THE FARM.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13456, 29 June 1912, Page 8

THE FARM.

lSoNTX^lQci^|^SiTl^

listvlmporitaii^ Conducted V:'at;v^t^Sit!ft^>l«6^: South ■ Wales by Mr C. H. Sanderson, Government veterinary surgeon, by experiments in: the* direction of endeavouring to find a preveritative for" contagious mammitis iii the interest of dairy farmers generally and tho dairy industry. The cause of the disease has been found; but so far no one. liar, got hold of any treatment that will euro a cow that is ■diseased;

Mr Sanderson points out that contagious mammitis is no ordinary disease, as it is-vary contagious even in its incipient stages. It was insidious and ofteu farmers did not euspect its presence until it had become pretty general amongst the herd. At tho first 'Stage of tho di&oar,o when the milk became curdy or stringy the affected cow should be isolated, as otherwise she would spread the disease. In the second and third stages ,of...the'disease, culminating in the milk glands in one or, -more quarters -giving but completely, -treatment, was- beyond the ordinary:.man';'it fact, those forms of the disease ■ could not be put Tight. In the early stage, however, Mr Sanderson is of the opinion that the majority of cows might be put right under treatment. The treatment recommended was to thoroughly foi ment the glands with hot water for a quarter of an .hour, the reason for. this being to break down the clots that formed in tho.udder. After working away at tho glands as suggested, inject equal parts of an 8 per cent, solution of boracic acid and ono-thou-sandtli chinisol solution by pumping a pint into the glands of the udder. By repeating this performance every other day in from four days to a, week the animal would get normal.

It is a very difficult matter, Mr Sanderson states, to explain how the disease might be spread and how long a period might elapse after segregation from affected cattle before the disease manifested itself in -an apparently healthy cow. In this connection he mentioned that he had at the investigation area at Bomaderry a loan of a cow from a distant farm for seven weeks before- the animal developed the dissiro. Tt seemed incredible th-at it would tal'-'1 seven weeks for the disease* to develop, but as tho cow was isolated after coming to the farm where the disease existed, it was impossible to account for how otherwise sho became affected. In his opinion the disease was largely spread through the saloyaixls. A man who had a diseased cow put her in tho saleyards, and the animal went into a clean herd, spreading the disca&e. There had been a talk of legislative effort to stop,, the sale of cattfe so affected, but he did net think that was practicable.

The suggestion to farmers purchasing other than first calvers at the sa'eyards is to isolate them from the herd for .sereral month.6—not a week or two. The advice of the Government veterinary surgeon in a nutshell is to wash the cow's udders; thoroughly disinfect milking-cups and vessels; boo that the milkers-.-'-wash ..their hands .irfifliiontly. during milking; disinfect and destroy curdy milk; promptly and effectually isolate affected cows at the first discovery of the symptoms, and .apply the treatment recommended, which could be obtained from any chemist.