864 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [Dec. 2, 1920. 



nutritive food, leading to a slowly developing atonic condition of the diges- 

 tive tract, which becomes less and less capable of dealing with what food 

 is available. The strain of advancing pregnancy is added to these difficul- 

 ties, a tendency to constipation is induced by the fibrous astringent food, 

 and as a result of these multiple causes the weakened animals succumb. 

 If at the first sign of such mortality food of the nature of bran, lucerne, 

 linseed meal, «S:c., can be provided, it may be almost entirely checked. 



Poisoning. 



At times heavy losses occur in sheep as a result of plant poisoning. 

 Blue couch and rosewood have been responsible for many deaths as a 

 result of the formation of prussic acid, and variegated thistle has killed 

 many, probably from the same cause. Very little can be done to prevent this 

 as there is no indication when the plants are likely to be poisonous, but 

 warnings issued with regard to particular patches of country have at times 

 been disregarded with disastrous results. 



The commonest form of chronic poisoning is that due to Darling pea, 

 which can only be dealt with by getting rid of the plant. There are, in 

 addition, many other plants concerning which our information is very 

 vague and unsatisfactory, and concerning which there is urgent need for 

 investigation. 



PIGS. 



Feeding and disease are not so intimately connected in the pig as in 

 other animals — largely because in the majority of cases the feeding is more 

 controlled, and because, whereas with other stock most of the trouble is due 

 to the nature of the food, with pigs the most serious disease (that is, tuber- 

 culosis) is due to infected food. It may safely be said that the great 

 majority of cases of tuberculosis of the pig in this country are due to 

 infection by tubercular milk and milk products, and the only satisfactory 

 method to safeguard the animals is to boil such food before feeding it. 



The amount of mineral salts (particularly lime and phosphates) in the 

 food of pigs is of considerable importance, and the disease commonly known 

 as rickets is largely due to deficiency of these ingredients. In cases where 

 the pigs are affected a change of diet is advisable, and food fairly rich 

 in these salts, such as bran, pollard, lucerne hay, clover hay, &c., should 

 be tried. 



One of the common forms of poisoning in the pig occurs from the 

 administration of brine with the food, either through ignorance or care- 

 lessness. Otherwise poisoning is generally due to the careless handling of 

 rabbit poison. 



Discussing the scorching effect of sea-winds on foliage, L. A. Boodle, in the 

 Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture (London), concludes that it is chiefly 

 due to the drying action of the wind, but that salt may pei'haps occasionally 

 contribute towards the production of an injurious effect. 



