MALNUTRITION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 154, 22 February 1932, Page 4

MALNUTRITION

STOCK DISEASE AGRICULTURAL DEPT. MAK£ EXPERIMENTS WITH TREATMENTS SUCCESS OF IRON OXIDE Despite wet weather conditi fully 50 farmers from Tokoi Waotu, Puketurua and Putaruru . tricts visited Mr. R. H. Hill's est on Saturday for the purpose of specting lines of sheep which h been under experimental treatm with various iron compounds desi ed to combat unthriftiness in stc This experimental work is being c ducted by the chemistry section the Department of Agriculture, un the direet supervision of Mr. C. Taylor, analyst's assistant, Rotoi and was commenced in the early j of May, 1931. The results to d have been exceedingly gratifying. Three pens of breeding ewes "vv on view for inspection. At the c mencement of the experiment in M 50 average ewes between the ages two and three years, and which ] been on the property for not ] than two years, were selected each of three trial groups out o flock of 2,000, as follows: — (1) G trol or no-treatment group ; (2) i ammonium- citrate group; (3) lini ite or iron-oxide group. All groups grazed the same set paddocks in rotation, thus elimii ing any possible suggestion that i in particular were favoured in treatment received other than mi cinal. The iron-ammon-citrate was s plied in a salt lick ; the limonite -i used in equal quantities with s and no difficulty was experienced getting the sheep to take this n ture. The limonite group — 45 ewes i 44 lambs — were an outstanding f ure of the experiment, the ewes; ing particularly bright and healt while the lambs were well bt robust, and with a healthy bloom the wool, and gave the impress that they had come off limestj country. The total cost of treatmt including limonite and salt, for \ nine months' period was slightly c 5id per head. Tl/e ' eontrol group — 16 ewe were poor in condition and unthrii The iron-ammon-citrate groupewes — showed an improvement c the eontrol group, but were still iri below the standard set by the lin ite group. The cost of this tr. ment was slightly above 3d per li Details of Treatment The .'details of the experimj were explained hy Mr. Taylor,; a keen interest was shown by; farmers in questioning and dis sion on the full details. Opportu was taken by those present of h ling both ewes and lambs, and expressed themselves in de£ terms of satisfaction with the red the lambs handling even better ; they looked. „ i Mr. D. Marshall, Government; | erinarian, made a post mortem e: | ination of two lambs — one from limonite group, which killed oii ! 44|lbs., and one lamb which had j received any medicinal treatiJ The former was in a perfectly hej ! condition and entirely free from b j sites, while the latter was in rm ; pood condition with evidence of ■ satic trouble, in spite of the factj bath were grazing on the samel tures in rotation: This would 9 to point that the treated animals able to throw off the parasltesj the other was not. 1 The manurial treatment to thel tures on which the trial was conj ed, has been for a number of m 2cvff. of super per acre, buta autumn a dressin of 2cwt. of A and slag (half and half) was aM instead, no lime at any time nn been used. |! Useful Experiments a Judging on results experi® with limonite (iron oxide) It w appear that there should be noa culty in rearing healthy sheea this class of country, and by mea which are both' economical and fl tical. a The people of the districB greatly indebted to Mr. Humpl manager of the property, andH Woodeock, a member of his stafl making possible these -experiiaj and the very careful attention ■ in the carrying out of the woi'k.B It was the intention of the .■ to eonclude the day by a visit tM Ngakuru development block, buM to the inclemency of the weathefl part of the programme was po® ed to a future date. a