BATTERY METHODS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 October 1940, Page 9

BATTERY METHODS

RESULTS OF HIGH PRESSURE FARMING MANY DISEASES TRACEABLE. TIMELY WARNING ISSUED. That modern “battery methods” of agriculture were responsible for much of the increase in stock diseases ovei the last 20 years is the contention of Mr C. Aberdeen. L.V.Sc., veterinary surgeon for the Riverton and District Veterinary Club. Mr Aberdeen states that 20 or more years ago one to two sheep pet was the average, and now nothing under 5 to 10 is seen on many farms, and these farms run sheep alone with a house cow and no horses, tractois taking their place. On a 20 to 40-acie paddock up to 200 sheep are run, five times the old number, five times the number of worms and eggs, and Za times the chance of any sheep swallowing larvae; hence the importance ot worms and drenching. Again, the present methods of agriculture and manuring have increased the amount oi clovers, and up the clover leaves the larvae can crawl easily compared to ordinary grass, hence the chances of sheep collecting more larvae. Temporary sterility in dairy herds is usually physiological, not pathological, and three factors are mainly responsible: Feeding, lack of sufficient exercise, and intensive mammary activity. The farmer grows and uses extra food during milk production, as he can see a definite return, but for the period prior to calving equal food value is lequired. Inadequacy of exercise refers more particularly to tethered bulls. Exercise is of physiological importance upon the blood lymph, viability quality and quantity of spermatozea, upon respiration, digestion, and skeletal muscle tone, and so on.

trail OF DISEASE LEFT.i “Our knowledge of the detailed functions of minerals, vitamins, hormones or aminoacids in the complicated reproductive cycle is lamentably incomplete. We have as yet no more than touched the fringe of the subject, and in the meantime we are faced with a problem which the modern high-speed, high-production agriculturist is doing his best to intensify and render more complicated, and we are unable to keep pace with the disease trail left by him. “Let us consider a condition which we are all familiar with to some ex-tent-cobalt deficiency. We have a tank with one tap, and it can empty itself in 24 hours. We put in four extra taps and it empties itself in five hours. That is a picture of what our present methods of agriculture are doing to our trace elements, of which cobalt is only one The time is rapidly approaching when we can expect other trace element troubles if, indeed, we not already have them in a mild, unrecognised form. . “What is taking place in agriculture now? We are manuring, but with a few only of the essentials, those few we know We are mining the gold from the soil and leaving the dross. We are not taking two blades of grass where we once took one; we are taking five, and trying to make it fifty, but we ■can’t buck nature and not expect her jto hit back, and hit back she will. The time has come to take stock of our resources and leaven our reason with a mite of common sense, and it is to our agriculturalists we must look, but will they rush wildly on and leave the veterinary profession to puzzle out and clean 'up their disordered house as> they are doing now? VALUE OF PROPER FEEDING. “Certainly let us grow 50 bales of grass where once one grew, if by so doing we are not bucking nature. At the present time, however, on many farms nature is issuing a warning and we must heed that warning and try and realise just what the warning refers to. “Are there any methods of counteracting the damage of modern high pressure agriculture? I believe we can minimise the damage by attention to pre-natal and post-natal care of young stock. The last quarter of its life in its mother's womb is of paramount importance to the constitution of the young animal, and how often does one find this fact being recognised and steps taken to ensure a sufficiency of correct food supplied to the mother animal? “It is, however, useless to secure young of good constitution and health if correct feeding is not carried on with them until such time as they, too, come into production. Ewe hoggets and heifer calves do not receive sufficient care from weaning, and if they can be kept safely alive during their first winter well and good, but what effect must this have on their later productive value? Then again, heifers in calf do not receive proper recognition. They are still growing and trying to carry a calf at the same time, and insufficient care in.this period must re- ' act detrimentally to their later productivity. SHELTER AND WARMTH. “Another point with all animals is apparent, and that is shelter during winter. Good shelter means quite a saving in food requirements, but one seldom sees shelter requirements tackled in a straight-forward manner. In the absence of shelter, rugging of cat-

tie and extra feed are points to be considered.

“A final point to weight and ponder: Over 25 per cent of the year’s profit is derived from the last three months of pregnancy of stock, their so-called non-productive period. As a counteractive agency for the unfortunate outcome of farming for increased production. it must be quite clear th-u the modern farmer should be in touch with' an expert adviser, such as a competent veterinary surgeon to help him meet the sea of troubles modern methods have produced.”