FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2117, 27 June 1907, Page 4

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

The case of a young man, of Olna-l-uhe, Carterton, atacked by actinomycosis (states a Wairarapa correspondent of tho “Taranaki Herald ), is said by veterinarians to be the first in which a man lias contracted the disease in New Zealand. Aho man is a farm labourer, and it is supposed he became infected from cattle So far there are only two cases on record in which a man lias contracted the disease by direct infection from cattle. These eases are recorded bv the scientists Stolzner and Hodker, and in each of them the subject was a man in charge of cattle suffering from actinomycosis, the tumors of which wero suppurating. The disease is of a fungoid nature, and probably gains entrance to the system through tho medium of wounds or abrasions. In the case of this man, the growth is perceptible in the neck, .and lie has been conveyed to Carterton, where lie beinn- attended to. An operation will be necessary to remove the growth, and the-wound will then lie treated by iodide and potassium, which ,is much used in these cases by veterinarians. A Palmerston' gentleman has received a letter from Messrs Weddel and Co., of London,, from which the following extract- is made We think New Zealand is making a great mistake in erecting factories permanently, with the impression that the present! high prices will continue. AA T e look upon them as being abnormal, and accidental. Last year there was drought, more or less severe, in Canada and also a similar conditions of things in this country, by which the make of cheese would be reduced from 30,000 to 20,000 tons, and if next year New Zealand increases lier cheese factories, as she is aparently. going to do (and which Canada is certainly doing), and we have in this country and Canada a normal season, then cheese will lose its position and the capital invested in your cheese factories will be a dead weight on the owner or owners.”

An important point is raised by the Hawke’s Bay correspondent of the Otago AA’itness. He writes: At AA’aipnknrau recently there was a line of Romney ewes which were the biggest framed sheep I have seen in the yards for a long time; in fact, I do »iot tliink ; I ever saw a line of finer, biggerframef] sheep. They were only in moderate condition, nml it would be hard to say wliat weight they would go when fat, but) it would bp somewhere near 801 b. It must be taken years of cprefill culling to gpt- them to 'that standard. Tho tiling is: Does it pay to have them so big ? I am inclined to think that.is does not. A ewe of great size must' require a proportionate amount of food, and if 120 moderate-sized sheep could be carried with the same, amount of grass tliafi it would take to feed 100 of the very " big ones, moderate-sized sheep would pay. the.best. . I am no advocate for small sheep,.. especially breedingewes, but it seems possible that they can be to big. As a general rulo'tlie very big sheep are light clippers. Those mentioned cut 81b. Tho question of whether this is an. adequate, return for the amount of. food consumed is what' I am . trying to get at. If size with jiroportionate weight of wool can be got, that would be one point in favour of tlio big sheep. For niv own part- I Jiave never put a sheep out of the ilo.ck for being too big, blit have put out many very big sheep for not carrying enough wool.