BUSH SICKNESS INVESTIGATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1728, 19 April 1913, Page 8

BUSH SICKNESS INVESTIGATIONS.

SOME EXPERIMENTS CONCLUDED. Tho whole of the first series of practical, experiments in connection with the bush sickness investigations commenced by tho Department ot Agriculture over two years ago have now been concluded. Tho experiments consisted of the application of various soil dressings to small paddocks, ' followed by tho grazing of sheep and cattle upon the paduocks. Three of tho experiments must be looked upon as having been distinctly successful as'far as cattle are concerned, and particulars concerning them are of interest. The following details are supplied in tho Department's Journal by Messrs. C. J. Reakes, Chief 'Government Veterinarian, and B. C, Aston,' Government Chemist, - -~ Cattle Experiment No. 1, The land was partially cleared bush, many, stumps and fallen logs being present in the paddocks, and it was surfacegrown with-grass (principally cocksfoot) and clover. The feed was plentiful, and presented "every'appearance of being of good, quality.' ... •Paddock,. 4 acres, top-dressed with superphosphate, 7cwt, to aero (the quantity. .is large and not necessarily that which would bo adopted in farming practice);.good water available. Three steers about a year and eight months old placed in-this paddock in April, 1911. Previously, on January 8, 1911, three steers of like -class, then eighteen months old, had been placed on adjoining land, not top-dressed. "'.., These had tho same watersupply, and .their pasture was apparently equally :good,' except for the lack of topdressing, and was much less closely stock-/ ed. Thoy, .however* had a wide range of pasture, whereas the three on the topdressed paddock wcro limited to tho 4 acres, comprising it. As a matter of faot, the'food'becamo. so scarce in this, paddock:, in August. last that these animals ;had to be .removed to untreated land for .four, weeks.' At the time of writing (April).these three steers were still alive, and- in. good health, and, moreover, had grown and developed .- well throughout. Tho three control steers all'died of bush sickness.. The first control animal apparently exhibited the initial premonitory symptoms on April 30, 1911,' and died on February; 14,', 1912. - The second exhibited the first premonitory' symptoms on September. 20,1 '1911, and died oh April 25, 1912. The third exhibited tho first premonitory symptoms on October 2, 1911, and died on May, 27, 1912. " ' It should be further noted that these three control steers had not grown or developed, even beforo exhibiting any symptoms,-in the same normal manner as had the three on the top-dressed paddock. Rock-salt was supplied to all alike. -~.., • . " Experiments Nos. 2 and 3. - ' A : paddock of cleared and grassed bush land about ,5 acres in area, which had been xe-ploughed and sown down with' English grasses and clover, manured with Maiden Island guano, lOcwt. per acre. Two steers about twenty-one months old, were placed on this paddock in July, 1911. These animals have remained' there throughout, showing no signs whatever of bush siclaiesS.Vand growing and developing in a normal and natural way. One ot';.the'so' had; two'attacks of some form of indigestion, each' of which'threw it back temporarily,- but on 'both occasions . a good recovery was made without treatment. "'These'animals' were transferred to the Mamakii Experimental Farm in January:;lasf. being still- in excellent, health. ■. Since going on to the experimental farm--they havo remained well. Two.ewes ..were also placed in this paddock on the'same dato as the. steers, but ono of these unfortunately died as the result of an accident seven months - afterwards. The second lived, and remained healthy, for. sixteen months, when it was worrier by 1 "a dog. Neither suffcral; frW-busu-sickness. '''*:.'.. '" Another Experiment. ■ V' . Another experiment was carried out in an immediately adjoining paddock of . similar land oh -the :sam.e farm:. This ''war u, sniall, piece of land, slightly.under 2' acres in was ploughed and sown down in English grasses and clover, and manured -with blood and. bone ma-nure,-7cwt. to the acre. One steer, about twenty-one months old, was plnced on it/on July 12, 1911, and remained in perfect-health, and - growing well until January last, when it was removed .to the. Government farm. This animal has kept in' good: condition through the experiment, and ■ when :removed showed every sign of perfect-health, and,-.more-over, since going on to the farm- it has still remained healthy. .Two ewes.were also placed-in this -paddock oh July. 7, 1911.- One died as the -result of; an accident on February 2G, 1912; the.other was killed by a dog in November, 1912. Neither had developed bush sickness. • No' control animals were used in these two experiments; but the farm-is well known to boj nffected with; bush sickness, the owner generally having found it necessary not to, run young cattle on it for more than - eight or nine, months at a time without.a-change. . -. That the soil-treatment given here did riot entirely prevent tho development of bush sickness was shown by the fact that of three, lambs born of .the ewes running in these paddocks . with tho steers, two died of bush sickness. All three lambs were born about June 15, 1911. The deaths from bush sickness occurred on tho following'dates: January 1, 1912, and March 30, 1912. The third lamb rem.rnctl- healthy until fifteen months after birth;-when it,, with its dam. was worried to death;by a dog. Lambs are much more susceptible, to the development of bush,.sickness-than aro -any other- ani-nial?,''.-be.c6minff Victims, of- it on oulv slightly-affected land whereon cattle and older, sheep will."remain free.from, it. It was unfortunate that these experiments, so-far as sheep and lambs were concerned, were incompleto owing to accident. It. is proposed to give full particulars' next month of each individual experiment in this series, including those which proved'indecisive. Tho subdivision of the Mamaku Exp.erimenfar and Demonstration Farm is now about :cbmplfite.d. It- has been stocked, and all arrangements aro well under waj' for-.commeiicing-practical dairy farming on it next season.