NEVER LESS TROUBLE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 4

NEVER LESS TROUBLE

GREAT LAMBING SEASON RESEARCH INTO FOOT ROT Gisborne flock-owners are not alone in enjoying an almost ideal lain rung period, iur ihese conditions seem to be general throughout at least the southern hail oi the North Island. This impression was gained from Mr. W. C. Harry, superintendent oi the Live Stock Division, Wellington, wiio is on a usit to Gisborne, lie also stated, m conversation with a reporter to-day, that a valuable step forward hud been made in regard to research into toot rot, a point that was of particular interest to Gisborne sheept'armers. Commenting on the conditions generally throughout Ins territory, Mr. Harry said that lie thought he was right m . saying! that there had never been less* trouble associated with lambing than during the present spring. No severe checks had been sustained by the ewes during the winter, with the result that there”had been surprisingly row. mortality. Uf course, tliere were always a few localities in which local feed conditions encouraged the development of certain ailments, out speaking generally there had been remarkable htile trouble, and the season in this Respect was the best that be could remember. Lambing percentages, too, were very high. Much of the lambing trouble, lag added, was the result ol conditions throughout the autumn and winter. It should be the aim of flockmasters to maintain the ewe in the same state as that in which it entered tlie winter. If an abundance of feed in the autumn left the ewe fatter than the ideal, every effort should be made to keep' it in approximately the same condition, for any check might be felt at lambing time. Flockmasters had recognised the value of ensilage in this respect. Dairy cattle, too, had passed the calving period with very little trouole. The winter, generally speaking, had not been a severe one, and most districts had a growth of grass throughout, with the result that hay and ensilage were not drawn on to the same extent as in some of the lean periods. Most of the fanners had supplementary feed to

spare. A most interesting point Mr. Barry mentioned in regard to sheep concerned tlie investigation into loot rot. He knew Gisborne farmers were vitally interested in this, for they had askeu for investigations to be carried out locally. It had not been possible to do this in every district in which the malady occurred, but research work was being conducted closer to headquarters. ■'VThe recent visit to Australia Gf Mrjf C. S. Hopkirk, officer in charge of the Agricultural Department’s veterinary laboratory at Wallaceville, was expected to be of great value to this Investigation. While in New South Wales, Mr. Hopkirk became acquainted with some new developments in regard to investigations there, and it was hoped that, these would greatly help in tlie work in New Zealand. TTio new points concerned mainly the condition that caused the development of foot rot