LETTER FROM THE SHEEP INSPECTOR.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1065, 27 July 1883, Page 2

LETTER FROM THE SHEEP INSPECTOR.

TO THE EDITOR. - Sir, —I have often heard opinions expressed, during rny recent tour among the farms of this district, what a curse scab was to the sheep farmer, and what a great advantage it. would be if it were possible to stamp it out. Now, I have no hesitation in saying at once, from my knowledge of scab both as an old sheep farmer and a sheep inspector, that there is nothing easier in the world than curing scab. In rough, scrubby country you may have a difficulty in getting hold of the scab to cure it, but in paddocks you have no such difficulty. In discussing this subject, and looking upon it as a local matter —say, the country from the Wangaehu to Opunake—it appears to me that we have three difficulties to contend with—lst of all, scab itself ; 2nd, dishonesty of sheep owners; . and, 3rd, ignorance of scab among sheep owners. To begin with the Ist, scab itself : The cure for that is very simple. Two good dippings in lime and {sulphur, hot and strong, with a good soaking, and scab will be a thing of the past. The Resident Magistrate of Auckland once stated in court that it was the duty of all sheep owners to make themselves acquainted with scab, and, if not, to= be prepared to suffer all the penalties of “The Sheep Act, 1878 ”in fact, ignorance of scab was no excuse to come into court with.. I should therefore advise all owners of sheep to procure a copy of “ The Sheep Act, 1878,” which can-be obtained from any sheep inspector at a cost of 2s, and read the Act carefully over, especially‘section 154 ; also the memorandum by Dr Hector on scab and its cure. When a sheepowner sees his sheep begin to rub posts, or scratch themselves with ttXCTP^ bind footj he oagilt then to have reasonable grounds to suspect that hisAheep are infected, and the 24th section of the Act will inform him what to do. The . second difficulty we have to contend with, viz., the dishonesty of some sbeepowhers, is the greatest difficulty of all. • It is the easiest thing for persons: who have a good knowledge of scab to deceive their neighbours, the public at saleyards, and the sheep inspectors, as to the true state of their flocks, and it is against this deception that we have to fight. As an example of the great injustice done by the sale of sheep apparently free from scab, I may mention that at the present time there are five infected farms between the Waitotara river and Hawera, which have become infected by the purchase and re-pelling of sheep which were bought by a settler and unfortunately sold again by him, without his having first given them, a thorough good dip. This man assures me—and I have every reason to believe him—that ha bought and sold those sheep believing them to be clean. Now, it is almost impossible to say or prove where or when those sheep became infected with scab, and it is only for me to say how a recurrence of this misfortune may be prevented. The cure is both simple and 1 effective, and that is. to give the sheep a good dip at once after purchase without regard to anyprevious dips. Had this been done in the above case, the sheep which I found scabby would have received two good dips, and I have no hesitation in saying they would at this moment have been perfectly clean. To further this; object I would urge upon the settlers to^try and induce the owners of saleyards, andaSctioneers, to have in readiness' a the most approved dipping Cooper’s dip, which may be used cold, and is therefore the most handy to use in ? such a case. The charge for this dip would be about 2d per head, and the chances are that if there was a live scab insect on the sheep it would be killed, as no owner would be fool enough to bring a scabby sheep that would be detected, and which would require a hot dip to effect a certain cure, to a sale yard, and lay himself open to the penalties under,sections 34, 45, and 58 of the Sheep Act, Further than this, no wise sheepfarmer would be satisfied with one dip at the sale yards, but would 1 after, say a fortnight, give the sheep he intended to keep, a second dip, having kept them during the >fabove time in ;a paddock by themselves. It would assist those anxious to stamp out scab very much if the Government were to get an amendment to the Sheep Act passed, which would necessitate all owners of sheep having a dip, in the opinion of the sheep inspector, suitable for their flock. At present persons keep sheep who have no dip, and therefore never dip their sheep, it being rather a doubtful practice to allow a neighbour to dip his doubtful sheep at one’s homestead, and have one’s sheep and farm declared infected under the. interpretation section of the Act. The last difficulty to be contended against, namely, the ignorance of some sheep owners of scab, ! think I have already shown can be got over by a study of the Act; but there are some-owners who may comfort themselves in the” old saying of “ Where ignorance is bliss, ’twere folly to be wise.” I only hope they may ( not find to their cost it would have been wiser to have been less ignorant. Thereis another ignorance of which I may say most men are to the world and the sheep inspector_ proud of : I mean a knowledge of their neighbour and his sheep. Now, although I have no wish to ask any man to become an informer, yet it is the duty of every sheep owner (at least), if he sees anything suspicious in : a’ neighbour's flock, to not only tell that neighbour about it, but to see that he takes the proper steps to have it put right, and not to assist him to deceive , the public at large, I look upon this as a duty due by every man to himself, his neighbour, the public at large, and those who are appointed by Government to stamp out this disease called scab (which is looked upon by all as a curse to the fanner), but whose efforts can be but small unless greatly assisted by the sheep owners themselves. Hoping that I have not trespassed too much on your valuable space, although anything is almost justifiable which will induce sheep owners to take steps that w ill check the spread of scab. —I am, &c., Alex. Monro, ; Sheep Inspector.