The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact Justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion religious or political THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3004, 15 October 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact Justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion religious or political THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 1891.

It serins rather hard lines now that sheep farming has become more prclitable, and the outlook for the

future so encouraging, that nil une,xp"cted difficulty should crop up in the form of an insidious disease among tho young sheep. This serious trouble, first heard of to any extent in the Tauranga district, seems to bo gradually spreading throughout the North Island. It has been attributed by many to lungworm, a complaint to which young sheep are particularly liable, when running upon damp, lowlying, or dirty pastures; but the mortality among flocks seems to be general. Even fern land freshly laid down in pasture and which would scarcely be expected to contain those parasites, seettis to be almost as bad so far as deaths among the sheep is concerned. That the matter is one for serious consideration and prompt action, on the part of the authorities and flockowners, is beyond question. The future of the colony, at least of those large portions of it which are at present unsuitable for anything but grazing, is inseparably bound up with the successful export of frozen mutton and wool. The fell disorder, which is now playing havoc with lambs and young sheep in all stages of their growth, will, if not speedily checked, seriously affect it.

We noticed lately that a question had been put to the Minister of Lands by Mr Lawry, M.H.R., as to what steps the Government were taking, re the sheep disease. The reply, as reported, was to the effect that enquiries were being made, and also that the disease was confined to one run in the Tauranga district, and only affected sheep running upon sandy soil. This answer we consider as eminently unsatisfactory. The sheep disease, whatever may be its nature, is to be found in all parts of Waikato ; but possibly not of so virulent a form as at Tauranga, where it has been neglected. When settlers lose half their sheep, or more, without any apparent cause, it is quite evident that some insidious disease is rife amongst the flock, and that careful enquiries should be made. This is just one of those subjects which our Farmers' Clubs can do much to assist in. They should take it in hand and endeavour to investigate the mysterious disease, which is causing so much loss to large and small floekowners alike. Now that we have directed attention to this matter, we feel sure some action will be taken by the Waikato Farmers' Club. We would make a further suggestion; they need not wait for the report from the Minister of Lands. Would it not be a good idea to ascertain what light Mr Larney, of Anthelmintic fame, could throw upon the subject 1 Mr Larney is by profession a veterinary surgeon, and almost all his life has been spent amongst sheep. If he could be prevailed upon to prepare and read a paper at a meeting of the Waikato Farmers' Club upon the subject of the lung disease in sheep, we feel sure much valuable information would be imparted to its members, and when disseminated through the medium of the press, would extend tho value of the knowledge so gained to floekowners outside our own immediate district.