MAMMITIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1925, Page 4

MAMMITIS.

The- Secretary of tho South Island Dairy Association of New Zealand wrote as follows to Dr Ifeakes :

At a meeting of my Directors held in Dunedin on Tuesday, nth. Sept. I was instructed to write aiul ask you if vour Department luts reached any finality with regal'd to inoculating cows for mammitis. It has come under their notice that two men who do not appear to have any credentials, tire inoculating cows in Otago and Southland and charging ns a head with no guarantee. Dairy farmers are thinking that if your Department lias satislied itself that 1 enefuial results are obtained they think it would he much cheaper if the Department could supply Fanners with good scrum and do the inoculating themselves at a much lesser cost.

Dr C. J. It cakes. Direetor-donernl : of the Department of Agriculture has '• replied as follows :- - I have your letter ’ of ISth. iust. regarding the ipiestion of inoculating dairy cows as preventive of contagious mammitis. The Department has not yet reached absolute finality in the matter, hut sufficient, knowledge has been gained regarding the vaccine now being used in Now Zealand to enable an expression of opinion to he given. this is contained in the following extract from an article on the subject, which "ill appear in the Journal of Agriculture lot ibis month:- “Although the experiments are incomplete, hi that it is advisable to wait a full reason. and until calving has taken place for final results, sufficient time has elapsed so far as these trials are concerned, to .him' that vaccination with the two prophylactics reported upon has not, giveil' the expected' immunity, and that cows vaccinated have no greater resistant powers to infection than those not vac: inated.’’ 1 enclose a proof copy of the full article as it will doubt' less l-o of interest to your Dire: tors. V- regards iho suggestion el the Oeoartnieiii itself supplying vaccine, there is no intention of doing ibis unless v.e are able to supply a vaccine which has been proved to he reliaHo as a preventive. or a cure. Our efforts in ibis direction have, however, so far proved unsuecessfill.