TEETH OF CATTLE

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17804, 31 August 1929, Page 22 (Supplement)

TEETH OF CATTLE

CAREFUL ATTENTION. INFLUENCE ON CONDITION. The teeth of dairy cows probably require more attention than those of horses, because by their methods of grazing, stones, nails, wire, and all sorts of hard substances may be brought into the mouth, and are liable to break the teeth and bruise the gums. When the teeth of cattle are In perfect condition they grind the food in such a manner that it is easily acted upon by the digestive ferments, and the essential elements necessary to repair body waste and increase the flow of milk are readily assimilated; whereas when the teeth are diseased or irregularities are present, we have a decrease of both milk and condition.

Cow's failing to reach the standard of milk production should not be dis- i carded until a thorough examination is made of the teeth, for without per- | feet mastication of the food it is impossible to secure that perfect digestion and assimilation which is the basis of the milk supply. Earthy Salts. The teeth of dairy cows, implanted in, and protruding from, the jaw bones contain over To per cent, of earthy salts. They are harder than bone, and can bear friction and exposure, while bone can endure neither without becoming diseased. Three hard constituents enter into the formation of teeth, dentine, enamel and cementum. Dentine is a hard, yellow substance, and contains the bulk of the earthy salts. Enamel is the hardest animal lex! are, and when once destroyed it is never reproduced. It is a protective tissue covering the entire exposed surface, and in the molars is mixed with other substances to furnish the rough projections for grinding purposes. Ccmentum, the third constituent, completely covers the embedded position of the teeth. It is brownish in colour, and closely resembles bone in- structure. Teeth are of two kinds; incisors and molars, and each animal has two sets, temporary and permanent. The incisors or front teeth are absent in the upper jaw, but a cartilaginous pad covered with mucous membrane acts as a substitute. In the lower jaw there are eight incisors. These teeth are chiselshaped, convex in front, and concave behind, and the exposed portions ore covered with enamel. They are firmly attached, but still have a certain mobility which prevents injury to the pad oil the upper jaw. There are twenty-four permanent molars, six on each side of the upper and lower jaw. These are constructed of the same material as the incisors, but the grinding surfaces are irregular and roughened. Wearing Surfaces. In the young animal the wearing surfaces of the molars dovetail into eacli other perfectly, but as the cow continues to grow older, these surfaces sometimes deviate from normal towards the oblique line, with the consequence that tHe outer layer of enamel of the upper and the inner layer of the lower teeth never come into wear, and in a short time these edges or points of enamel become long enough to interfere with perfect mastication by restraining the food from passing between the teeth and also by lacerating the mucous membrane lining the moutli and covering the tongue. In some instances, the first or last, or both molar teeth are unnaturally long, giving to the row a semi-circular appearance. This is due to the opposite tooth being 'absent, or to misplaced or perverted growth, so that it docs not come into wear.. Oftentimes caries or decay of the teeth is found, and it is very common to find an opposing tooth very much elongated, which causes serious difficulty in mastication. Toothache, which follows caries, diagnosed by llie animal when drinking cold water or biting upon some hard substance, and also by salivation. Ulceration of tire roots of the teeth is frequently found, and it is accompanied by abscess formation and toothache. Actinomycosis—more commonly known ns lunipy jaw—by extension of the. inflammation into the cavity in which tiio leetli arc situated, causes ulceration, caries, poisoning of the teeth and’toothache. Supernumerary teeth, by pushing tire regular teeth out of the normal position, interfere with maslicalion, and repeated attacks of indigestion, with-loss of condition, diminution of milk supply, in most cases can lie traced directly to imperfect mastication. The instruments used to correct, these conditions should he thoroughlv sterilised, and a veterinary surgeon should be employed, as tus professional knowledge would prevent any complication which mayjmssiblv occur. —“Farmers’ Gazette."

NOTES. Citrus Fruits. —Now that severe frosts and heavy rains are less likely to occur, the time is ripe for planting citrus fruits. The conditions necessary for their establishment are perfect drainage and fairly warm soil; this is why it is unwise to plant citrus fruits in winter. These trees are surface-rooting, so deep planting is out of the question; it is advisable to plant them at the same depth as that which they stood in the nursery. There is generally a tell-tale mark on ttie stem showing where the ground level was. To prevent- damage by wind each tree should lie -carefully staked as soon as it. is planted. Then, ■again, unless the position is very sheltered, some protection from frost should he given; the usual way is to put in four stakes round the tree and to wrap scrim or sacking round them. If ttie sides reach one or two feet above ilie tree there will be little danger from frost, but on a very cold night the top may be covered as an extra precaution. As mentioned a while ago in this column, the Poorman orange is hardy and well worth growing, lemons are less hardy, but thrive in sheltered gardens in the Waikato. Mandarins will also grow Here, hut are not as useful as the Poorman orange or sucli lemons as Eureka and Lisbon. The present is a good time to scatter artificial fertilisers round established trees; complete manures containing phosphates, nitrates and potash are the best. Liquid manure made from farmyard manures is also very suitable.

Grape Vines.—lt is quite safe to say j that only a small proportion of out- j door vines growing in the Waikato are productive. Failures are generally i due to lack of winter pruning and to inattention to the stopping or pinching opt of side shoots in summer. The first two primings of a grapevine should aim at the production of two or more long rods; subsequent ■primings will regulate the growth of fruit-bearing laterals coming from those rods. There are different ways of pruning, but it Is usual to cut tiie laterals back to within a distance of one to three inches from the rods; fori some varieties the smaller distance is | tiie belter; in ihese cases the pruned laterals arc little more than knobs j spaced regularly along the rods. It is j necessary to examine the vines for j traces of scale insects. If any are j present on the vines or on neighbour- i ing plants, it is well to rub off all loose bark and to paint the bare vines with red oil, either pure or mixed ] with a little hot water and soap. Used engine oil from a motor car will serve instead of red oil. The scales are to be found usually in the cracks on the dark side of the -vines. Flowering Plums. —The Prunus or plum family is a very large one and really includes the apricot, the peach, the nectarine, the -cherry.and various laurels. For the present, however, we shall -confine our attention to a few species which are usually called Prunus or plum. The first to flower is P. mume, with single or double white or pink bloom; it may be seen in blossom early in July. During the last, fortnight two red-leaved plums have been flowering; these are Ihc common single white (P. pissardi) and liie beautiful and still 'rather uncommon P. moscri. The latter is really more beautiful than many of tiie ‘flowering -cherries’ and is much more compact in habit of growth than they. Then there is P. Iriloba, a beautiful double while or pink; it is wonderfully free-flowering, so that the tree can hardly lie seen for bloom; though usually seen as a shrub, it grows to a height of twelve feel, or more. P. sinensis is -slill another beautiful plum; il is a dwarf shrub with double while or pink blossoms. There are single forms also.. Hut they are not so popular as (lie double. P. triloba is becoming very popular in America now, and is known there as I lie “Rose of China.” Native Trees and Shrubs. —The claims of our native trees have been frequently advanced in this column, so a long note on the subject is not necessary. Though ihc New Zealand forest is known to botanists as belonging to tiie ‘rain forest type,’ and though most of our trees thrive best when grown in masses, many, nevertheless, will succeed in the open. If plants are to lie taken from the bush io he transplanted to the open, they should lie taken from the edge of the bush, where growth is more sturdy. The commonest mistake is to choose plants 'that arc too large; in most cases a height of two feet is to lie regarded as a maximum. Nurserymen are able to send out larger plants, as these have been grown in the open, have been ‘wrenched’ and are now furnished with plenty of fibrous roots. ]I, is a national reproach to us that our native plants arc less common in our gardens Ilian they are in many parts of tiie worth. Instances could readily he multiplied, hut a few will do. Who of us grows the drooping fuchsia (F. procumbcns) in

baskets and pots? Who grows Nerlera depressa also in a hanging basket? Who grows Muehlenbeckia (a climber) ? Who grows Olearia haastii (declared by some English authorities to be one of the world’s best shrubs)? Who grows our giant forget-me-not (“world’s record” in size), known here as “The Chatham Island lily”? Yet these are all po-pular in Britain and some on the Riviera. Then the kinds fairly common here are also much grown in the south of Britain, Southern Europe and California. Examples are the scarlet manuka, cab-

bage tree, N.Z. flax, various Pittosporums, Kaka’s beak (Clianthus), clematis (G. indivisa), and various veronicas (Koromiko). In addition to the kinds mentioned above, the following are also good; Kowhai, Karaka, Veronica hulkeana (for rockeries), Hohesia (a ribbonwood or lacebark), rata (Northern and Southern), ngaio, beech (erroneously called birch), lancewood, totara', tainui (of canoe fame), broadieaf, various senecios. Where shelter can be given, as in a shrubbery or native corner, the following should be considered; Rangiora (ordinary form and a purpleleaved form), pohutukawa, tanekaha (celery-leaved pine), rimu, rewarewa, miro, titoki, .Kauri, tree-ferns, Schefflera. • Unfortunately, the Waikato frosts are too severe for some of the plants seen in Auckland or even in Wellington, Puka (huge leaves), whau (like mulberry tree), puriri. Rhododendrons and Azaleas. —ln making out planting lists we must not forget the many kinds of rhododendrons and azaleas. Except for the fact that these plants do not tolerate limo, It being a poison to almost all kinds of them, they are not at all exacting in soil conditions. The ideal soil for" them contains a good deal of humus in the form of leaf-mould or peat; these substances are also very suitable for use as mulches in summer to keep the roots of the rhododendrons and azaleas cool. These plants and their relatives, the heaths, have probably the finest rootlets in the world; the rooting system really seems a mass of hair. Another point to observe in the culture of these shrubs is that the roots are easily damaged. It is really better to do no cultivating round them beyond a slight stirring of the surface to keep weeds down. The only manuring is mulching with well-rotted -compost or old farmyard manure; fresh manure, is harmful. Large numbers of varieties of both kinds of shrubs could be mentioned, but generally it will be best to ask one’s nurseryman for the best white, scarlet, . pink, fiery-red, crimson, etc. One rhododendron, which is to be considered as indispensable is the Himalayan hybrid Fragrantissimum. It has white azalealike flowers of great size and surpassing sweetness. Another splendid white is Yirginnlis. with long, tubular, white scented flowers. The finest pink is Pink Pearl, but is is very expensive. There arc two groups of azaleas, deciduous and evergreen, and wide ranges of colour in each may be found.

The Flower Show. —Readers, especiailv intending exhibitors, are reminded that the Hamilton Horticultural Society is bolding its Spring Show on September 17. Schedules may be obtained from the secretary, Miss von Sturmer, Collingwood Street.

To secure the best results for the vegetable garden it is essential to sow the best of seeds. These are obtainable from A. M. Bisley and Go., Ward Street, Hamilton, whose new season stock is now on the market. This firm now urges the sowing of their specially selected Pea Seeds, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Seed Potatoes. They also supply all classes of fertilisers to gardeners in small quantities, including special garden manure, superphosphate, blood and bone, sulphate of an\monia, nitrate or soda, and lime, quick and carbonate. Full directions in the tiie use of ihese manures are supplied on application.