FARMING AND COMMERCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1552, 23 September 1912, Page 8

FARMING AND COMMERCIAL.

NEWS AND NOTE 3.

THE CARE OF THE FOAL. •TKBATMKNT OF S'OMK COMMON i)iSOHRI',nS. A common disorder which frefjiienUy loads to serious eouseiiuencM in younj, , /oa!.-! is indigestion. The cause of the trouble may be. looked for in any chnuga in the character of the ' mare's milk, which renders it lu.-.s easy of digestion. Tho most common cau-o is probably a large, supply of.over-rich milk, but the trouble may also arise from the directly opposite, condition—that of an extreme poorness of quality. Indigestion and diarrhoea in foals are frequently caused ■by alterations .which take place in the jnarc's milk when she is nut to work during tho time she. is suckling a foal. Tho symptoms of indigestion are: Dulncss and unoasinss-s loss of Hit , desire to suck, eructations 'of wind from the stomnHi, vomiling of milk through the nostrils, yai-iiinT, sour breath, white or yellnwishwhite coatod toiiguc, windy swelling of tho abdomen, diarrhoea and abdominal phin or colic, often very wverc. . In mild eases of indigestion where th.ero is iio more than a little .windy swelling and an

iiccasioital vomiting of milk'through tho. nnsrril.o, it is not unusual to find that the habit pf eatiu;; the miir-e's (lung bas.lKan ocijiiired. This bad habit is mosi: often

seen in foals which are on Ino bare a pasture, or are ton much shut up in a icnW-lrjx. The h:\bit .cause/ n. very obstinab form of dinrrhcea, and inujtbo tre.itod with cluuiro of pasture or more freedom if circumstances denmnd it, in addition tn medical trenlment. A very old-fa.-hioned way to prevent a foal e;\tintr dur.tr is to place a. loose upcklnce of n.-.i'.'l-s round its neck. As soon ns tho hrad ?nr<i down, the ueckiace falls nn to Hie ears, ami the-lipiul ?oes up with a stui'i. 'J'his manoeuvre .is very successful for a day or tv:o,' but. after that the. foal Sols used to it. However, by that time the eau-p should liavo l.eon .removed.

Prevention of indigestion is bnsrd on an examination and avoidance-of all the conditions which cause it. If a mare has a

;;real- flush of mllic. it ii nscessary to draw most of it off until this can be.remedied by more \ c nnty. and dry feed. The foal will always bs able tn get as much mill: as it really needs. If the mire is in a very low. condition and the cause of indigestion is thoiprar quality of the milk, which prolaijly contains snmp deleterious matters and is deficient in fat, the remedy for this is obvious. If the mare is l«ing worked while suckling the foal, and tho causa of indigestion i> evidently the ticid changes in the milk while the mare is heated and the milk is retained in the. udder, the udder should be emptied when Hip nwro cou'es in, and plenty of fresh milk will be formed v/hen the foal wants it.

■With regard to curative measure.'. ;vhere there is considerable diarrhoea and the fonl is not otherwise very ill, it simple and very effective remedy consists in milking the marc out frequently, say, three-'or four times a dny,'-putting her on n diet of hay, dry bran, and chaff; and giving her one or two doses of carbonate of soda, loz. -each time. In any but the hawly-boni, this treatment may be supplemented by giving the. fonl a dose of carbonate of soda.

In cases of colic, in foals, which occur it nil ages, treatment has to- be somewhnt circumspect. Colic in yonng fonls is often very severe, and in tho absence of judicious treatment it frequently emls in death. These cases are originally caused by the presence of undigested and irritating matters in the intestines, mid in cases where considerable fermentative, action takes place (lisje is extensive nb'biniiinl distension.

■The removal of the irritating matter in Iho intestines may be hastened by giving castor oil and enemas of warm water and (jlvcsrinc at frequent, intervals.

The griping pains should not' lie dealt with in young foals by. powerful sedatives such as chlorodync, oniiim, aconite, etc., Ippru'S" this kind of trealment undoubtedly kills' a good many foals which might otliorwiso recover.

The pain inny usually be got under control by the constant application of liotsalt Vngs. Tlip?'e are readily made out nf any 'linen bags, and they are sewn in crossing diagonal lines in order to hold the. salt in small diamond-shaped pockets and prevent it falling all to one nlaeo. Two such bajs <ire liecestiry. One slviuld hs put , in an oven, while the other is firmly fastened round the foal's bodv and covered with o niece of mackintosh. As H'« heat diminishes the bags are changed. With regard to medicine, this must b' , ussd with great circumspection, and powerful sedatives altogether avoided.

A homely .ind very good mixture for a grined foal is a little carbonate of sidi n"d the ordinary peppermint cordial, which jwins to suit the foal's stomnch exceedingly well.

In some' of these cases stiimilauts are necessary, and of the?e sweet wines are the most suitable. Spirits 1m- not been found st successful p= , slightly diluted nort. which a foal will suck out o? 'a bottle aftpr he has once tasf«l it. Spirt*, enn only be adirtinisteretl nt any time by main force, and a considerable amount of nausea, is always exhibited afterwards.

' It was indicated in this column last week that before long a call would be made on New Zealand from South American estancia holders for. stud sheep. It is now stated by an exchange that se.v.ernl large runholders from the Falkland Islands are coming to New Zealand, for tho purpose of inspecting, different studs, with the object of purchasing the best type.? of both sheep and cattle. Aboni 70 anplications were received by the ,Pihama Co-operative Dairy Company for the positions of cheese managers. Tha following appointments were .made:— (general manager. Mr. .1. Callnghnn; manager Skeet fioad. Mr. K. F. Duckworth; manager Waitekia, Jfr. W. H. Miins.' Mr. W. I. Lovelock is leaving Palmer-' ston North this afternoon, says the "Standard," to meet Mr. H. S. of the firm of Logan Bros., of Canada, breeders of pedigree Holstein cattle, who is due at Auckland on Tuesday, in the\ \lnkura. . Mr. Logan is bringing with him a consignment of Holstcins, several of the animals being for Mr. Lovelock. A- WINNER OF COMPETITIONS. The Egg-laying competitions for 1910-11 ond 1011-12 were hoth won by pen 3 reared on 'A. and P." Chick RaUer. Tho first essential for profitable poultry keeping. Obtainable from all Storekeepers.—Auvt.

"ROOT KNOT" CONTROVGRSY. A NELSON OUCHAItUJST'S VIEAV.S. AGUICfLTUItAL DKI'AimiENT Al'l'LArOKI). Writ'iiijf friiin Nei.-rm under date S?ntcmler IS, .Mr. I-'. E. Noting, nisiii:i"t*r of Hie Tmihiii Orchards • "liefemng to the Press .\s>-nci;(!: : oii i;iessage appearing in Wednesdn.v's i«ue nf. your paper, with reference l:'i n imcliii" nf nurserymen hold in Auckland 'rercnllv to discuss the attitude of the Agiicultuiol Dcpiirtmoni tuwards the disuse known n< 'rout knot, - will .von permit me «s a nrnciical fruit-grower'of liver twenty years' oxfierientn, |o express inr verv 'sincere appreciation nf (he prompt nn'd decided action of Ihe nlfieors nt tl.te Depiirhneuf in chfckiiiß She wliolcsalp iliMriliutinn nf a very umle;-iral)le cla-s nf nursury stock l.ii viPiy of the RrnwiiijT iinpiirliince of our fviut mdiistvy. it is to lie 'nnpfd. Hi.-.;-the iiur.-:er.vii!fii will soe the wisd-jin of thorouKhly itivestigatiiif.' the lvliolp Iji.sJ. ness before cnmiomiiiiiij'ssieh m?ii h< y,i----1..W. Kirk and Mr. A". 11. Cockayne. The writer has lud an opportunity oi ex-iinin-ing » ' cnn.<iderablo ihiiuLt ": I' I roes -ttacked by thr disease !;no;\ii ;;, 'raov knot,' and can show to' rdj- interested party n niinil.er of specimen's which Y;t even an unnamed pinfr-i-nr Mieh n- (lie one referred to by on? of Hie spcikovat the lneetinj,', could hone.-lly describe as 'natural collousin?' or 'healthy wr.nclfnrmiif!; lualerial.' JVihaps if IJic niir-M'i-ymcii Ikhl asked fo-iie ol their cr.stoi.n«rs to select the specimen?, the prof?«-sm-s .report would have been less s;itistnctorV.

' Ihe statement' made at the meeting that upv.ards of a million fruit Iree- have been condemned[ nlsn calls for some cii'i--inent, and it will bo interesting to le.-r'u the niimfclT of trees dealt with ■ by ntiieers of .the Uepartinent of Agriculture; Oils of the leading nurserymen of (h? JJoniinipn has assured the v/ritiT that -the trouble is almost enlirelv confined to Hi" Ncbou district, ami that no complaints have come to hand from other places. As the total planting lor vhc Nelson province will not.exceed 200,000 Irons, and many thousands of these have been p?rfecily healthy, it will be rqadiiy understood that tha losses to nurserymen are much less than the figures quoted at the mept.in?; would indicate. In.short, a mountain, is being made from the proverbial molehill, and when tho edge has worn nlf the controversy, it will be found that the action of Ihe Agricultural , Department ! has benefited not only, the planters, brtt the nurserymen, and the fruit-growing industry as a whole." Chief Government Orchartiist's Statement. .Speaking r.t a meeting of fruit-growers this week, Mr. T.MV. Kirk, head of the Orchards and Gardens .Division of tiie Agricultural Department, stated that out of a total of 77,0(10 trees imported into the Nelson district this season, the inspectors had condemned under MOO. ..This would remove |he rumour that, some thousands of trees had been rejected by tho ■'Department of Agriculture. Of course the above figures do not include tho trees which growers had rejected themselves. The Department has now power to stop all infected trees, and return the bundles to Australia, but in order lo 'minimise expense, Mr. Kirk said instructions had bren issued to allow tho bundles to bo sent out to consignees, on their undertaking to submit same to the local inspector so that only clean trees will he planted. Ncw\Zealand nurf-orios had been inspected, and it was found that on Now Zealand-worked stocks less , than I per cent, of the trees were infected, but on tree? worked on imported slocks tho disease was more marked. Mr. Kirk j quoted reports from Mr. Turner, heiul of j tin; Department of Agriculture iii Vic- j tnria, in reply to his (Mr. Kirk's) btier i and samples of trees, stilting that the I di.tcnso .was crown gall, and that slops would be taken to prevent miy further shipments being sent which showed signs nf Ihe disease. i

The Department, according lo Mr. Kirk, is planting out an acre containing !.">0 trees which are infected wttii i".:ot knot. These will be 'planted at Wallaceville, and will be under the eye of the. Government bacteriologist, who will watch the disease in nil its stages. . Thern, is no royal road to wealth, but there are some wiys that are a saod bit ta.-icr than others Tfacfary managers who inslal "Victor" Vnts find Iliem profitable inveitments that make it comparatively an easy matter, to increase thn profits. The large niimbri" nf "Victor" Vats in use proves their great value. Order yours without delay. Albert .1. Parton, Cartcrl'on.—Advt.