ADDRESS TO FARMERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 31 July 1913, Page 6

ADDRESS TO FARMERS.

by a government veterinarian.

. Mr A. R. Young, Government Vet- ; inarian, addressed a meeting of about ; forty fannerß at the A. and P. rooms in Masterton yesterday, under | the auspices of the local branch ot j the Farmers' Union. The chair was i occupied by Mr R. D. McKenzie j Mr Young said he had decided to f discuss tho question of partruition, which affected foaling, calving, and lambing. He stated that cattle should be placed in a paddock by themselves for at least a fortnight prior to partruition. Immediately after birth, the breathing c.f * or foal should be attended to, followed by the treatment of the naval cord. Mr Young described the steps that w«}ro necessary to assist partruition. Ho stated that many faimers considered there was contagious abortion, when no such thing existed. Death of the young animal freqiiently occurred a.s a?" result of indigestion in tho mother. No attempt should be made to remove a dead animal until the parts had been thoroughly cleansed. It was a practice to de- ( stroy the cleansing when abortion / was suspected. The lecturer urged that all cleansing should be destroyed, whether in cases of abortion or not. All cattle should be thoroughly cleansed after partruition. This would avoid septio matritis, which frequently resulted in death. Mr Young proceeded to refer to tho subject of contagious mammitis, This was,'he said, a disease affecting the udders of cows. How, and when this disease was introduced, to New Zealand, was to him a -mystery. _ He pointed out that of all the specimens f sent to Wellington,.not more than 30 or 40 per cent, was contagious mammitis. Tho difficulty with this disease was that, to destroy it after it had got a hold on the udder, .meant the destruction of the udder itself. The greatest scientists of the world were working away at the disease. They discovered "many cases, but in' most cases the cure was worse than the disease. Contagious mammitis was known to have existed in New Zealand, for at least fifteen years. The lecturer was inclined to think that in some cases contagious mammitis might be a "development of ordinary mammitis. A good plan, J when a cow was being turned out at the end of the season, was to inject a J four per cent, solution of boracic acid into the teat. It was impossible, at ; times, to tell when' a cow had contagious mammitis. When a cow was dry nobody could state whether it had the disease or not. It was hopeless for fanners to expect the Government to prevent the sale of cows affected with contagious mammitis. Ordinary mammitis consisted of acute inflammation, followed by an accumulation of pus. This disease was treated in Taranaki by injecting a solution of water and lysol or other disinfectant into the udder. A In answer to questions, Mr Young stated tliat soap did not have a bad effect on disinfectants, in cases of cleansing. Nearly the whole of the trouble in sheep was of disletic origin. Drenching did good, but it did not assist in. the cleansing of an animal after partruition. Mr Young was accorded a hearty . vote thanks for his address.