NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3430, 9 December 1919, Page 10

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Some of our southern friends condemn the wool commandeer, and, according to a report just to hand, intend to be a law unto themselves. “ The farmers are not getting a fair deal with regard to their wool.” declared Mr W. Couser at Saturday’s meeting of the Invercargill Branch of the Farmers’ Union. Ho went on to say that the war was now over,

Wool Commandeer.

and tho Imperial Government did not require the wool for patriotic purposes. Tho exportation of wool should now be treated as a business proposition, and the farmer should get the market advantages. While tho Government required the wool tho farmers had loyally fulfilled their obligations, and he, personally, was going to hold his wool and put it upon the world’s market whenever shipping space was available. Mr W. Ford said that the farmers had a right to know exactly where they stood with regard to this season’s clip, and if the conditions were no more favourable than tho past the farmers were justified in holding their clip, the price given by tire Government was not in accordance with mai’ket rates. The Imperial Government have not reciprocated the loyal spirit of tho New Zealand farmers, and had sold on tho open market wool purchased in Now Zealand at Is 3d for prices ranging upwards to 2s 6d. The New Zealand farmers had not received anything from the surplus profit, although that amount was now large. The Imperial Government had not fulfilled its obligations to the farmers. Mr Couser: At the present if a - farmer puts his wool into the hands of a licensed broker he has to accept whatever valuation was placed upon it. , The Board of Trade has not treated New Zealand farmers fairly,' and the farmers should assert themselves. . Mr James Milne asked if the Imperial Government had completed its contracts and emptied the wool and meat stores at the conclusion of its commandeer. Mr Ford: We can’t pass any resolution, but it is open for every farmer to decide for himself whether he withholds his wool or sends it along to the brokers for valuation. As pointed out last month, all wool of the 1919-20 season has been commandeered, vide the Gazette notice of 2nd December, 1919. After citing the conditions, eto., it reads: “If any owner of wool fails or refuses to deliver such wool to a woolbroker in accordance with the foregoing provisions, the wool will be subject to seizure in the exercise of his Majesty’s authoffty in that behalf, and will be disposed of in such manner as the necessities of his Majesty may require.”

Without going exhaustively into the causes, symptoms, etc., why cows repeatedly return to the bull, a note in respect to treatment may suffioe “Subscriber.” Various germkillers have been recommended, corrosive sublimate (a poisonous drug), lysol, Jeyes fluid, etc. The first-named being rather n sevcya antiseptic, perhaps it is well to use, say, lysol, one part in 80 of water, or Jeyes’, one part in 60 solution, for purposes of irrigation. Dr Reakes is emphatic as to care in all details. He says, provide a oft length of thick indiarubber .tubing of im diameter and a small funnel, which, if intended to be used with corrosive sublimate, must lie made of glass or enamelled metal. The Live Stock Division, Wellington will send, post free, funnel Is, tubing 2s 6d, also suitable syringe for bull 9s. The method of procedure in treating 1 cows is as follows:—Boil for five minutes the tube, with funnel inserted into one end, and then apply to the outside of the tube a dressing’ of salad oil, good Ikrd or vaseline. Wash the hands and arm’s thoroughly in hot water in which disinfectant has been added. In the case or a newly-aborted cow, pass the free end or the piping by means of the band gently into the womb, or, if treating an in-calt or sterile cow, as far up the vagina as possible without undue force being used, taking care not to injure the lining membranes, and during insertion the curve or the tubing is better turned ' downwards. Hold the outer end of the tubing with the funnel about bin above the root of the cow s tail. Pour the solution, as described, gently into the funnel, and so thoroughly irrigate the parts. If the fluid does not run fairly freely from the tube, the inner end need only be moved gently to dnd fro to secure a free flow. The intention is to thoroughly irrigate every portion with the solution. Thoroughly wash down the parts from the root of the tail to the bottom of the udder also the underside of the tail, with some of the same solution as that used for irrigation. If the cow is rugged, thoroughly ‘ cleanse the hinder border of the rug’, also the straps attached to it, using the same solution for this purpose. In empty cows, unless just calved or aborted, it is well nigh impossible to pass the tubing through _ the orifice which should first be dilated/ with the fingers which have been thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. .If imable to pass tube, the vaginal passage should-bp washed out thoroughly a day or two before the cow is expected to come in season, if nc> abortion suspected in herd, }t may 00 sufficient to irrigate before service with a solution of soz of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in igal warm water, this serving to minimise any undue secretion of acid Hum from the lining membrane of the parts. The method of treatment for the bull may be given. Place the animal in a ciush-pen, or otherwise secure him in such a way that he may be readily handled without danger. Then grasp the prepuce (sheath) by the left hand and pass the no?zle of the syringe inside the sheath, afterwards holding it m position with the same hand. Then with the right hand pump into the sheath a quantity of the solution sufficiently to thoroughly irrigate the parts. It would he as well to send to the Department of Agriculture for a pamphlet, which has excellent diagrams of operations. It costs nothing.

Failure of Conception in Dairy Cows.

Tasmanian papers have something 1 to say in connection with a disease ore valent in South Africa believed to be identical with the Midland cattle disease. The Director of Agriculture’s bulletin reads as follows:—“The cause of gal-lamziekte,. a disease of the muscular system of cattle indicated by degenerative processes, is a _ combination of two conditions. The disease » and death are produced by the eating of bones in a putrefactive stage and probably of other material, such as dry, rotten flesh and substances that have been in contact with rotten flesh, which contain a poi Son of probably a ptomaine nature and bacterial origin, that is .produced under certain climatic conditions (moisture and subsequent heat) and thus is not always present. . It is not the bone of a gal-lamziekte animal ' alone that causes the disease, but any bone, and probably of any animal, -when it is in the required stage of putrefaction, but only certain cattle will eat such bones and other materials —viz., cattle that .show an abnormal craving, a quasi-morbid stage, known as pica. It is an interesting fact that frequently the best-conditioned animals show this abnormal appetite. This pica is brought about by the pasturing on grounds of localities where drought and heat produce certain changes, net yet clearly understood, and of which the so-called ‘verhp condition is a probable indication.” , The Director communicated, with similar departments m

Midland Cattle Disease.

various parts of the world, and received tho following interesting reply from the department in Ireland: —"Pica is a condition which occurs fairly commonly in Ireland, but it is not attended with the serious results described in your bulletin. It is usually ascribed to digestive troubles or spmo deficiency in the constituents of the diet. Aperients, alteratives, and stomach tonics usually effect a cure. One wellknown form of 'pica' sometimes appears in pregnant animals, and'many fatalities have resulted from choking with such objects as old boot soles."

According to the Melbourne Argus Mr Oust, a dairyman, in the Western district of Victoria,

Fop Hoven.

lises a simple and effective remedy for hoven which he has never known to fail. If a. cow suffering from bloat is able to walk to the shed she can be cured by placing under her nostrils for about three minutes a shovel containing live ashes, over which a handful o( flowers of sulphur has been thrown. This causes the emission of gas, which quickly makes its esoaoe through the mouth and rectum. Mr Gust, so.it is alleged, has frequently milked cows thus treated the same evening, and, excepting for a reduction in milk flow for a few days, they suffer no after-effects. AGRICOLA. ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. B. W.’s four-year.-old horse slipped its shoulder a. month ago, and ho y.dshes to know what is the best treatment to 'adopt to effect a cure. You had better apply a mild blister. A cantharades blister can got from any chemist. Rub in smartly in' hollow places on shoulder once, and tie horse up for one night so that he cannot hurt his mouth or shoulder by biting at application, and turn him out to rest for p. month.

"Lucerne," Hvde, asks how Ions? to leave lucerne after "cutting" it? Why it heats and goes brown and rotten, and whether it should be stacked tight or loose? "Agr'icola"" replies :—"No hard and fast rules can be laid - down, as admittedly a good deal of skilful management is necessary in the cutting, curing and stacking of a material which, if cut at the proper stage, contains round about 70 per cent. of water. This moisture must be lost ere stacking is safe. Not more lucerne than can be managed should be cut. Impossible to make good hay unless the ground is dry, and it is necessary to get lucerne into thin windrows a few hours after cutting and it has wilted a bit, and handle it gently before running up into small cocks after (in fine weather) say three days. The lucerne you say went brown. It got burnt, owing to temperature rising, and when* it went rotten it must have bp-en stacked both wet and green. Stack well-cured hav in the usual manner, on toD of a good bottom of scrub, gorse or the like.