DAIRY STOCK AILMENTS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4184, 11 September 1939, Page 4

DAIRY STOCK AILMENTS

PREVALENCE OF GRASS STAGGERS. PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED. In view of the prevalence among some dairy herds in this part of the Waikato of the ailment commonly known as grass staggers, Mr G. B. Melrose, the district stock inspector for the Department of Agriculture, was approached with a request for comment. Mr Melrose said he had had many inquiries as to the procedure to be adopted. He had sent out dozens and hundreds of leaflets setting out the precautionary and remedial measures; but it seemed to him that many farmers were very inattentive — until there was a likelihood of them losing one or more of their best cows, Then they worry, and ring for the stock inspector. What he had been trying to impress on them all along was to prepare for eventualities—like wise farmers do.

Mr Melrose said there was no need for him, at this stage, to detail the steps recommended by his Department.

The disease, he said, is fairly prevalent, but farmers can easily diagnose the symptoms. “I would like, though, to stress the necessity for precautionary measures being taken at once. First, a dairyman should suspect any cow in his herd that is apparently out of sorts from ten days to two months after halving. Secondly, charge your water-troughs with Epsom salts at the rate of la lbs. per 100 gallons of water; tie up the ballcock, and re-charge the water trough W’hen empty; keep this up till the end of September. Also, use twelve to fourteen lbs. of Epsom salts in one hundred of your licks. Treat affected cows with four to five ounces of Epsom salts in one pint of molasses daily for a week.” Mr Melrose said all sorts of other alleged remedies had been tried, but the one he had outlined was definitely the most satisfactory. It now remained for the farmers themselves to apply them.