FARMING WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20953, 4 November 1939, Page 22 (Supplement)

FARMING WORLD

Prevalence of Bloating: The prevalence of bloating in the Waikato this spring again emphasises the danger of fresh, young grass to the herds when there is not the most careful control. Because clover is such an important constituent of our Waikato pastures, there will always be more danger from bloating than in districts where there is less dependence on clover. Bloat, of course, is an acute distention of the paunch with gasses as a result of abnormal fermentation of its contents. It is most frequent during a seasonal flush of grass, particularly on pastures of a high clover content. However, it may also occur when these have been damaged by frosts. It is also possible for it to occur through a piece of root lodging in the gullet and preventing the normal belching of gas. First aid must be energetic. The animal must be kept on its feet, and if possible driven about as rapidly as possible. The exercise frequently helps to get rid of the gasses. The mouth can be held open with a gag and the tongue drawn forward, the distended flank being vigorously massaged and kneaded. It is as well to check fermentation by giving a

drench without delay. A drench that has been successfully used is made i up of 2oz of turpentine in a pint of milk, or £lb bicarbonate of soda in a similar quantity of water. In extreme cases it is necessary to use a trocar and cannular. In an emergency the cow’s life can often be javed by making a bold stab with a icnife into the distended left flank at its highest point. A point of a knife can be inserted up to its hilt and the handle then turned at right angles, thus providing space for the gas to escape. The wound usually heals well afterwards, but it should not be necessary to stress the importance of taking the greatest possible care with this operation. Minerals For Stock The question of minerals for stock is a most important one, but one which is not sufficiently appreciated. At a time when animal health is of paramount importance if the dairying production of the country is to oe increased or even maintained, a bulletin issued by the Canterbury chamber of Commerce in regard to ninerals in stock feeding is timely, c has been said that the dairy stock f the Waikato suffer from malnutriion and there can be no doubt but nat on quite a considerable number f properties the stock get an insufficiency of minerals. The subject of minerals in stock feeding is a difficult one, points out ihe bulletin, and few precise statements can be made as different classes of animals require varying amounts of minerals and the different mineral elements react one upon the other. For example, both the dairy cow producing large quantities of milk rich in lime and phosphate, and the young fast-growing animal rapidly increasing in size of its skeleton and blood-stream, have a much higher mineral requirement than a'nonproducer like a store steer or store wether. An instance of one mineral reacting on another is provided from trials carried out at Lincoln College in 1934. With turnips alone, the animals lost salt from the body at the high rate of half a pound of salt per month. This was found to be due to the very high content of potash in turnips. The animal could not excrete unwanted potash without also excreting salt which had to be provided from the body, with a conse-

BY “STOCKMAN’

quent strain on the animal. The result of this experiment indicates clearly the necessity of providing a salt lick on turnips. A number of minerals are important in stock feeding. Salt, lime and phosphate are often in deficient supply; magnesium, iodine, iron, copper and cobalt deficiencies also are fairly frequently encountered, while sulphur deficiency is rare. Lime and Phosphate Lime and "phosphate are required in large quantities for the bones and teeth of which they are the chief constituents. Milk is a rich source of lime and phosphate and conse - quently milking cows or milking ewes need large quantities of lime and phosphate in the feed. If these are lacking the animal draws on its own bones to make up the deficiencies. This it may normally do to a certain extent, but if the deficient diet is continued over a long period, the bones become seriously affected. Rickets eventuate in young animals and legs become bandy or knockkneed. This condition occurs usually in young fast-growing animals fed for a prolonged period on a mineral

deficient diet such as green feed oats. No fear need be entertained for cattle and sheep on a good young pasture, particularly if it is topdressed, although to make certain of proper lime and phosphate nutrition a lick should be supplied. On poor pasture there are likely to be deficiencies and lick should be supplied liberally. Pigs fed on grains alone or grains and grain by-products are likely to suffer from a serious lime deficiency. Skim milk, of course, will overcome this and consequently Waikato farmers in the summer months at least should have no concern on this account. Need Of Magnesium Magnesium is an essential mineral in the animal body. In certain areas a complaint known as grass tetany occurs during the early spring. Cows may walk stiffly or stand about twitching and trembling. Fits and | convulsions are fairly frequent and the percentage of losses is high. The complaint is caused by a deficiency of magnesium but any attempt to drench cows may bring on convulsions. To prevent the trouble use £ per cent Epsom salts (slb to 10 gallons) in the drinking water for several weeks before the outbreak is expected. Dolomite, a magnesium containing limestone, added to hay or silage when it is being stacked, helps to prevent the complaint the following spring. Alternatively a half and half mixture of Epsom salts and common salt, 201 b to the ton of stacked material, is also valuable. Potassium is another element essential to the animal. To a considerable extent this is present in all leafy feeds and is unlikely to be insufficent for most animals. A deficiency of potash is likely on sandy soils and may be prevented by potash topdressing or by feeding out a lick containing potash. * Salt: Sodium and chlorine, the con- | stituents of common salt, fulfil es- . sential roles in the animal body and are present in most feeds except turnips. Salt acts as a condiment and appetiser and to a certain degree assists in the digestion of food. It is present in most pastures but in the majority of cases stock do better if salt is supplied in liberal quantities. It forms the basis of most stock licks, making up as a rule about half the bulk of a lick for sheep and cattle and about one-fifth to one-quarter of the bulk of a lick for pigs, which are not capable of handling large amounts of it. Salt contains materials which will poison pigs, which are not used to it, and great caution should be used in feeding it. Need For Sulphur The body contains about 15 per cent of sulphur which performs certain essential functions. It is a part of certain of the proteins and because of this, sulphur nutrition is related to protein nutrition and also particularly to wool growth. Sulphur is seldom deficient but in South Africa good results have been obtained from feeding sulphur to sheep in certain of the drier inland areas. If included, it should not form more than one to two per cent of the lick as it may result in opening the pores of the skin, thus rendering the animal liable to chills

Some minerals are termed minor elements because they are required by the animal only in minute amounts. They are, nevertheless, essential and their absence leads to serious diseases. Iron and copper are necessary for the formation of the red pigment of the blood. There are no areas of iron deficiency in New Zealand but trouble does occur among pigs under certain systems of feeding. Deficiencies of iron and copper occur and the red blood cells are insufficient resulting in the condition known as anaemia. This disorder is responsible for deaths in young pigs at birth and at two or three weeks of age. It usually occurs in spring litters and large number of cases have been reported in Canterbury this year. Although not actually present in blood, cobalt and nickel are needed for its formation and their absence from the feed leads to anaemia. It is unlikely that in normal circumstances that these minerals will be lacking. However, in certain special areas deficiencies occur and these must be provided for. Cobalt and possibly to a small extent nickel deficiencies are found in firstly the large central North Island area of pumice soils with Rotorua as the centre. The soils on these areas are the result of volcanic ash showers and many of these are deficient in cobalt. Ewes suffer from anaemia on this country and very high lamb mortality occurs. (Top-dressing with cobaltised super, however, has made a big improvement). lodine has received much publicity. For the successful functioning of the thyroid gland it is required only in minute amounts, but its absence leads to serious disorders, chief being goitre. Line Breeding Constructive breeding in the true sense means following a certain line with a definite objective in view. When this plan is properly adhered to, continued improvment is made, and if followed for a long period of time, the value of the animals produced is constantly enhanced. In other words, animals from a herd where a constructive breeding policy has been in force for many years are more desirable than those which have a more or less hit-and-miss background. That is the reason why such animals bring better prices than those from a herd of heterogeneous ancestry. The pure-bred which represents many generations of intelligent and constructive effort is much more dependable than his less carefully bred brother. The most desirable way of accomplishing a long time breeding programme is by passing on from father to son the work of a breed improver. In no way can a long time constructive breeding policy be so effectively carried out. Nearly all of the really great herds of livestock of the various breeds have been developed through an intelligent system of line breeding. By this method uniformity in type and conformation in time become dependable and in no other way is it possible to preserve or perpetuate the desirable qualities of outstanding foundation animals.