AGRICULTURE.

Colonist, Volume XXXV, Issue 7193, 12 December 1891, Page 1 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURE.

THE VIRTUES OF CARBOLIC ACID. A cosfcEspoNDENT has recently sent me an account of his experience of the virtues of carbolic acid in the sheepfold as a prevenive of " fly," a destroyer of maggots, and a curative agent in foot-rot. The " fly" is still on the war-path, while foot-rot is like the poor — " always with us," so that his remarks may prove seasonably useful to some reader similarly troubled. He says : — " We have had a good many sheep and lambs struck with the fly this season, and I determined to try an advertised preparation, which certainly had the effect of killing the maggots, and will do the same to the grub of the warble fly in the back of cows, but it proved unequal to keeping the flies from tormenting the sores on the sheep afterwards. I, therefore, determined to try carbolised oil, and, having selected a lamb with a sore place on the ribs, which had already been dressed several times before, I rubbed the carbolised oil well into the sore and along the back. When I first saw the lamb the back was simply black with flies, but after the application it would have amused you to see them settle on it and then nip off again. They have not troubled the lamb since, and the sore has healed up and is going on nicely. I have since dressed all the others in the same way, and find that it answers very well. lam also trying experiments on foot-rot in sheep with carbolic acid, using it at different strengths. Other things that I have tried seem to be useful for a time only, and I am not altogether satisfied with them, so I thought it over and decided to try carbolic acid. I first used it one part of carbolic acid to four parts of best olive oil, which was not strong enough; then one part acid to two parts oil, which seemed to answer for mild cases, but not for very bad ones, so I jumped to two parts carbolic to one of oil, and having dressed four of the worst cases we had, and that have been bad as long as any, find that it has done them a deal of good, and that it seems drying them up nicely." There is, of course, nothing new about the use of carbolic acid for either purpose, and for foofc-rofc the pure acid has been applied sparingly with good results, but the communication is interesting as a record of original re- 1 search, so far as the author is concerned, and as confirming the experience of others. — Farm and Home.