THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1920. DISEASES IN STOCK.

Wairarapa Age, 23 March 1920, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1920. DISEASES IN STOCK.

It is fortunate that New Zealand has been comparatively free from diseases in stock, and that no scourge has had a devastating effect upon our flocks and herds in recent years. There is, nevertheless, need for the exercise of the greatest precautions in regard to tick and other parasites that have decimated the herds in the Australian Commonwealth. It was a bad day for New Zealand when Dr. J. A. Gilruth, one of the greatest students in veterinary research, was permitted to leave our shores. But his investigations have recently been conducted on behalf of the Commonwealth Government, and in these the producers of the Dominion will be more or less interested. In reply to inquiries, Dr. Gilruth said he had visited the Pasteur Institute in Paris and several laboratories in England the United States, and the results of his trip would bo embodied in a report to the Government. Generally speaking, he had been impressed by the sharp interruption in scientific work caused by the war, except as far as investigation turned upon problems arising out of the war. At the Pasteur Institute everything had been subordinated to the war. The staff had been mobilised for war work, and the students went off to the front. It was expected a month or two ago that research work on the old Unc3 would soon be resumed. "One noticeable thing 'now," he added, "is the great attention being paid by scientists in every, country to investigating the 'food values' of different kinds of foodstuffs. Remarkable work is feeing done in this 1 direction by Professor Hopkins, at Cambridge, and by Professc* McCallum, at Baltimore. Professor ; McCallum has carried out the most inexhaustible experiments with the rat, which, being omnivorous, is particularly suitable for use in investigating the varying values of animal and vegetable foods. One experiment gf foedjng a given number of rats on butter fat and another lot on vegetable fats, These substances are, of courso, chemically identical. The results of the experiments were very striking. The rats fed on butterfat thrived amazingly, and were in perfect health. The others were miserably wretched. Professor McCallum has 2000 rats in commission, and, in summing up the apparent lessona of his exhaustive biological survey of many kinds of foodstuffs, says that no family should spend money buying meat until oyery one of its members has been provided with a pint of milk a day. His investigation into the value of vegetable and animal proteins has been thorough. Obviously, these matters arc of great social particularly to the wageearning communities and countries which have to. depend, upon imported fopds. In-London interesting experiments in freezing are being conducted, with the object of improving the palatability of frozen meat and fish, and preventing leakage of the nutritive elenients. With fish these are said to have been exceptionally successful, the experiments pointing to th expediency of rapid freezing. It would also seem as if some of the theories which accounted for the ' weeping' of frozen meat when thawed will have to bo ;jpj,tisonod." Whilp in America, Dr. Gilruth had the opportunity of making a trip through the cotton belt, and inspecting two of the great meatkilling establishments in Texas. ** It is a popular delusion in Australia," he said, "that cotton growing in the United States is a black labour enterprise—rthat its success anywhere depends on having an abundance of cheap workers. Nothing could have less relation to fact. Cotton growing is a lucrative occupation, and pays first-rate wages. In 1914 the States had a record, crop of 16,500,000 bales. It sold at 7 and 8 cents a pound, latest crop is estimated at 10,500,000 bales, and is selling at 38 to 40 cents. Cctton pickers arc paid at the rate of II dol, to 2*dol. per 1001b, of seed picked, according to the density of the crop, and they pick from 300 to 4001b a d&y, TJipre is nothing 'cheap' about that. Some big. areas are worked on the share system by families. The owners provide the land, seed, mules, and implements, and the division is on a fifty fifty basis, It works satisfactorily. • The families flo well. So far as stock is concerned, the United States farmer takes very little interest in sheep, but is keen on hogs and cattle, Compared with the experiences in many parts of America, such as Texas, with stock disease, Australian pastoralists do. not know they are alive, There are immense areas whore stock has to be dipped every year as a protection against ticks, where every hoof has to be annually innoculated against anthrax, and where every calf has got to be treated with a prophylactic against blackleg. The labour thus called for is stupendous."