Vol. XIV. No. 344. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



219 



LIVE-STOCK NOTES. 



TICK ERADICATION IN ANTIGUA. 



Spraying for the control ol ticks in Antigua formed the 

 subject of a paper in Vol. \IV. No. 2, of the Ives' Indian 



tin, in which ii was shown thai t In- results obtained 

 fimii the use "I one of Messrs. < oopi i Nephews' spraying 

 machines were exceedingly satisfactory. The paper referred 

 to contains a full accounl ol the appliance, and gives figures 

 to show the expenditure involved. Since the establishment 

 of this appliance, the value of spraying lias been very widely 

 appreciated in all parts of tin' island, and although no 

 further investments have been made in large sprayers like 

 the mi'' in question, many stock-owners have adopted 

 systematic hand spraying, with the result that the general 

 appearance of Antigiia live-stock shows n very marked 

 improvement compared with that to be observed two years 

 ago. 



In the United States and South Africa, in Argentina, 

 Australia and other great cattle-raising countries, the use of 

 permanent swim dips has Keen verj generall} adopted, often 

 as the result of compulsion by the Government authorities. 

 In considering the relative values of spraying and dipping, 

 Messrs. Cooper & Nephews are ol the opinion that the 

 dip is more efficient, because it ensures every part of the 

 animal, as for instance the folds of the skin, coining into 

 contact with the arsenical liquid. On tin- other hand, the 

 spraj can he equally efficient provided the operation is 

 conducted with thoroughness. 



I' should he pointed out that -praying is not limited 

 to large herds and large machines. Ihnid spraying, if only 

 a small number of animals have to he dealt with, can be 

 \.i\ effective, shice it is possible to giv.c each animal indi- 

 vidual attention, liven failing a specially made sprayer, 

 it is quite possible to employ eft'ectivelj an ordinary garden 



syringe. Hence the small owner can treat his animals as 

 well a> the large owner. 



The comparative value of spraying versus dipping, on 

 a large scale, *is soonto be demonstrated in Antigua, where 

 Messrs. Cooper a- Nephews have offered* bonus equal to 



half the cost of erecting a swim clip in order to enable 

 planters to test the appliance at a moderate cost. It is 

 understood further that a second offer ol a bonus of one 



er the cost of a sei d dip ha- ilso'been accepted. It 



i- ,i matter for some regret, however, that both the estates 

 on which these dips are to be erected Jire situated in the 



same district "t the island. However, tin' enterprise shown 

 by both the planters and Messrs. Cooper a- Nephews is to he 



highly eoi snded, and there ran he no doubt that the 



fort] ruing demonstration will he productive of much good, 



not only as regards live-stock improvement locally, but also 

 as a stimulus towards similar action in other places. 



TROPICAL FOODSTUFFS AND THEIR 



VALUATION. 



A useful attempt has been made in Mauritius by the 

 Director of Agriculture to collect together figures and other 

 information concerning the nutritive value of local foodstuffs 



foi -lock, and the resull i- a m urn pn it ed to 



the Board ol Agriculture ol that Colony, The I Istuffa 



available for cattle at Mauritiu classified as follows: 



( 1 i green fodders, > \g. cane, cane leaves and maize; (2) tubers, 

 e.g. manioc, sweet potatoes^ ('■'<) seeds, e.g. dhall, 

 beans, oats, rice and maize; | I) brans and meals, e.g. wheat 

 bran, rice bran, ground nu I ureal, cotton-seed meal: •" 

 waste, e.g. molascuil and molasses. The paper continues 

 with an explanation concerning the relative values of the 

 different proximate constituents of foods, like protein and 

 carbohydrate, and a table i- then given showing the crude 

 composition of Mauritiu- foodstuffs. The question of 



digestibility of fond i stit i nts i then taken into account, 



and the digestible constituents of Mauritiu- foodstuffs are 

 determined by calculation by means of factors, which are 

 the mean of European and American authors. These factoi 



are likely to be useful to West Indian planters, since in" many 

 ea.-es unly the i irdina r\ composition of foodstuffs is known 

 and not the digestible constituents. The factors in question 

 are: — 



Seeds. Meal. 

 Cellulose and non-nitrogenous" substances '7 <i7 



Fats or oils - 9 - 62 



Crude proteins ■<» -7 



This means that for every gram of cellulose or non- 

 nitrogenous substances shown by analysis in seeds, u-7 is 

 digestible, while in meals and brans "67 gratn only is 

 digestible. 



The last point dealt with is the important one of 

 rations. The daily ration- prescribed for Stud animals by 

 the Board of Agriculture are as follows: — 



I. 



Manioc 111 Ih. 



Bran 3 ,, 



Dhall 4 „ 



Molascuit 1 ,, 



The food values of these rations are calculated as 

 follows: — 



Starch. Digestible Starch. Digestible 



protein. protein. 



lti lb. manioc 2 •"> '05 1 ft>. manioc '9 '02 



.'! ., bran -1 "3 I .. maize 3'0 '33 



I „ dhall 34 7 4 „ dhall 3 I 7 



1 ,, molascuit "5 Ol 4 ,, bran i'l "3 



1 37 



These ration,- would he suited to draught animals at 



medium work provided t h. \ received SO to pi Hi ol I age; 



but if the animals were at very hard work it would he 

 necessary to increase the protein content of the diet by 

 additions of concentrated seeds such as Acacia, pois sabre, 



poi- inascate. etc., or by addition- of pistaehe (ground nut) 

 meal or decorticate,! cotton seed meal. 



The above calculations will serve to illustrate how any 



estate manager may calculate out the food Values of his 

 rations. 



