CATTLE MORTALITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17503, 10 September 1928, Page 6

CATTLE MORTALITY.

MYSTERIOUS DISEASE. FARMERS’ HEAVY LOSS. / (Special to Times.) MORRINSVILLE, Monday. The financial loss to dairyfarmers in the district this season through deaths in their herds win in many cases be a serious item. The fear of milk fever has always been a source of anxiety to dairyfarmers and vva3 no doubt' a seri-ous matter, but its treatment was fairly well understood, and the cows which responded to the treatment and recovered were little the worse for the rest of the season, but with eclampsia, or this "mysterious new disease” as it is called, few cows recover, and even if their fives are saved they are useless for the rest of the season. The biggest loss in one herd is that of Mrs N-oble, who has already lost nine cows. Mr Grubb has lost four, and quite a number have lost one or two. Mr S. Hatton, of Mangataparu, who has been a liberal user of artificial manure for the last five or six seasons, and has succeeded by this means in doubling the production of his farm, lias been unfortunate in losing several cows in a somewhat mysterious manner. He had topdressed a paddock with 2£ per acre of potassic Basic Super. Soane days after the top-dressing had been done, and there had been a fairly good fall of rain, he put his cows back in the paddock. They had not been in the paddock long before several became sick. Notwithstanding every effort on his part two died and twg other are not expecLed to recover.