NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3832, 23 August 1927, Page 12

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The Breeding Ewes.

The winter has been good, and. if at present the weather is

somewhat unsettled, all stock have come through

the dull season in capital condition. The breeding ewes should by' now be well settled in the lambing paddocks, and daily observation be given to them. In fact, for the best results, the ewes should have become accustomed to the shepherd and his dog, who will have had to attend to them ere this during the lambing. Too fat ewes should be given the exercise requisite to ensure the minimum of lambing troubles. Any of the British breeds of sheep soon become used to a man and his dogs, but time is necessary, and the. man must have had experience among ‘sheep. An inexperienced man among lambing ewes is a' sight which is not soon forgotten. On the other hand, an experienced shepherd will “-save ’’ more lambs and ewes than can be imagined, particularly if the weather proves cold and wet and there is a big lambing. As the ewes lamb an experienced man can profitably put in his time moving on the ewes '■with twins to better feed and “ mothering ” lambs which have lost their mothers and tending generally to those that are sick.

Parasite Army Coming.

A London correspondent comments upon England's efforts to pro-

vide insects to fight New Zealand pests in the fol-

lowing interesting manner:—“ Barracks and drill grounds have been erected at Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire, England, for the latest additions to the fighting forces and defenders of the Empire. An expeditionary force is being sent to New Zealand to do battle with the sheep maggot or blow fly. Entomology has, with the aid of a grant from the Empire Marketing Board, established a zoo for parasites, and expert entomologists are going to_ seek out the natural enemies of the various pests which infest the live stock and crops of the Empire. In some cases it niay be necessary to breed a new stock or evolve a different Type of parasite, and completely equipped research laboratories have been installed. In the extensive .gardens at Farnham Royal there are ais many' different plants and trees as it is compatible with the climate to grow’, and amid these,

which act as a breeding ground for th insects, are two large insectaries. On is for a general ‘ reserve stock ’ of insects, and' the other, which has walls of fine gauze and a roof of vitaglass to transmit the ultra-violet rays of the sun, is for the use of insects which are being specially studied. Nothing is left to chance, and every insect is put through its paces, so to speak, before it is decided to send it to the fighting front. In a room lit with an ultra-violet ray lamp there are several vitaglass eases in which are specimens of the various pests. vVhen it is thought that a parasite has been found for a certain pest it is put into the same case, and its fighting tactics can be watched at ciose quarters. There is little risk, therefore, that parasites will be exported that are unfit for their job. This is the only institution of its kind in the Umpire, and it is claimed that this method of tackling the pests is more efficient than spraying them, for once the right kind of parasites are introduced they will wage a continual warfare until the destructive insects are annihilated.'’

Non-Breeding Marcs,

The failure of marcs to breed is a source of disappointment to

many farmers in some seasons. Recent investi-

gations by two American veterinarians throw some light upon the various causes of sterility. Over 500 mares were examined and studied, of which 45 were maiden mares. The object of studying maiden mares was to determine why a larger percentage does not breed the' first year at the stud, also to determine the size, position, consistency, and general character and the bacterial flora of the organs of reproduction in the mares that have never had a foal, and have never been exposed to infection from the process of breeding. Of 472 mares that have been bred only 34 proved to be in foal, and 179 were carrying infection of various kinds in. the uterus. Eighty-one of the mares were barren from abnormal conditions of the ovaries. Eighty mares showed much variation in the general tone and character of the genital organs. Seventy-six barren marcs were apparently normal. Of all conditions causing sterility in mares the most serious was found to be uterine infection, and streptococcic infection is the most difficult to control. The plan advocated in the breeding of valuable animals is to have all females examined at regular intervals for pregnancy during autumn and winter. Three months following service is the earliest that pregnancy can be determined. The examination is made by very careful palpation of the uterus and other structures through the rectum, and by an examination of the neck of the uterus through the vaginal canal. Mares seldom offer resistance to an examination for pregnancy. Examination is followed by classification of nonpregnant mares as to the cause of sterility. Mares carrying infection are not bred from until cured, and this takes

sometimes' two seasons. Uterine douches must be well diluted and applied frequently. Mares with small, hard, undeveloped ovaries may be benefited by ovarian massage. Uterine massage is sometimes successful, accompanied by local stimulating solutions and treatment of the system. Treatment should be finished from two to eight weeks before mating. The stallion should be examined for potency and infection, and should be protected by thorough cleanliness at each service. The determination of the nature of infection can be done only by bacteriological examination in a labora-. tory. It can easily be gathered that measures of prevention in the way of breeding hygiene will save a great amount of trouble and expense.

Marketing of Wool.

“Last year £140,000,000 worth of fleeeo

wool consumption in the United States was replaced by rayon (artificial silk made from

wood cellulose)/’ said Mr J. F. Walker, a representative of the wool marketing division of the United States Department of Agriculture, when interviewed at the Australian sheep sales recently. Mr Walker has visited New Zealand, New South Wales, and Queensland to inquire into the sheep industry. He will go to the other States, and then to South Africa and Great Britain. United States woollen mills, Mr Walker said, were living “ from hand to mouth.” Orders generally found them short of wool, and to till immediate requirements Australian wools were drawn from London. When rayon was introduced in 1924. 10,000.0001 b of it was used. In 1925 the consumption reached 40,000,0001 b, and in 1920 80,000,0001 b. Each pound of rayon supplanted 21b of wool. The indications, however, were that women were returning to wool fabrics. " I would like to tell Australia something,” he continued. “If you would spend money on advertising in the United States the merits of your wool, as United States manufacturers have done for their motor cars in Australia, there would be a material increase in Australian wool sales there. Wool is the one product that has never been advertised. and the decrease in consumption is largely due to this fact. Artificial silk had been about for 30 years, when suddenly rayon was boomed, with the result that they sold millions of pounds of it. Wool has been so long recognised as the best textile fabric that the industry takes too much for granted. This year United States mills and growers are spending half a million dollars on advertising woollen fabrics.” He considers the offering of wools for sale by rotation as they enter the stores a weakness of the Australian marketing system, as it would lose a buyer wanting for immediate delivery a type of wool that might not come up for sale for some months. If Australian wool brokers and growers worked out a system by which buyers could obtain any type of wool at any time and at a fixed price, he remarked, it would be the greatest stabilising influence the world’s wool market had known. Growers in other parts of the world would fall into line, as it would be in their interests to do so. The uncertainty about prices had caused United States mills to hold back in buying. MiWalker added that some Corriedales, bred in \ ictoria, had been tried in the cornbelt States of America, and they appeared superior to the Shropshire.*? now used there. As an experiment he had arranged for the shipment of 74 New Zealand e Corriedales and 11 Tasmanian merinos, e AGRICOLA.