BOARD OF AGRICUL-

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 183, 29 April 1919, Page 8

BOARD OF AGRICUL-

THE CATTLE TICK

REGULATIONS REQUIRED FOR NORTH ISLAND The Board of Agriculture 6at in Wellington . on. April 23,, Sir James Wilson (presiding, and Dr.'. Reakes, DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, being present. '■.'The'.:Hob. W.' D: S.;MncDonald,'MmMter of' Agriculture, at the earlier i>nrt of-the'meeting, addressed the' board'upon •various points bearing upon the matters contained in the ,or,der paper,, some.'"of jwhioh >ero of: a specially important .amture...

The board went into the matter of too shipping position, and. the congestion of cold-storage' 1 space in "the Dominion, ;to : gether with the effect upon fat stock values which has resulted from the existing conditions. •"•■ The question of ticks-infesting .cattle in New Zealand was dealt with as a result of a communication from the Masterton Farmers' Union, and Dr. R«akes gave a full account of the nature and the habits of. tho ticks, and of tho extent of their possibilities in causing loss; to stoolcowners'Jn the"Dominion;'; '." ..',''." Dr. Reakes, stated that the nets as a carrier o'Oi'c&fever'in Queensland, is of a variety Tcnowrih's Boophilus tßovis or Boophilus Australia. In North lAmerica the same diseaso is conveyed by a tick termed .Boophilus, Annulatus or -Bhipicephalus' Annulatus. Tlie" ticks •found on cattle in New- Zealand nio named Ixodes Ric'inus' (popularly termed the "castor bean" or ,dog tick), and another (the most common) of the variety ki.own as Haeniaphysnlis. The Department has carried out thorough.and.exact investigation and.experimental, work,,both on practical and scientific lines, and has verified its conclusions-as :to the identity of the ticks by submitting, .'specirfldns .pi ■them to first-class -authorities .in. ,Greai Britain. It was realised .that, as ticks act as conveyers of tick-fever, and nro not. in themselves capable of, setting up this disease,,tho presence of these parasites in ;New "Zealand ,'dbes not constitute an immediate menace; in. the , fornv ■of causing or.'.-spreading tick-foye'r, (which ilias never gained'entrance,into New Zealand), or any otljer serious disease of cattle. At- the- same,-time, apart' 'from serious disease, .flioy'can; if.;tbey become' numerous enough; cause; depreciation .'in tho value of stock; and'moreover/ though the stringent, quarantine■ regulations in force render it unlikely; if tick-fever ever did get into the; Dominion these ticks would doubtless: afford':.a ■ niedijwi- for spreading it, in manner as the ticks of a different- variety, though of similar habits,"-present, in, .Queensland, act as tf ore..resolved-'that:'regulations .were-re-quired, to .'apply-to.' the■'North-Island,- -to make tick -infestation' of- cattle ■ notifiable end to- compel- the- cleansing M, infested cattle -from, and rthp.prevention 'of'.theft: sprfiai tP,:,other districts througn'/the'Tnedium of- -trayoiling.,stac.k. '. Suggested -amendments,to ~the-,,NM°uj Weeds Act were considered,,and a.draft of a Pure Seeds .-Bill'was-.closely''.gone into. The work of the' Department in tonnection with"a|riculfufal advancement nwi 'agricultural gone into with tho Director-General, the position as regards" existing "conditions end future intentions being quite,understood; This "'included'-consideration of the Josiah; Howard bequest and proposals for'-ooioperatihg- -with,V,flie';liincpln College ,in. plant-breeding .w'ork. The' board fully supported- these proposals. ' ■. . , , , The State farms, at Weraroa, Moumahaki, Te-'Kauwliata,- and -Tanranga .were discussed,--'pa'ftiolilsrlr tllß '"t* o " la * t " named; --'which- 'were- reeently inspected , by the board.- "--A' valuable ,rep6rt,. On -.;.. the Moumahaki farm,.,was .furnished, by ; Mr. 0. Hawken, the I'arapaki representative, and Dr. Eeakes g'avo particulars regard-

ing Weraroa. .• -w..! , An. interim repjort was roceivetUtrc-m tho sub-committee appointed to iiiqmre into the relative'merits of the various live stock- branding schemes and'the standardisation of ear-marking jliors. The board'was advised-as to-the steps whioh had-'been 'taken- by the' Miriister tod the Department to. ascertain when ample Biippliesl'of rabbit-netting would be available at reasonable prices-.- It'-was realised- tha H.he -best'; pbssiblo" wasrbeuig done in this direction. " . ;' : : -.'"-';. ■ A lengthy report from- the Dunedin Crown Lands Banger on -tlio, proposal l of the Otago Farmers' Union that opossums might be liberated in some of the forests of the Great Alpino Range was carefully considered. It was finally agreed that this might prove a;.considerable source of revenue to. the r country '(a 9 blacks opossums were said to be worth M each) if the black or brown ones vera introduced, and if. every ■care was taken to prevent their introduction into dis. tricts whero they might become ' a menace to tho fruitgrowing industry..