FACTS FOR FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 388, 7 November 1874, Page 2

FACTS FOR FARMERS.

FLUKE DISEASE IN SHEEP NOT CONTAGIOUS. : " Cincinnatus," in the Quccnslandcr, writes thus: I— " In the Adelaide letter of the Courier of August 14, I read that 7,000 sheep, infected with fluke disease, had been slaughtered by order of the Government, and 3s a-head paid, as compensation to the j unfortunate owner. That individual has my heai-t- ■ felt sympathy, as I firmly believe he was the victim of a wide-spread popular delusion and unfounded prejudice. I should wish to know if it has ever been proved that fluke disease is contagious \ lam firmly convinced that it is not. It does not follow, because thousands of sheop, ranging over large tracts of country, and having probably access to wet and unwholesome land, become infected with fluke, that the disease in contagious, and that they communicate it one to another. The disease is engendered by the laud ; and if it were possible that each sheep could be made to graze apart separately, each sheep would become equally infected. The only way in which the disease could be communicated would be from the ewo to her lamb, as happens in many other diseases. Some diseases, such as sore eyes, or temporary blindness, sore feot, foot-and-mouth disease, are highly contagious, and run rapidly through a flock. They may be en lied cutaneous or skin diseases : but tho internal ones, such as red water,, worms, and iluke disease, have often been proved not to be contagious ; — they are caused by feeding upon bad, unwholesome land, and by nothing else. In that p.irt of the Old Country where I lived and fanned, each year, in autumn (that is, in Octobei and November), dealers traversed the country, bringing with them large droves of small black-faced, homy shcop, of which almost every resident gentleman bought a .score or two for the use of his family, a* the mutton, weighing from 101b to 181b a quarter, is of the finest quality, ranking next to Southdown, Those sheep all coino from afar off, from the mountains, some of which are diy and rocky, others wet and boggy, consequently very unhealthy for sheep. Now I and my neighbours also were well aware that almost every one of those sheep was infected with fluke, more or less, some to such an extent that the liver would be unfit for use j yet we always at once put them in amongst our store sheep, ewes or wethers— never had the slightest hesitation about the matter. After a few months upon rather bare pasture, they were removed to fattening grass, and in almost every gentleman's domesne they wore to be seen grazing along with large, valuable sheep, many of which were intended for tho Show. No one ever thought jrf such a thing as of fluke disease being infectious. In fact, I never heard of fluke disease in that park of tho country, because, I suppose, that the native 'sheep being very valuable, and the farms all securely fenced in, no one would allow them access to wot or marshy ground, where they would, almost to a certainty, contract disease of some sort or other. I have read of fluke disease making great ravages in England. ]do not know in what parts, but I take it for granted it must be on low or wet land, for sound sheep, upon sound dry land, and properly attended to, very seldom contract any kind of disease. —I have never seen a fluke in this country, but I presume it is the same as its British compeer — a small, dark-coloured animalcuhi, worm or insect, luilf-aii-inch or more in length, and about half-an -inch

broad, tlit and hluvjc.l like a i,oh, plaice, or lloiui'ler. Whilst I feel .ilmo.t coit.un (.hit they cannot h« destroyed by any moans, when onco they h ivo nv.d » a lodgment on the li\ er, yet 1 consider that they toceive a great check when the .sheep infected by them are removed to high, cby, and healthy land. "As tho Government here go to faucli great expense every year in appointing inspectors, guards, &c, to prevent the spread ot' diseases — amongst which, it appears, they reckon fluke disease — I think it would be well worth their while to place the matter beyond tho shadow of a doubt by making a fair experiment as to whether the disease referred to i.s contagious or not. This could be done by enclosing, in a small paddock, say 20 infected sheep along with the same number from a flock known to have never been infected with fluke, and leaving them together for as many month as would seem necessary. To secure a fair trial, land of the moat healthy nature should be'selected — limestone soil, if possible, with which, as regards sheep, none other can compare. Should such an experiment be made, and the result prove as I anticipate, it may be the means of saving to many persons much annoyance, expense, and loss."

Ashes made from the hard woods contain all the mineral elements of plant food, except phosphoric acid. If wheat is sown on land deficient in phosphoric acid, it would not seed out well. Ammonia would also be needed. No manure pays the farmer as well as those containing phosphoric acid. Potatoes succeed best with thoroughly rotted manure in which no more fermentation can take place. A very excellent compost for potatoes in swamp muck, bone dust, and plastei of Paris. One load of muck, 100 lbs of fine bonedusfc, and a bushel (801b.s) of plaster make a very useful fertilizer when stable manure cannot be procured. Fish guano makes a good substitute for the bone. Leather scraps are a very valuable fertilizer. The best way to utilise them is to take them in an oven until they become quite brittle, and then to pound them with a wooden stamper or a flail upon a barn floor. In this way any waste leather may be made useful. They furnish an acceptable fertilizer for grape vines, and may be hoed in around the roots. (■!•? It has long been a custom when a cow failed to breed to drive her some miles away to a bull, and the plan is generally successful. Recently an Irish breeder followed this plan with some Shorthorn cows which had failed to breed for several seasons, and they all became in calf. The ancient poet Virgil speaks of a similar practice as being in use in his day, and also of reducing the quantity of food and the condition of the animal as a means of procuring fertility. We know of no modern practice that is so effective as these old ones. It is reported as said by Dr Voelckner, chemist of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, that the escape of ammonia from fermenting heaps of manure goes on but slightly ; that while the escape is great from the heated central part of the heap, the ammonia is absorbed by acids formed by the decomposition and by the water present in the heap. All this goes to show that the manure heap should be kept well covered with absorbents, and that an occasional sprinkling with water is beneficial. Besides, good will result from copious sprinklings of ground gypsum or plastei\ In curing clover hay, a good plan is to start the reaping in the afternoon and keep cutting until dark. Due or rain will not hurt grass while it is green. The next morning, after the dew is off, rake the partially dried grass into small windrows with a steel rake. Turn them immediately after dinner, ami towards night rake into larger windrows and put into cock. Turn or spread out the cocks the next morning, and draw in the hay in the afternoon. If vigorous, healthy vines are wanted, do not allow but one shoot to grow the first season after planting. Rub off all other shoots, and keep this one tied to a stake during the season. Young vines should not be allowed to over-bear ; two bunches to a shoot are enough. For training older vines there have been recommended x great many plans. Any may be adopted which keep up a supply or bearing wood down near the ground.