270 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Arc.rsT 1"), 1914. 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



RHODESIA'S DEVELOPING CATTLE 

 INDUSTRY. 



The report of tlie Director of Agriculture in tlie Eli<jdesia 

 A(/rici(ltura/ J<mri\al for .June 1914 shows that the cattle 

 industry is rapidly assuming the position of importance 

 which has long l)een prophesied lij- those conversant with the 

 country. Considerable returns are now being obtained and 

 ■will continue to be derived from the cultivation of such crops 

 as maize and tobacco; Viut it is cattle- raising that the people 

 look to in the future as their substantial source of income. 



Owing to the efforts of the veterinary staff of the 

 Department of Agriculture and the .system of prevention and 

 control which is enforced, as well as the growing popularity of 

 the dipping tank, a sense of security against contagious 

 diseases now exists, and little fear is felt that the success of 

 the industry in the future wall be hampered by outbreaks of 

 disease that have from time to time occurred in the past. 



The strong desire to own cattle has had the natural 

 effect of causing a rise in the price of breeding stock. The 

 .sources of supply of plantation stock are limited to South 

 Africa, and are further restricted by the unfortunate necessity 

 of imposing an age limitation as a precautionary measure 

 against the introduction of lung sickness and tuberculosis. 



An e.stimate of the number of cattle in Southei-n 

 T^hodesia at the present time has been prepared. A conser- 

 V ♦^ive estimate puts the number of cattle at 600,000 head 

 of which 230,000 are owned by Europeans, and .370,000 by 

 vtives. 



A feature of cattle raising in Rhodesia is the low average 

 mortality. Neglect, accident, prejudice and ignorance and 

 individual cases of Coast fever may lead to loss, but these are 

 exceptional circumstances, and apart from them the general 

 mortality has been tritling. 



Periodic public stock sales established at suitable centres 

 throughout the territory are proving most successful. There is, 

 however, an unsatisfied demand for pure-bred bulls, especially 

 for North Devon, Hereford, Sussex and Afrikander-bred 

 animals. The Government, in order to try to meet the dearth, 

 has had in contemplation tlie breeding of pure-bi-ed cattle, and 

 a distribution of young locally raised sires which are naturally 

 inoculated on the veld. This if carried into effect should 

 prove a useful measure. 



The remaining part of the report shows that sheep are 

 receiving more and more attention, that the health of live 

 .stock in general is good and that measures are being taken to 

 prevent the auveul of disease from other parts of Africa, and 

 altogether it would appear that the optimistic views expressed 

 in the report as regards the future of Rhodesia's live-stock 

 industry are likely, in a few years time, to be fully realized. 



cf>nditions of the farm, it is nevertheless warrantable where 

 connnercial advantages can be derived from it and where 

 infected areas can be located with reasonable accuracy. 

 The danger attendent on inoculation and the exjtense were 

 referred to as an important disadvantage, and Sir Stewart 

 Stockman was of opinion that as a State measure for con- 

 trolling swine fever tlie combined serum and virus method — ■ 

 vaccination — gave most promise of producing a general 

 advantage. 



Another interesting announcement, also dealing with the 

 question of stamping out contagious diseases, is contained 

 in the Ai/rictdtural Gazette of Canada for .June 1914, issued 

 by the Departmejit of Agriculture at Ottowa. In thLs 

 issue, there appears an Order in Council containing 

 regulations relating to tuberculosis. The Government of 

 Canada will assist any city or town which shall have 

 signified in writing to the Veterinary Director General its 

 desire to have the aid of the Department of Agriculture in 

 controlling bovine tuberculosis in the cows supplying milk 

 and cream to the city or town in question. The dairies in 

 which milk or cream are produced for sale therein shall be 

 licensed, and no license shall be issued unless the dairy 

 conforms to the required standard. After two years froni 

 the date of the first test of the cattle of any dairy, the sale 

 of milk or cream shall be prohibited, unless the said herd 

 shows a clean bill of health from the veterinary inspector. 

 Following an examination and test of diseased cows, provi- 

 sions are made for the slaughter of reactors, and for giving 

 compensation on the following basis: one-half the appraised 

 value of the cow if destroyed as a case of open tuberculosis, 

 one-third the ajipraised value of the cow if destroyed as- 

 a reactor at the recpiest of the owner: valuation shall Vie made 

 by the inspecti n', and shall not exceed the maximum valuation 

 for cattle as specified in Section of the Act. Various other 

 provisions are made which space will not allow our going 

 into, including the important regulation that no compensatioa 

 will be paid to the ojvner unless he assists as far as possible 

 in the eradication of the disease by following the instruction* 

 of the inspector. 



STAMPING-OUT CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 



IN GREAT BRITAIN AND CANADA. 



During last July, Sir .Stewart Stockman, Chief Veterinary 

 Officer to the British Board of Agriculture, addressed a large 

 meeting at Reading concerning the curing of swine fever. 

 The speech was especially interesting because it reflected the 

 policy of the Board of Agriculture in regard to vaccination. 

 In The Times, where the address is reported at some length, 

 it is stated that in practice inoculation possesses several 

 r'rawbacks with regard to swine fever, and although it is by 

 no means a desirable 'stamping-out method' to adopt under all 



According to the Barbados Official Gazette the General 

 Board of Health has approved of the recommendation that 

 a rule should be framed prohibiting the landing of any animal 

 for breeding purposes from Great Britain, Canada, United 

 States of America or the Argentine Republic, unless the .same 

 shall be accompanied with a certificate in English from 

 a Government Veterinary Inspector, or if from a foreign 

 country, from the British Consul, certifying in the case of 

 cattle, (a) that they have been tested and found free from 

 tuberculosis, (b) that they have been rendered immune from 

 red water and (c) that they have not come from a herd in 

 which contagious abortion exists; and in the case of swine, 

 that such are from a herd not infected with swine fever, hog 

 cholera or swine plague. It is not stated in the Gazette 

 whether any rule has yet been issued. 



Owing to the prevalence of East Coast fever, the quantity 

 of live stock in Zanzibar is inconsiderable, the ailment in 

 question carrying off .50 per cent, of the calves born. During 

 the last two years, however, the Government has given thi» 

 di-sease att«ntion with a view to its suppression, and as there 

 are extremely good native stock and pasture land in this 

 country, cattle-raising in the future should tend to become- 

 more popular. (DiploiiMiic and Considar Reports, No. 5176,, 

 Annual Scries). 



