LIME versus SCAB.

Taranaki Herald, Volume II, Issue 55, 17 August 1853, Page 3

LIME versus SCAB.

[From the soii(A Ansualian Register.] Mr. Henry Evans, of Evandalc, Son-in-law to George Hfo A'igus. MX. of the South Australian Legislature, has conferred a benefit on the community by the publication of n letter, detailing the •uccess of a scries of experiment* of his on Lime and Water, as a euro for the Scab. The letter was originally addressed to Mr. Angas but it hie been refarred to Mr. Hamilton the im spector of Sheep, to repoit upon, and is now pub« lished by command of his rxcollency the Governor of South Aui'ralia. No one can read t c report without desiring to see the experiments rcpoulcil, »nd the pooccss, if so auccexful an reported, bronght into general use. The folloifiiig are ihe letters :—

Kv«n<r!aK January, 18">2.-— My donr Sir— The S nl> Act n r.'titlv pn.sr <i by tlie Leuiilntivc Aiitmbly will ►hortly come into n|>«rntio:i ; mill as i fiml that milch »larni tltill ilnOiigliout the Provine* in conn quince of the destruction of a Urge number of its flocks' nml llic probable ruin of many industrious settlers, I nave thought (lint the following statement mny not ho tin nlcresting or unimportant to sherp farmers ; and to you ai the representative of the district in uhich I reside, I address my communication, because I fe'l «uro j that your position in the colony will obtain for j it a circulation us rx-cndc.il .13 iti importance demands* 1 Hnhcrto ihe euro of ihe S;ab in sheep, liai luen difti tilt, expensive, nn I in wet icusons iik 0 Ilia las', nn impossible in.mrr ; ihe publication, 1 thortforc ofa rure for thi> disease, which is at once si .nplf, safe, inoxp-nsuo, nndtffnctu.il, will I hope, at the present juncture, prove of lerricu t>> wo il-groncra bo'.h in this mil ihe iieighbju i:i o colmurs. The on'y matcria'i I have u«fd in effecting » cure, air lnno and water ; both of them incxipensiie, ai.d to be found in almndvicj in every part of Ilia colony. I ohaeivcd lh»t nil mites ol a moist n.iiure, or rrqiiirmg moisture to feed on, wire invariably destroyed the moniont they cima in contact with lime. Ami I have felt satisfied for souin time putt, that if fmrly tntd us a dressing, it would destroy trie iuiccli that occasion the scab, and by removing the originating and prrpctuating cause cure tne discaie. In coniequenceof tin's perauution and hating n goo 1 opporlmiily from tho deemed stale of ni v (liirlo, I dcterminod fully to tcit the efficacy of iimr. 1 hare dour to, and find it to exceed my most sanguine expectations. Tne (locks on which tho experiment wan mads originally numbered three thomand, but wero re* duced to eighteen hundred and nincty>on« shedp. Duri" g last winter the rains were co incessant lint I found it uiclf.is to attempt to dress them with the usual dressings. The duease incremd rapidly and m,idc (irea.Uul havoc, amonirii the sheep, and I had ilitiost icsolrcd on destroying them, when feelings of Immunity induced me 10 make one moro ellorc for their preservation. I dipped them in lime water, and in nbout tea or twelve day! there nns icarcrly a scratching or plucking sheep amongst them. About a fortnight after the licit drosin;;, I gave them a iccoii'l, and I iiiteii.lcd to Civen them a tliird and fourth dressing, but th« two first were to effectual that I consi lured any further drowns unnrcciiaty. The cxpcnsei incurred in dressing one thottinnd eigh' hundred and ninety one aherp, (the two flock* hiring hem joined) was ns follows: — Hire- men employed chirking Uiln with lima £0 IS 0 Three men oncdny making soikingpens ss. each .. .. .. 0 15 0 Five men two dayi each paisinu nlicep through lonkin;; ptus at fl.. each 2 10 0 £i 0 0 The pan adopted >vm the following . — Having found a w.ittr hole in one of my pni.Muei.i of tho size and depth required, I had tiro soakmg pens, 1-uge in iti^li to contain 30 sheep cich, tnidc, and hurdle yards anan,ed the same ns for waslnnj;. In tliev pins, (he evening Ix'fore drorfswig, I directed n rurtloa I <>f lime to be thrown, and to he well stiirrd up with n pole j the next morning nnuthfi I .1 I v/n nut in. The sheep wen- tli-u ihrown fto.n th. stnjjc 111(11 the mixture ; and whin tin- first pen wis full they n ere let out into tho Bccond, nhore tiiey remained till Ihe fir t was filUd ay; nn ; th* y were then let out. M; object was 10 liecp lit; sheep in the mixture ns lung ns they could hear it without drowning, that it might have a hi-tiir chance of penetrating the "kin- a'tcr tha dicasini, the shrep begin to improve very rapidly in condition, and In eight wccki I was able to b II ihein (01 a i>ond pi ice, although before they woe dtesied I considered them nearly worthless. I vrould recommu d that newly burnt lime should he used ; that the sliuep be dressed »t interval of twelte or f urtceii days, till they appear to ha cured; and that anolhrr dressing be given tv them ton the si.tuiif in of (ho Muter. Small particles of limelolgein the wool and are retained there; j these are gndually disolvcd and carried down into the tkin by the winter rums, and in this way act at a cniitininl dressing; they also prevent frssli infcc'iou a'ld render s change of run unnscea« sary. The only inconvenience to the sheep that I lure observed from this dreisiog in, tl.At when the lime is only juit burnt, and consequently very caustic, a small piece occasionally g'-ls into tho eye of tho sht-ep, which causes great irritation. TIIB Sh'.'pherd, on perceiving ihcop itiffering from his come should wash the ey. with clean water, I or in water into which a few drops of diluted vit» riolic acid have been dropped, and ail ill consequences will be nroided. I should perhaps lmve mentioned tint the wool received no injury, but began to grow on those part* that were bare from ilisea c immediately, and with great rapidity 1 remain, my dear Sir, Yours, null much respect, H«NRY EyANS. The second letter is fron Mr. John Hamilton, Inspector of Sheep, and ii.addressed to the Colonial Secretary. Mr. Hamilcoii says, that the diseased state of Mr. Evmib' she--p beforo the application of tho lima nnd water is admitted by til who stw thorn, and tho ftct that a largo portion of them, were only ieren woek*. nficr sold to Mr. Mclrojc, oud that so competent * gentleman, should con. •ider they were clean, with the exception of si •mall propori ion, afford indisputable evidence o* the efficacy of lime nnd trsttr in curing icib. Mr. Mclroselurlher slated tome, th-it he conjidcred the drotsiuj with lime and water hud been quite a* en-eotua >s »ny dressing ho h.d evjr made witU any of the more expensive methods. It does not appear tint i| lc w,,0l ha< „i,t aincd any iijury from thelimt, nnd a winter dressinir wo»ld bo more sdvamageous thsn n summer one, iinmiinch as ■ moist atmosphere would groatly conduco to th* solulion of tho lime.