^46 AgiHCultural Gazette of N.SJF. [.Voy. 2, 1^08. 



Veterinary Notes. 



JAS. D. STEWART, M. !;.('. V.S., 

 Chief Iiisi)ector of Stock. 



IxjUKiors Effects of Wu.d Toijacco IYaxts. 



huuiNU l;ist 'July n mob uf l,-380 Ijullocks were o(;ing travelled fioui 

 Mnrrawonibie, near Mungindi, to Muswellbrook. Wlien neariiig Nanabri 

 a imiiilici' of the hulloeks were noticed to jircseiit signs of sickness, and three 

 head liad to be dropped at tlie lionbarks, near Xarrabii, <ine of which died 

 soon afterwards. The sym))toms of an affected beast were reported as 

 follow: — Animal emaciated, Jimbs affected and conse((uent staggering gait, 

 eyes prominent, ears sliglitly lopped, no discharge from nostrils, and np sign 

 of cough even after the beast had run some distance. Befoi-e death tlie beast 

 lost [)o\ver of its lindjs and seemed to stretch out its legs as if |iaral\s('<l. 



The trouble was thought by the drover to be " pleuro," but a post-mortem 

 examination by Mr. Stock Inspector Brackenreg revealed not the sliglitesfc 

 sign of pleuro or of any specific disease. 'I'he stomach anfl intestines were, 

 however, very much inflamed, ap])arentlv due to the effects of an irritant 

 poison. A search was made for poison plant, and the rumen was found to 

 contain portions of a plant which resembled \evy much the native tobacco plant. 



A month later, a mob of 1,095 bullocks travelling from Beaufort, Queens- 

 land, to Muswellbrook met with similar misfortune when within about 10 

 miles of Narrabri. Fully 100 head showed signs of illness, and four deaths 

 occurred. The symptoms shown by these cattle were exactly similar to 

 those of the mob in charge of Drover Barnett, and the evidence forthcoming 

 clearly proved tlie cause of the nmrtalitv to be due to the poisonous effects 

 of tlie tobacco i)lant {Nicotiana sitaveolens). The eradication of this plant 

 from the stock reserve is being strongly advocated, and in the meantime the 

 Stock Inspector has caused notices to be posted at pi-ominent phnjes warning 

 drovers of its existence on the reserve. 



Mortality in Pregnant Ewes (Parturient Apoplexy). 



Owing to tlie drought conditions experienced in \arious parts of the State 

 during the past season and the consequent shortage of grass, owners were 

 compelled to resort to scrub-feeding their sheep, which, in the case of 

 pregnant ewes, was responsible for many deaths. The actual cause of death 

 was really a foi'in of parturient Apoplexy, and is usually excited by the 

 following combination of factors : — 



1. The mating of constitutionally weak or aged nieiino ewes with 



vigoi'ous Shropshire or Lincoln rams. 



2. InsutHcient sustenance at the critical ]>eriod of gestation, i.e., during 



the month prior to lambing. 



3. Want of proper attention dui'ing lambing. 



