DISEASES IN STOCK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20097, 2 May 1935, Page 3

DISEASES IN STOCK

ADDRESS TO FARMERS At a farmers’ field day held in Fairlie on Tuesday, Mr E. J. Lukey, of Christchurch, gave an address on sheep diseases and referred particularly to parasitical worms and means for preventing the heavy mortality they cause on some farms. In the early days, said Mr Lukey. sheep were turned out on to virgin country, but as the pastures became smaller and intensive cultivation was practised, diseases increased; and the longer the country was in existence, the more trouble there was going to be with sheep diseases. Parasitical worms were one result of that closer settlement. Under natural conditions the requisite food requirements were usually readily obtained, but to-day that was not always true. “The well balanced ration is,” he said, “the first requisite, and unless that was supplied all the drugs in the world would do no good.” The best medicine in his opinion, was bluestone, which gave 10 gallons for sixpence. Nothing was better for parasitical troubles and it was recommended throughout the world. The proportion was lioz in a gallon of water. “When dealing with drugs of any sort, don’t guess,” stated Mr Lukey. The doses of the mixture were loz for lambs, lioz for hoggets and 3oz for matured sheep. carried out in Australia showed that it was not essential for sheep to be fasting before drenching. A post-mortem examination of sheep after they had swallowed liquids revealed the liquids in the fourth stomach. Solids, however, were found in the paunch, so with them fasting was required to empty the paunch. Mustard with bluestone was not necessary and he had been informed that in Australia, where it had been used considerably, it had been discarded. For measuring the bluestone. a copper measure could be made cheaply, and bluestone should not be put in ordinary metal containers; either glass, earthenware or copper vessels were the most suitable. He would not recommend carbon tetrachloride as a drench.

Describing the history of the intestinal worms, Mr Lukey remarked that at one stage, if they were turned under a six inch furrow they would reach the surface again in seven days. They were only of microscopic size, and in damp weather they climbed up the grass and were swallowed by the sheep. In three weeks and three days the parasite completed its cycle and went from egg back to egg, and partly for that reason he recommended drenching every three weeks. “If evryope

throughout the country dosed their sheep regularly,” he added, “we would soon be rid of the parasite.” Referring to footrot, Mr Lukey said that the best cure was a bluestone mixture in the proportion of half a pound of bluestone to a gallon of water. With clean feet, the sheep should be run through a bath of the mixture.