CORRESPONDENCE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9173, 22 August 1908, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE

(To the Editor). Sir,— Having read a report of a letter in your valuable paper to the Secretary of the Masterton A. and P. Association from the Secretary of the Hawke's Bay A. and P. Society, requesting information as regards the disease known as "bearing down" in ewes. Well, sir, I should like to give my opinion of this disease, as it is a matter I have given my fullest attention to extending over twelve years of actual experience as a shepherd, among all breeds of sheep, chiefly in the South Island (mid-Can-terbury). I find the disease is more common in the North Island than the South, and a heavier mortality among ewes. The chief cause of the heavy losses in this Idind I attribute to too much condition on the ewes at lambing, and more so with ewes mated with Lincoln rams. I find, so far this season, that it ia chiefly ewes crossed with the latter breed and carrying ram lambs, and being too fat that are the victims. As to treatment, the only successful experiment 1 find is to treat the bearing by well saturating with oil, putting back and stitching up. I have already treated two ewes so far here thisseason in this manner and have been successful. With the backward conditioned sheep 1 have no trouble. I have treated ewes in the South Island in a similar manner, and hardly had a failure. Of course you must treat a sheep in proper time, that is, directly you notice it, or else it is no use once the bsadng turns a brown colour. Any careful shepherd working in the interests of his flock should always have the necessary appliances with him. Fanners and runholderd in this Island especially those that have been well stocked up through the winter and that are now simply existing on what pastures they have, will find to their benefit the small losse's occurring through this disease amongst their ewes, mainly on account of the scarcity of grass and their' flocks backward, viz., not carrying too much surplus fat. I might state in conclusion, that in carrying out this treatment the ewe must first be stood on her head and no undue force used in putting tho bearing back into its right position. Then a private mark put on thefie ewes after treating on the ear I find the best, no as they may be culled at weaning and not bred from again. This mark will also suffice as a clear proof whether the treatment has been successful or not at docking time. In Canterbury, I might slate also, the disease I found t.> be quite com non among old breeding Mtrir.o ewes that had been mated with English Leicester rams. Through this I found the cross breedI ing with the coarse sheep helped to tho mortality. - I am, etc., 1 BACK COUNTRY SHEPHERD.