June 2, -1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 429 



locally, and farmers on such land are well a^lvised to take the precaution of 

 havins their stock vaccinated against the disease if there have been in their 

 neighbourhood any recent outbreaks. The bacilli of tetanus have been 

 shown to exist in the fteces of healthy animals of many kinds, and almost 

 any well-manux'ed garden soil may contain these organisms, although 

 certain countries and districts appear to be more particularly infected 

 in this way than others. The species most commonly attacked with tetanus- 

 are horses and sheep, and in the vast majority of cases infection takes 

 place through wounds. Any wound in the horse, especially a deep, 

 punctured one and a wound in the feet, should be very thoroughly cleansed 

 of all dirt, disinfected, and free access of aii- allowed to it. 



In sheep and lambs tetanus usually occurs as an epizootic a short while 

 after cutting and tailing, or shearing. To prevent this, care should be taken 

 that all knives and instruments used are clean, and do not come in contact 

 with dirt during the operation. The wounds should be dressed with carbolic 

 sheep dip, Stockholm tar, or suitable disinfectant, and the sheds and yards,, 

 particularly the latter, must be clean. In the case of old yards this will 

 often involve the removal of several inches of the surface layer of earth and, 

 manure, the spreading of chloride of lime, and the laying down of a fresh 

 layer of clean soil from some part of the run which has not been used as a 

 camp or yard. Blackleg is not a contagious disease either directly or through 

 intermediary objects, but is due to infection fiom the soil, and there is no 

 way of ascertaining whether a farm is free from the disease or not except from 

 its previous reputation. If it is known that a farm is liable to blackleg, all 

 young cattle should be vaccinated at about the age gf six months, but 

 absolute prevention of the disease is doubtful. No other animal except 

 cattle is likely to suffer, though rare cases have occurred. 



The contraction of tuljerculosis from soil comes within a somewhat 

 different category to the above complaints, as the soil infection is due to direct 

 and more or less recent infection by manure from diseased cattle and pigs. 

 It is naturally more liable to occur on small farms where cattle are closely 

 confined, but here also preventive measures, which consist in breaking up 

 the manure to thoroughly expose it to the sunlight and in the putting under 

 cultivation of the more probably infected portions, can be most readily 

 adopted. . 



As hsemorrhagic septicfemia is also a soil disease the same disabilities as * 

 regards prevention exist as in the case of tetanus or anthrax. Spirochsetosis 

 of fowls — an infectious disease spread by the fowl tick — may be contracted by 

 the birds if they are brought into infected premises. They can, however, be 

 safeguarded to a great extent by thorough cleaning of the fowl-houses, spray- 

 ing with kerosene emulsion and confining the fowls to the houses at' night. 

 If the ticks are kept away, it will not matter if some of the older fowls 

 contain the organism of the disease, since it can only be spread by the ticks. 



It may be desirable to explain a little fully what is meant by isolation, as 

 so often cases are met with in which the farmer is convinced in his own mind 

 'that he has perfect isolation, and yet he is really allowing loopholes for the 



