CANTERBURY FRIESIANS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18649, 19 August 1930, Page 11

CANTERBURY FRIESIANS.

SOME GOOD RECORDS. Friesian dairy cows are becoming increasingly popular in the North Canterbury district by reason of the excellent returns obtained from them. L. H. Leslie, of Bouvelts, with his herd of thirteen Friesians averaged 3971 b fat for the season and his cows on Government Certificate of Record testing have done particularly well. Mr P. H. Morris of Waikuku, is another whose Friesians are doing well. Pareora Burke Park, age 2 years 9 days, recently completed a year’s official test witn 518.741 b fat. The Friesian cows owned by W. G. Graham, of Okain’s Bay, have proved a splendid advertisement for the breed an Banks Peninsula and Friesians are now plentiful. During last two of his Friesians milked up to 841 b daily and several others over 701 b all on twice a day milking. One of his pedigree Friesians produced 4591 b fat in 220 days and a grade Friesian 3901 b fat in 180 days. In South Canterbury, some remarkably fine production records are credited to Friesians including that of the senior two-year-old, Pareora Echo Blossom (bred by A. S. Elworthy and tested by T. Sheriff of Clandeboye), 819.811 b fat, a record for all breeds for the Dominion. Another Senior two-year-old heifer, Rosevale Queen Daphne Sylvia, owned by T. Sherriff has recently completed a year’s test with 23,724.3 lb milk and 748.121 b fat, the 4th highest record for that age in New Zealand by a Friesian. Mr F. de la Cour, of West Oxford, at T. R. Eades’s sale at Edendale, purchased some particularly good foundation Friesians. His purchases included Oakview Lady Posch (Woodcrest Posch of Oakview—Lydia Posch of Oakview), a three-year-old heifer tracing back to Queen of Canada, 8491 b fat on the sire’s side and to that great cow, Queen Mercena Bonheur (imp.), on the dam’s side. Pareora Princess Cadillac (Pareora Cadillac Hero—Princess Van Friesland Park) is another beautifully bred three-year-old heifer. Her dam, Princess Van Friesland Park has production records of 5921 b at 4yrs, 5551 b at syrs, and 6561 b at 7 years. Plantation No. 31, another three-year-old heifer bought by Mr de la Cour is a grand-daughter of King Laddie (sire of Monavale Queen Bess 1002.2 lb fat). Plantation No. 26, also a three-year-old has a double stfain of Rosevale King Sylvia, and her paternal grand-dam is Woodcrest Netherland Pauline, 6021 b fat (Woodcrest Pietje Pontiac —Westmere Netherland Pauline, 6311 b fat). With Friesians of such excellent blood lines Mr de la Cour should build up a great herd.

PAINFUL DISEASE. CHECKING COWPOX SCOURAGE The contagious disease, cowpox, is due to specific blood poison,, which has a period of incubation of three to nine days, and first shows itself by a slight fever lasting two or three days. It then breaks out in pimples on the teats, udder, flanks, escutcheon, and around the vulna, nose, mouth, and eyes. These pimples, red at first, enlarge from day to day until they attain a diameter of about half an inch to an inch, and become yellow. A distinct vesicle forms, breaks, active virus of the disease, dries up, runs a yellowish lymph, which is the a scab forms over it, and the whole trouble disappears as gently as it came. Teats Become Sore. The disease is not one that is regarded as serious, and in milch cows, the only trouble is from the teats becoming sore. These are sometimes completely covered with the vesicles, and even confluent, rendering milking a very painful operation. It runs a definite course, heals up, and disappears on itself in fifteen to thirty days, and induces a condition of immunity. If the teats become so sore as to be painful in milking the teat siphon may be used. If the weather be cold, the siphon should be warmed, smeared with olive oil, passed up the teat very carefully, and the milk drawn off. If the udder swells very much, frequent bathing with hot water and supporting with a bandage will be a benefit. The disease may be communicated in a mild form to the milker by means of the virus, to which fact vaccination owes its origin, for it was found that persons inoculated accidentally with the virus of cowpox either enjoyed an immunity from smallpox or suffered from an exceedingly mild form of this disease. Remedial Treatment. Treatment consists of relieving the pain as much as possible by fomenting and washing the udder with warm water and some mild antiseptic such as permanganate of potash. (Condy’s fluid). Where the rash is severe and there is much cracking of the skin a preparation of belladonna and glycerine may be used. This tends to relieve the pain, but should only be used where this is excessive, for it tends to dry up the secretion of milk. Food of a cooling nature should be given, and to avoid spreading the disease through a whole herd affected cows should be handled by one man only, or, where this is not possible, left always until the last. Small doses of potassium nitrate will tend to reduce the fever. INNOCULATION OF LUCERNE. Brig.-General H. Clifton-Brown (Newbury C.), asked the British Minister of Agriculture whether his attention had been called to the recent discovery at Rothamstead of culture for inoculating lucerne seed, making the cultivation of this valuable crop practicable in all parts of this country; whether he had taken steps to notify agricultural authorities at Home of the usefulness of this experiment; and whether, through the Empire Marketing Board or by other means, he would notify the Dominions and Colonies of the success this process , had had in Western Australia and elsewhere. ; Dr Addison wrote in reply: The i Rothamstead method for the inocui lation of lucerne has received wide » publicity in this country among ag- [ ricultural authorities, and there has . been a large demand for the cul- ■ tures. The recently established Imj | perial Bureau of Soil Science is prej paring a technical communication on l the subject in order to give publicity ; to the method throughout the . ' Empire.