FARM & DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1916, Page 12

FARM & DAIRY.

COMMON MEDICINES FOR FARM USE.

Every farmer in a country sucli as this, where veterinary assistance is often practically unobtainable, should keep a few common remedies at hand and learn their properties. If this were done more often it would result in the saving of many valuable animals in the course of a year.

A few of the most useful are Epsom salts, raw linseed oil, turpentine, tincture of opium, bluestone and Stockholm tar,' while a few drugs, such as calomel, corrosive sublimate and some carbolic acid might also be added. Some curved needles, silk, calico bandages, cotton wool, etc., would also tend to make the surgery more complete.

There is much doubt as to what quantites of Epsom salts to use in giving this valuable laxative and aperient. It is safe to say that if the farmer gives it in doses of one to one and a-half pounds to cattle and three to six ounces for sheep, he will not 'be far out. It is most effective if given in water, and best of all with plenty of warm water. Probably this is the most common physic used on the farm.

Another highly efficacious remedy is turpentine—in fact, a very well-known veterinarian describes it as one of the most valuable medicines for general purposes that a farmer can have. Given witfl linseed oil, together ? with tincture of opium, it makes a most useful colic drench. -

A dose of one and a-half ounces (three tablespoonsful), two ounces of tincture of opium (four tablespoonsful), shaken up in a bottle of raw linseed oil, makes a very effective colic drench for a horse. This can be repeated in an hour if the animal does not get relief. Given in the same way, but without the tincture of opium, it is very serviceable in cases of hoven or bloat.

Turpentine is also a very active worm medicine, and when given for this purpose should be mixed with linseed oil. Lambs and kids take a teaspoonful of turpentine, calves a tablespoonful, dog? twenty or thirty drops. Worm memeines are most effective when the patient has been well fasted before it is administered.

Used externally, turpentine 19 a v%-\'v'. J antiseptic, and a dressing of turpent'ii: ! n the proportion of one part to sd' parts of rape oil makes an excellent ap plication for wounds, promoting healing md keeping off flies. It is als.i usefu' 'or arresting bleeding from a woiiift!, vliich may be plugged with a wad ot cotton wool or tow wetted with turpen ine. It should not be applied pure to I -he skin of any animal, as it is '.vry rritating, Another very valuable remedy is bluestone, the use of which many farmers ;ire familiar with. It is an excellent worm medkinc. When given internally, it must be well diluted. CaWes about six months old can take about thirty trains dissolved in at least half a pint of water. For sheep lib should be dissolved in sixty bottles of water, and from one and a-half to five ounces given as a dose according to the ages of the inimal. The quantities re tommendod iv the late Dr. Ilutchcon tor the treatnent of wire worms is as follows.--For lambs 3to 6 months, \\' z to 2oz. , For lambs 6 to 9 months, 3oz For lambs 9 to 12 months, \\ l / 2 ciz. For lambs 12 to 18 months, i to 4'/ 2 o? For lambs 18 months and .ivjr, soz. The do9es given here are full ones and ought to be reduced if the aniuial is debilitated or out of condition. It could Dc tried first on a few of the weaker animals to note the effects before dosing the whole flocks. Eluestone should always be given after the animals have fasted. Sheep should fast from twenty to thirty hours before being dosed, and be kept away from water for the rest of the day after they have been dosed. It should be given to them slowly to prevent it! finding its way into the lungs and setting up inflammation. There are many other things which oould be touched upon did space permit. Before closing, however, it may be advisable to deal briefly with the properties of raw linseed oil. This is a valuable laxative, especially good for horses and calves. Mixed with equal parts of lime water it forms what is known a3 carron oil, a most soothing application for burns and scalds, and In this form, with the addition of three or four tablespoonsful of tincture of opium, and given to the extent of two bottlesfui, it is serviceable jn cases of tulp poisoning. The doses are as follows: For horses, one to two pints; calves, up to six ounces; sheep the same. It may also be given with carbolic acid, quinine, and i-alomel in the treatment of redwater. In such case 3 the treatment should be as follows: Calomel, one drachm (sixty grains); carbolic acid, one drachm (one tc-aspoonful); quinine, two drachms (two piled teaspoonsful). This should be well shaken together in a pint of raw linseed oil, to be followed a few hours after by a similar dose from which the ealomel has been omitted and the quantity of oil reduced to twelve ounces. The latter dose may be repeated every twelve hours as long as necessary, but to be of use it must be given in the early stages. Of course, where good veterinary advice can be obtained it does not pay to experiment, but still the farmer who makes himself familiar with the remedies detailed will certainly find it a good investment.

MEDICINAL PLANTS. The question of the production of medicinal plants and herbs is becoming a live one in Australia at the present time. The continent of Europe has been the main producer of drugs and medicinal plants required, and, owing to their abundant production, Antipodean countries have allowed themselves to be dependent upon Europe for necessary supplies. Owing to the war these supplies have been very much 'reduced; it is therefore well to concentrate all endeavor so as to be independent of external sources, and to produce as many and aa much of the reduced medicinal drugs as the soil and climate will permit. In order that full information on the important question of suita'ble plants production may be given, a Medicinal Plants Board is now considering these and other vital phases of the cultivation of such plants. And until such time a? the board has determined several main and important questions, it will be advisable for those who are considering the growing of these plants to exercise due caution, and either make enquiries from the various wholesale chemists a 9 to their requirements, or to wait until the report of the expert sub-committee is published.

No less than sixty million gallons of milk are received in London by rail every year, tho output of at least 120,000 WWt.

LIFE OF SEEDS. The longevity of seeds is the subject of a communication made by Dr. Skull to the Plant World. It recounts the results of experiments made at Cold Spring Harbor, 'New York. A dam burst and consequently was drained. Within a few months a luxuriant vegetation sprang up on the dried floor. It was known that the pond had not been drained for at least seventy years. Yet from out of the dried mud there arose in the spring some 140 species of flowering plants, many mosses, and at least one liver-wort. Of the flowering plants a few were perennials, and of these an aster and a solidago flowered in the summer, and must, therefore, have grown from pieces of root stock. Experiments were made with the seeds. Six lots of seeds of each of twenty-two species of plants were placed in soil in large glass jars. The jars containing the soil were filled with water, were stowed in a 'basement room, and water was added from time to time in order to make good the loss by evaporation. Eighteen months after the starting of the experiment, one of the jars was opened and the germination of the seeds tfested, with the result that in due course seedlings appeared of a cyprus, juncus, sium, muehlenbcrgia, plantago and verbena. At later dates, viz., from 2>/ 2 years to t'/2 years, other seedling plants made their appearance, viz., chenopodium, lapps, and other species of the genera, before mentioned. During the long submersion the seeds remained inert, but •vlien they were restored to an atmosphere containing the normal low percentage of carbon dioxide, the suspended animation was broken, and the seeds ■jerminated. How long life remains in such seeds has yet to be determined.

UDDER TROUBLES, Farmers would often save themselves in immense amount of worry, work and loss if they would instantly isolate a cow when anything is seen to be wrong with her udder. Infection from germs is present in nearly all eases of mamr.iitis (garget) of the udder. The infection is often carried from the diseased tow to other cows by the milkers' hands, fr extends from stall floors and gutters contaminated by milk or pus from a caked udder. The contents of a diseasH udder should never be milked on to the floor of the shed. The infected cow should be milked last, or by some-:-ne who does not milk the other cows. All milkers should be careful to wash tlicir hands frequently and to keep their finger-nails short and clean. j When milking machines are used be'vare of the non-sterilised milking tube It carries infective matter and leads to (loss of the quarter or udder. The milkinj! tube is a most dangerous instrument unless cleansed by boiling 20 minutes be fo»o use.