WALLACE VILLE VETERINARY LABORATORY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 4, 20 October 1923, Page 218

WALLACE VILLE VETERINARY LABORATORY.

The annual report of the Department of Agriculture for 1922-23 summarizes the work of the Wallaceville Laboratory during that period as follows :

In the course of the year 1,632 specimens were received for examination These included milk-samples, pathological exhibits, blood for serological tests' water for bacteriological analysis, &c ; 1,051 samples of milk from cases of suspected contagious mastitis were dealt with, and 231 samples of blood were examined by the agglutination method for the detection of contagious abortion In addition, 106 composite samples of milk were received for test inoculations for the presence of tubercle bacilli; only one sample proved to be tubercular. Owin rr to the necessity for curtailing expenditure the prosecution of research work has been restricted. The curative treatment of contagious mammitis received attention ; whenever available, subjects in the locality affected with this disease were secured for experimental treatment. Parasitic gastritis occurring among sheep and imported pedigree goats at the laboratory provided an opportunity to test the method advocated by the South African Veterinary Service of dosing with a mixture of arsenite of soda and sulphate of copper. This treatment in our hands proved most effective. A number of feeding experiments to test the toxicity of certain , materials were carried out. Among these may be mentioned the effects of basic-slag absorption by sheep, the effects of feeding salt to swine the feeding of clover raised upon soil from “ bush-sick ” areas ; also tests with samples of calf-meal, honey, and mangold-liquor. The breeding of ferrets for disposal' to settlers was continued, and a small herd of pedigree goats was maintained on the laboratory farm for disposal in the same manner. 78,200 doses of blackleg vaccine were supplied. Abortion vaccine in the shape of living cultures of the specific organism was supplied on request ; 1,612 c.c. of tuberculin were sent out, and sixty-three doses of mallein were supplied.