Aug. 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 573 



In fowl-runs, cleanliness is of most marked import in the prevention 

 of tuberculosis, fowl-cholera, and various other infectious and parasitic 

 diseases. 



The use of limewash (particularly if it is applied hot and a small quantity 

 of carbolic acid added) is of value in all wooden buildings occupied by stock 

 or birds. 



Adequate Shelter a Neglected Necessity. 



There is one point in the hygiene of domestic animals which is very 

 seriously and widely neglected — that is the provision of shelter. It is not 

 altogether surprising that such is the case, since a very large proportion of 

 our stock are paddock-run for the whole of their existence, and the shelter 

 of such timber as the paddock may contain is usually regarded as sufficient. 

 In many cases this shelter actually is sufficient ; but with the continued 

 clearing of land and subdivision into smaller areas, cases are becoming more 

 and more frequent of stock being exposed, both summer and winter, in pad- 

 docks destitute of shelter of any kind. With the increase in the value of 

 stock — which, although it may be temporarily deferred by drought, is inevit- 

 ably coming — every means possible to ensure greater efficiency, whether in 

 the production of work, wool, flesh, or milk, must be taken advantage of. 



Shelter is required from sun, wind, and rain. Shelter from the sun is 

 perhaps the least important, although many cases of dermatitis in sheep, 

 cattle, horses, and pigs are due to the sun's action under certain circum- 

 stances ; and it is not to be denied that calves and pigs especially suffer in 

 their general health from the direct action of the sun's rays if confined at 

 the same time in small pens. Sheep give very evident signs of the benefit of 

 shelter from the sun by their habit of crowding together into any patch of 

 shade available during the mid-day heat of summer. The destruction of 

 much of the natural shade is due to the landowner's wish to obtain grass, 

 but he will be well advised to make a more judicious allowance for shelter, 

 since the loss due to the effects of heat may go some way to minimise the 

 benefits obtained from increased feed. It is all a question of proportion. 

 There is no doubt that up to the present a due proportion has not been 

 maintained, and too little natural shelter is left in many cases. 



Similar instances may often be seen in large horse camps attached to rail- 

 way construction camps and other places, where the horses are often confined 

 during their time of rest in small paddocks exposed to the full glare of the 

 sun. Shelter from the sun is best provided by standing timber, and where 

 the land is not already over-cleared consideration should be given to the 

 matter. Where it is already bare, the planting of a few trees in well- 

 selected spots will be of incalculable benefit in a few years' time. That this 

 is not altogether forgotten is evidenced by instances, noticed recently, of a 

 wise planting of trees in and around sheep yards and similar places. For 

 small horse paddocks, only temporary in nature,- the provision oi brush and 

 bark shelters could often be made at little expense. In other places the 

 provision of a shelter-shed with one side (that to the prevailing wind) closed 

 would be of considerable benefit. 



