difficulty of pre venting these ailments on grass farms. It is comparatively a simple matter to prevent parasitic troubles on arable farms, as fresh land l can be provided for the lambs. Mr Wale contended that lambs should never be allowed to graze on land where they or older sheep have grazed before during the year, as, no matter how careful and how good the subsequent feeding may be, they will take up the parasites and contract the disease. From his own experience and the evidence collected from farmers, he arrived at the con-' elusion that the first essential in the rearing' of lambs was trf keep them on fresh ground, and at all hazards to avoid stale pastures. He drew up elaborate calendars for catch cropping, in one enumerating tho crops that should be sown in the different months of the year, and in the other the crops that will be suitable for consumption. It may not be practicable in all districts to follow the routine devised by Mr Wale, as the disturbing- influences of soil' and climate might necessitate modification ; but his scheme is at least suggestive and useful. Catch cropping is a modern development of the greatest economic importance, and if it constitutes a practical safeguard against parasitic diseases in lambs its adoption would be amply justified. Tho chief crops advocated av& rape', vetches, cabbage, kale, mangolds, turnips, Italian ryegrass, mustard!, and trifolium. His final injunction was never to let lambs know what a permanent pasture is until they at least a year old, a dictum which is no doubt thoroughly sound, but which it will be difficult for many fiookowners to observe strictly in. practice. The disease known as "struck" is also responsible for serious havoc in Kent, one farmer having stated [ that he lost over 900 animals from this disease in five, years. Mr Cave has conducted two extensive experiment's with the view of rendering sheep immune by giving them doses of prepared cultures of the disease bacillus. -JVIr Arthur Finn placed his flock at his disposal for the purpose. Qne season, 255 sheep were dosed, : arid? in the other over 190 head. This proceeding was suggested by the late Pro-

i ' lessor Hamilton's success in preventing "braxy" by similar means. Mr Cave's , efforts met with an encouraging measure of success. In the first experiment the animals i were given two doses of the prepared culi tare in January, and the sheep treated resisted the disease for a period of two .months after the administration, of the , second dose. But the period of imim,wiity ; was too short to be completely successful, and in the following year the cultures were , administered during February. Of the sheep treated in the second experiment one died from the disease, compared with four of a similar number that received no treatment, but as the disease was not prevalent last spring the test was not a severe one, and t will be renewed. The records of the exI periments in the two years show that out of 44-5 treated sheep only one died during i the first two months following the fcreat- ! menti, while in the untreated lot pastured on the same ground there were 16 deaths in the same period. Mr Cave, therefore, • concludes that the method of dosing sheep . with living cultures of the Y s t rue k" > bacillus just before the dangerous season, be- , gins may give sufficient immunity to at least considerably diminish the loss which I usually occurs each spring. As showing the P harmlessness of the treatment upon the •a&aJth of the animals, there has not been ' a single fatality, although 1100 doses have been administered. Further experiments, ' which will be conducted on slightly differ- ' ent lines suggested by the lessons of .the past two years, will be watched with keen '" ''interest, and it is reassuring to notice that Mr Cave anticipates his ability to place in the hands of sheep-owners an effective -w;eventive against the disease.