PULPY KIDNEY

Southland Times, Issue 20793, 6 June 1929, Page 15

PULPY KIDNEY

MORTALITY OF LAMBS. ALARMING INCREASE IN RECENT YEARS. . • RESEARCH WORK IN PROGRESS. (Special to the Times.) Dunedin, June 4. ■ "Probably one of the most serious situations facing the pastoral industry at the present time is the mortality in young lambs,” said Mr W. O. McKellar, retiring president of the Otago A. and P. Society in his address to-night. “The common name for this disease which manifests itself before the lambs are weaned, is pulpy kidney. It has been known for a long time in a more or less small -way, but it has of recent years unquestionably shown an alarming increase, both as to the number of cases and the districts affected. The Agricultural Department’s officers have put . in an enormous amount of research work in an endeavour to find the cause of the trouble, but I think I am correct in saying with up to the present only the most baffling, results and certainly no practical cure has so far been discovered. One thing is certain, matters cannot be allowed to go on as they are and it is gratifying to be able to record that the Government, appreciating the seriousness of the position, is arranging for a bacteriologist with a travelling laboratory to visit Otago next season and endeavour to arrive at some result that will be of use in the future. All one can say at present is that a very large expenditure would be justified in an endeavour to stamp out this disease, thus effecting a large saving in the farming industry.”