TAURANGA SHEEP DISEASE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3009, 27 October 1891, Page 2

TAURANGA SHEEP DISEASE.

The following report prepared by Mr John F. McCleati, under instruction from the Minister of Lands, will "O read with mure than ordinary intorestut this particular season by flock-owners in Waikato where considerable mortality among youug sheep has been of too frequent occurrence during pant seasons :—

" I have (.lie honour to report that acting on your instructions I visited thn Taurangn District in Juno lust forthu purimse of making an enquiry into tho causa of the mortality prevailing among flocks in that district. This so called disease is almost wholly confined to lambs and has I am told caused the deaths of from 60 to 90 per emit. VRiirly since somewhere about tho yuar 1S61). It id,l presume, unn ecesaary for mo to enter into a detailed description of the history, symptoms, and distribution (if this afFection, as this information has already boun given correctly and in full in newspaper reports on this subject. At the time of my visit the deaths had ceased for this year, and I was unable to obtain luinhs for post mortem examination that had died of the Tauranga Disease. My visit was therefore principally conlinedto examining the flocks, their surroundings, and the management generally. I saw lambs said to ba recovering froiii the disease, and killed and examined several ; the appearances in all instances were those duo to inanition accompanied with parasitic invasion. The parasites generally were the flat and round worme common to slie»p in all districts, but the presence of the larvae of the sheep fly in the nostrils was specially riotic»able,over a hundred specimens of this parasite being fraud in the nostrils of all the lambs evamined by me. Except in one or two noticeable instances, external parasites in the shape of lice and ticks were prevalent to an extent denoting a great ainountof carelessness amongst the owners. The whole of the affected area is of a pn.ir sandy character and was at the time of my visit very bare and there likewise appeared to me to be almost a total absence of any provision for wintering stock. The pastures genernlly are naturally poor but I could detect nfl weed or herb of an injurious oliarncter. I am theraforo of opinion that these lambs are dying from inanition due primarily to a want of suitable nourishment and secondarily to tho exhaustion c uised by the sequence m their debilitated condition. The various parasites which follow as a natural fact that stock that have been removed to other pastutes before rißcomim? seriously rrinced in strencth have rapidly recovered is to my mind conclusive evidence that the iilfcclinn is simply dietetic and that the only means of reducing these losses* to a mimium consists most essentially inconstant and careful change of pastures, and in improving the e irne, together with the providing of good winter feed in the shape of ftisilage, hay and turnips, dosing for worms carefully and early, regular diuping, »nd in general paying far more attention to the general welfare of the flouks than they at present appear to receiye. In conclusion I have to express my thanks to Me-sra Onmp, Seddon and Stock Inspector Clifton for th.jir kindness and trouble in affording me every facility for prosecuting the en'luTy —I have the honour to bo, St Yours' ..hrtdwntl/, (3d.) J. F. MoClkan M.K.C.V.S.