ILLNESS OF "GRANNY'S GIRL."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 412, 22 January 1909, Page 2

ILLNESS OF "GRANNY'S GIRL."

SEQUEL TO BUTTER-FAT CONTEST. /WHAT ■',THE OWNERS: SAY,;; ;.■; .The. attack of cowpox which recently, afflicted "Granny's Girl," one, of New. Zealand s champion dairy been the : subject of ..much comment a%ong farmers. It will be remembered that. "Granny's Girl' , wasa competitor in the Manawatu : A. and P. Association's - championship butter-fat cpmpetition,' in whioh all the cows entered aro depastured, away from their own paddocks for se.veral days: ■' "Granny's Girl";won the competition,-, but on.her return to New Plymouth it was reported that she was.suffering from, cowpox. iThis disease, it was then conjectured, had' been contracted either through contagion , with other cows during' the contest, or through contamination'with infected railway trucks.. "Owing to the fact .that seyoral A; and P. associations were just inaugurating butter-fat competitions on the lines, adopted -by .the Hana_watu Association, the subject was in almost serious light. Should it have been proved that there .had' been. negligence .on. the part- of the : ' associatwn,' or on the.part of 'tno Railway De-' partment, there is no doubtthat dairy farm-: ers in < future would have hesitated to, allow the pick of their' herds to' he taken'' away from their homes, .There were various runV ours abroad regarding "Granny's Girl's" affliction', but the; appended letter, 'which -we publish in full, from Messrs.' Griffiths 'and 'Cornwall, of New Plymouth, the owners of tho cow, imputes, no.blame to the' association .or to the Railway Department;. The' letter was read' kt' a meeting of. the' Mahawatu A. and P. Association on Tuesday, and ■was-as follows:—. ..'■■; ■:., .... v\ ■■■'■.:• .. •... -;_:■; .'■'.■. "The Secretary,:.■■■■■• ;; ; .:' ! ¥-v.'vv. .-' ; ■ ';■'■ "Manawatu A. and P. Society,\ : V ■ ■-' ' '. ~_ . ' '-'■■■■■■':. ■■"■.:■■•-''Palmerston North..■■'•■',' . '.;. Dear Sir,—Our attention has been i ■■ . .called. >to a newspaper paragraph in: re- •■'■', '■•. lerence' .to . a discussion regarding <'.' -■...Grahnyls-- , Girl's; condition, at- the , 'last'..' -; meeting of. your ; com'mitte6j and wo take ; -this.firstoppqrturiity'of writing you with'-' ,''" the , abjecti' , of'atl'to'nce , -' a&uriiig-:you that■ ■ we,. have'.'. nothing..., whatever '-, to : say - ; . against: the. : : treatment," 'received- by •' rdefehtMtt«r con- ' ';.'[.' test,-'and alsja to 'correct:any .wrong im- ' ;;; ; pressions-which;may be. made as 'the:re- J '.;. : -..sult of what-has iapp^arecl : .in''priut ; . '■.--. '■-''. [ !-, t "Iu the .first we .should explain".'' ; ■;,,that Granny's GirUsuffered from a.'-very , -"-• ','■.. severe, attack of cowpox;..; iThisrcould *: ~only;..he' noticed by: -the-person milk'in"' ■"' ; .the_cow on. the .last'day. of. the show; ' coming noma in the truck next day it•■>' ■ lUjjl U jj bro ' cen out.on overy.te'at and on the< ' :«dder.,. Frora; then on, each day for sev- : : ■ .eral,days, sho"became very, miichiwdrse.'-': : Indeed j..the .teats .were so covered 'with .■< s o. re ?Jnati milking became^almost:an im- : ■■ possibility. - Inflammation passed into' ■;■■ the udder',:and then into the system of ' cow;, she went -'completely'- off her ' feed, and lost condition so. rapidly that.' ..■-.-in the course of.: a few days'she.wnsbut' :: a .skeleton of her- former, self. Her■ milk - - , ; .dried .up so that within a.week after re- " ' ; turning, from, the show we;-.could not ; :,"■ draw more than about one cup of milk ; at She/became, so bad: ...■that on November. 22 it seemed likely ■ that Jose :her,, but- tho' next '" ,- clay she .turned the corner and gradually ■• •:'. started to improve.,',-The -.-; inflammation : - had subsided from her-system and three- - :■ quarters of .tor udder, ; but.,left a'nuarter, ■ -that was, the- last, quarter to be at-. . . tacked,,.in a'-very inflamed' state;'■", We' '■- went to.'.cdnsidorable .trouble' iri .attend- .-' mg. to the cow,.;as-you"might, well 1 an- ; .; ticipate... ■ : .■■'..■ ■..;.... -: ; ■■; .-, -,■■;. ■■,-■.• ■'. ■.-.-:-.-:;• /'''When the coy, was" returned from < the. - Palmorston North Show, she was received at jUr.-.Griffiths's-..private:'. house • and •" :■■-: specially attended ,tg ..there, .. and . was ; - vkept there up to the day.-beforo the'sale, . ». when she was/driven:out to the farm sixi miles away. She', .was catalogued to be . sold at tho sale,, and, -though';she was not -■■ .- be:offered for, sale(let alone bein<* - driven to tlie farm) we. felt that it might ' ,-: militate, against our ; •: sale and -people - .might think .that we' were not ottering ; her for ulterior motives. When she was-. :led;into:the' ring: the. auctioneer asked.: ~. •us to, make some 5 explanation regardim*" her appearance,, and the dictator-then -, very clearly stated that.the cow.had.come . ; back from tho Palmerston North contest suffering from! cowpox. :He said : :— v . -'_.■' 'We do hot know whether she got the - , -disease; from \ oneof the'other cows,, or .- .., whether she, merely, developed- it as a- '■■"■■ ■ -result of',the' change through tho trip, : ' .but sho has been, suifering ever since her ■;■ return and that is the cause of her present appearance.' ■•.•"'■'..■ ■ ..'. v ' "You will seo from! this that we could not. very, well' have, said less,-and that our. remarks/were not intended to con- .'■'• vey the slightest unkind imputation or : , referenco to the contest in which ■. she took part. Doubtless most' of the. members of: your commjttee knowthat cowpox iu a'cow is a.disease just like a cold , in ;a huinan being, which can be transmitted from one person to'.,another, or which may be contracted owing to certain changes, and a cow often gets cowpox' . without'there being 'any apparent reason. : ; "After our cow returned, and' when .. . she was daily getting worse, wo intended ' -.- then writing to you telling you of■ her ■. condition and also her suffering prompted , : us with tho idea, that wo would make the suggestion to j'ou that in future: contests ;it might bp. wise to.get a qualified vet.. . to examine all of the cows when first- ■ received; and. before entering the contest, : ■ : in order that ho might pass them all and thus prevent any ; disease, being: carried from one to the othef. .The very heavy work entailed in preparing for our sale, '- and. the local show, prevented our carry- : ing out , this intention. ; : ; . .■-■'■■■ 'Trom inquiries which we have made recently, we are of the opinion that Granny's Girl did not catch her troublo fro'ni any of the other .contestants,'and wo fully"-believe..that it ; as-merely from the change in the state', of her ' blood, owing to tlie changed conditions' under : ..which she lived at Palmcrstdir'''North. : ■ Wo.fully believe that the very best pos- -\ sible care was-taken of our cow'through 5 -. the contest, and we afo ; particularly nn-. ' xious that your society !Vshould 'realiso • that wd have neither said, nor. thought, anything but the kindest and. best, That could be thought of your-society, and Hs management. Wo also hope that Granny's Girl will'bo'a-'competitor in- your l next year's contest,, and we fully believe .that sho will,—Yours truly',' >'.-■■ ''E; GRIFFITHS AND CO."