LECTURES TO FARMERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 203, 21 May 1908, Page 3

LECTURES TO FARMERS.

MR. CILRUTH AT PAHIATUA. STARTLING FACTS ABOUT TUBER- ■ CULOSIS. ' -Mr. J. R. Gilruth, Chief Government > Veterinarian' (says : our . Wairarapa correspondent),l delivered a lecture to farmers on '■ Tuesday-'night," at. Pahiatuaat tho'- invita-";tion-of .the .Eketahuna branch of the. New Zealand Farmers'' Union.; The ichair was occupied, by Miv . chairman of .tlid Ballanco Dairy Company. . There mas a, largo attendance. • Rug the Cows. . , . ' In the'course of .his remarks, .Mr. Gilruth i .made' a;, strong point .of the necessity -for rug-. . ging cows';in tho winter inonths. AVith ordi- 1 ■ nary caro-in 1 this direction..there, would bo_ no more fear of infection by parasites than ... thcro was '.in the custom of wearing clothes J bv'-human' beings.': .It.. was well- known,. said . Mr. Gilruth, that a cow was cheap when, one compared tho value of her production to her . -cost. ; But' ;it .wits . necessary : to keep a good: ; ' herd, withoutrecourse .-" to the saleyards. ■No farmer , know'tile misfortune 'which: might attend . his . herd by - . purchasing 'unknown ■:■ cows from;-tho. public, saloyards; and thus it .to; look .-after, one's'animals :so ;that "they could be'permitted to afford the great-; . r>st' ad?quato> return', during .their .'years of. life. When to Cull. "/ Then.'.'there\was : ' ; tho "matter; of/culling - the ; herd. It should bo culled; at the .end of/ the' ' 'milking season!.'-. Yet,.;it was a common prac-; ■tico m somo localities to cull in the spring., /Last October, 'said the speaker, ho had been K asked .to : examine" a herd of' sixty cows. Their condition was not-good; a fow, wqro v 'i.in.jcalf, ■ :and numbers wero so '■■ old. (teeth right down-to the gums) that; it was difficult . to . understand how they : had come through /tho: x old, cows should have' .{'■ been': slaughtered : at '.the' end- of the' milking. season, ,before .'they had "eaten winter 'feed>. r ' which.'.'.''would-'.- Have'l°-° beeiu bettor -v in'.-, tho. stomachs^of; their - younger;,progeny. Young Siieep. v - : He had noticed, this .season -that \the 'wool on the backs of young sheep, not show--ing lustre,, arid that a mim- ' ber of-.them; showed ' signs', of scouring. wHe [':■ anticipated . considerable .mortality .among - young stock on this account. Tho speaker, detailed - the mannen in tfhich* parasites - "tacked, sheep .in .the head;'arid. tho, intestines,.' . ; .and. in' a.: ref eren ce;' to Ahy datids'- stated.: that. •<dogs,: which . were - the' intermediary '.agents,, should .nov'er bo fed upon raw offal. .'.-

Improved Conditions. ' ;' x |Somo . sixteen' years : ago there was an oxtensive mortality among sheep in: Now Zealand, and dead sheep were'seen-all .over; the '■ country. /Nothing.' like; that .was see'ri. now,-' and tno ; principal reason-was; that . stock ; were now brought up' under'considerably im- ' proved Tlio land was better cul- ; tivated, there . word .fewer, 'swamps. and marshes, less drinking of l , bad water,'; more population, and, in.fact, moro all-round in-, >, telligerit farming.i ; ;All'farmers' should ;grow; winter feed: for .their. stock. There . was i no-' tiling'better-thani'chaffed/'hay 1 or;,,oatsffor : winter feed for sheep. -

; Avoid DrericJies.; /' : ','''/ : -'.;'-''-'--\ ;' -: .'.He ' had, never .■ believed \in .• drenching. hog-,- :';.-. gets, and he had seem/thousands oif cases; ■'.' .treated. / Drenches'.'.usually. did.;.more Harm• '■, .than good. -.' Thoy did the 'parasites no! harm, : '.... and the' sheep} no' /'good. ..,; Hβ' once .bought ~Bome culls/, at. jls.'. per head, and. put them :■ ' .drenches , :. ;'.'■ ■ upon them;.'--' In'.orie.' case,"' to-which ,the': -■ mixture : included i ''turps"; and olive, oil," " : - four • -'sheep ■■; /died,,; and 'the .fifth: ■'•■ had ■'■'■ to; .be ' ■'■• slaughtered^''. In ■•the/ihstance-.in .which' the. '• animals.were.dosed -with an;arsenical liquid,-'. >■'three died..-In the , third : case,;.in/which;• the, ; : ; ' mixture was just '.'tiirps": and oil;i four died. ; fourth, batch were ;fed;up : -on ' v irape and. dry bats. 'None 'died, and 'ulti■•.'mately;they werei,sold' as' fats.at/95.,0r 10s; .'•per. head. :•■ - '"'.-:■.;■.■.'■ ■'■■..■ .'"■■•;"; .v.-; '":■■■': '"' '•.'•;.■'' ; '* .' :':-'juberbuiosls.-';'>.., ; .;, : : '' : ■;''■■' : y■■ '.';.•.•'. ■'■■■'-.-i'v - ; C-Ttie' speaker /devoted.j a.- considerable-, por- ;•/; tioji' of'his .-■speech tp ; tuberculosis, the : 'germ : -pf .which, 'ho.said, .when was quite.in-; :-. offensive:■'. 'This'.statement,-said 'Mr. -'.Gil-.' '(■ ruth, .wasi'aioiih'accord with public-opinion,/ '; which.held'tliat the,','dried' r expectdrajtions of ..'/•human beings^'-,principally ,men',t were a dan- : ■.■.'ger."'-7Nehrly 'all "cattle , were .'prone to tuber- , . •■'■: culosis.: VA ; / cow whose/, udder /showed .; //signs ..of ■tuberculosis/,/ might'still ■.be/' af- '.'■■• jfecte'd., ; It/frequently, happened: that 'calves ' would, be reared from-•tuberculous .mothers; .'••; • andi : sa'becomo/.affected'.with/the disease;.. ;