MAMMITIS IN COWS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1925, Page 4

MAMMITIS IN COWS

TWO DISTINCT KINDS. THE. HAMILTON VACCINE. WELLINGTON, January 21. Considerable publicity lias been given to the cause and cure of mammitis recently, and funnel's throughout New Zealand are anxiously awaiting some definite cure for this troublesome disease. The Director-General of Agriculture, Dr C. J. Peakes, who has just returned from a tour of the Waikato district, informed a “ Dominion ” reporter yesterday tintl the Department in using every endeavour to' satisfactorily deal with the trouble. "When in Hamilton this week,” said Dr Realms, “I went very fully into the matter of the vaccine treatment for. contagious mammitis. What is claimed for it is that it acts as a preventative. As stated recently, the Depart-

meat endeavoured some time ago, about the end of November in fact, to obtain a supply of this vaccine in order to test it out. hut was unable to get it. A statement lias now been made by the proprietors which clears up any misconceptions which may have arisen as to the Department not having taken earlier steps in 'the matter of testing the material. A supply has lately been made available and arrangements for thorough tests are in hand. It must he understood that as the vaccine is put forward, as a preventative and not as a cure, the testing out process must necessarily he lengthy, and at least a year or eighteen months, and possibly two years, must elapse before a final decision can lie arrived at. .Meanwhile, I am unable to say whether the vaccine is. or is not, reliable. AVe are going to give it a fair and thorough test, both in the AVaikato district and at the AVallaeeville laboratory.” It must not he thought that all cases of mnnimitis—the term really meant inflammation of the udder—were cases of contagious nsammitis, said Dr Henkes. “Our experience, based on samples ol milk examined microscopically, shows that less than 50 per cent, of the suspected cases contain the organism causing the disease. At the AA allaeoville laboratory last year. 791 such samples were examined, and only 313, or 13 per cent., proved to be of the contagious variety. The samples examined at Hamilton show about the same percentage. AVhat may he termed ordinary mammitis, not caused by contagion, is very prevalent, and it must lie clearly under,stood that any vaccine which proves on test to he efficacious in preventing the contagious form of the disease cannot be expected to protect cows against this ordinary form, the causes of which include the improper

iKindling of milking machines, want of cleanliness in them, or insanitary conditions in and about the milking machine sheds and yards. Dirt is one of the dairy-farmer's greatest enemies, and it is a potent factor in causing udder disease, as well as in depreciating the quality of dairy products, and I can say with confidence that the greater amount of cleanliness in and about the milking shed and in the milking machines, and the better the control of pressure in the machines, the less will be the trouble with ordinary mammitis.

“ As regards the contagious form of the disease, it spreads more easily under insanitary conditions, and much can be done to prevent its spread by effective' cleansing of the milking machine cups between each cow, and by stripping with clean hands. Every known affected cow should he milked separately, and both hands and machine cups should be thoroughly cleansed by washing in a solution of some antiseptic—boracic acid would do—before being used on another cow. There is 'nothing like cleanliness to combat disease. The department’s officers will always he glad to advise and assist farmers in dealing with these udder troubles in their cows, and pending results with the vaccine tests a great deal of good can he done by following out the present accepted lines of both preventive and curative treatment, of which full details can be found in a pamphlet on the subject published by the department and available for any tanner who applies for it.” The following statement has been issued to the Press by the proprietors of the new vaccine :

“The proprietors of the vaccine have had their attention drawn to the tact by the Director-General of Agriculture, that his department has been misrepresented with regard to the attitude the Department lias adopted in connection with the testing of the vaccine. It is correct that the Department was unable to obtain a supply of the vaccine when it first desired it, but it was latei made available, but under restrictions which the proprietors now realise could not have been acceptable to the Department. All these restrictions have now been withdrawn, and the material i'> now available lor the Department to test at its own discretion. In addition, the proprietors desire to clear up an entire misconception which appears . to have arisen regarding their interview with the Hon O. J. Anderson in Wellington. Certain Press reports convey

the idea that the Hon Mr Anderson pledged the support of Cabinet to the scheme of using the vaccine in herds, and gave authority to the proprietors to proceed with their operations. This was not the case at all. All that was stated by the Minister, was that the question of the efficacy of the vaccine seemed to be worthy of investigation, and he promised that he wuoid eonliiunicate the whole of the facts placed before him to his colleague, the -Minister for Agriculture in order that the vaccine might bo given a thorugb trial.”