nOG 



THE FARiMER'S MAGAZINE. 



this pceorj lo the wisliea of our farmiiijr community will be 

 grfttefiilly received, a-? it tenJj to prove that those iii authority 

 are lea^ly anxious for the success of the scheme propounded. 

 Mr. Skilling has, for Bonae time, been the industrious and 

 efficient secretary of the Port Philip Farmers' Society, and by 

 constant contact with our leading agriculturists has become 

 BO thoroughly acquainted with their views, and their pursuits, 

 that he is singularly qualified for the post he is now called upon 

 lo fill. Had the original idea oi Importiwj (!) a director from 

 England been carried out, however good a practical or theore- 

 tical husbandman he might be, it would have been years be- 

 fore he could have proved himself thoroughly a master of the 

 peculiarities of our soil and climate as to become useful to the 

 colony at large. In place of teaching, he would have to leara 

 from the very farm servants who ra ght already be acclimated, 

 and, however anxious to do his duty, must have necessarily 

 found himself a temporary stumbling-block, instead of assist- 

 ance, to our already rapid advancement. We are not aware 

 if the Port Philip Farmers' Society will immediately lose the 

 services of their able secretary, though we should imagine so ; 

 but, much as the removal will be regretted by those to whom 

 he has been so faithful a colleague, we are sure that the ex- 

 tended nifaus of usefulness thus opened to him will be hailed 

 with gratification, as a reward due to merit, and also as a 

 handsome compliment to the society itself. When the ques- 

 tion of the grant was first mooted, Mr. Skilling penned an 

 able memorial to Captain Clarke, setting forth the advantages 

 to be gained by a model farm, and in a full, but concise man- 

 ner, explained the objects to be desired, and the most feasible 

 method of carrying them out. The plan of a museum be also 

 broached, and particularly impressed on the government the 

 mutual economy and benefit to be acquired by a reformatory 

 school attached to the institution, an idea which it were well 

 to embrace. The almost unexpected recognition of his valu- 

 able advice, and in so hi»hly complimentary a form, will, 

 we doubt not, be a spur to Mr. Skilling's future exertions, 

 and we shortly hope to see him prove as able in practice as 

 precept. — BeWs Life in Victoria. 



THE REARING AND DISEASES OF 

 LAMBS. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE MARK LANE EXPRESS. 



Sir, — On reading your report of the discussion on the rear- 

 ing and diseases of lambs at the Farmers' Club, I find that 

 several gentlemen have sustained great losses amongst their 

 lambs, but none have been able to supply a remedy. I have 

 therefore been induced to send you the result of ray own ex- 

 perience, in order that others may benefit from it, if they choose 

 to use the remedy, which is both simple and inexpensive, and 

 in my own case effectual. 



In the beginning of April, 1852, my lambs were affected 

 much in the same way as the Chairman describes his to have 

 been. The first symptoms (where they were observed) were, 

 a wandering listless gait, with the head down, and the mnuih 

 in motion as if eating ; when, suddenly, they would make a 

 start, stagger a few steps, then fall down and struggle violently 

 for a short time, foaming at the mouth and gnashing the teeth 

 as if in great pain. These paroxysms with some of them lasted 

 but a short time— death eased their pain ; and, almost inva- 

 riably, with death came what was termed the scour. In others 

 it appeared with less violence, and some I had lingered for 



days before they died. Wiih these I tried every remedy I 

 could think of, or that was suggesteJ to me; and, unfor- 

 tunately, I had cases enough to try everybody's remedy. But 

 all were alike unavailing, and the disease was stopped at last 

 by weaning, and at the same time spoiling those that were 

 left. I find, on reference to notes made at the time, that from 

 the beginniug to the 23rd of April (the time of weaning) I had 

 lost 80 out of 300 lambs. The stomachs of several of the 

 lambs were examined by t ao veterinary surgeons without any 

 satisfactory result. I should state, perhaps, that during these 

 three weeks of mortality, in hopes of checking the disease, the 

 flock was moved from old or early sown sweies to jounger 

 ones that had been pulled up and put iu rows across the field, 

 and the ground ploughed between; so that it was impossible 

 they should have picked up any weed to occasion the disaster. 

 Next they were put on young turnip greens, and after that on 

 ryegrass, until, on the 23rd, they were taken from their mo- 

 thers and kept on dry food for a few days, weaned, and 

 spoiled; but the disease^ was stayed. From this I felt con- 

 vinced that the injury was derived from the ewe, and that it 

 was she who required medicine ; and, having seen in " Clater's 

 Cattle Doctor" that two ounces of Glauber's salts, with a 

 quarter of an ounce of catraways, mixed with thin gruel, was 

 a good aperient dcse for a sheep, I resolved to give it a trial, 

 which I had an opportunity of doing the following year ; and, 

 as I believe, prevented a repetition of the previous year's loss, 

 as the same symptoms, attended with the same fatal result, 

 had shown in one of the best lambs (which I think is often 

 the case) : upon which I procured a quantity of salts and car- 

 raways, and drenched all the ewes in the flock, excepting six 

 which had not lambed at the time ; and the only lamb I lost 

 iu a similar way afterwards was from one of these six ewes. 



The way in which I prepare the dose is this : I first boil the 

 carraways iu order that the extract may be equally adminis- 

 tered, which it would be more difficult to do with the seeds. 

 When the carraways are sufficiently boiled, add cold water 

 enough to make as many half-pints as there are sheep to be 

 drenched ; then add the salts (two ounces to each half-pint), 

 which, when dissolved, I give to the twcs from half-pint 

 bottles, which a boy or giri will fill as fast as five or six men 

 will get them erptied by dreuchiiig the ewes. 



I am a''ra"d. Sir, that my communication has extended to 

 too great a length ; but I have endeavoured to be as concise 

 as possible, and have only said as much as I thought was ne- 

 cessary in order to be understood, and I must trust to your 

 advocacy of the agricultural interest to pkad my apology. 

 I remain. Sir, your obedient servant, 



Baryliclere, May Wth, 1858. Robert Church. 



THE DISEASES ,0F LAMBS. 



Sir,— I have read the discussion at the Central Farmers* 

 Club published in your paper this week, and find that some 

 farmers hare lost a number of lambs iu a shoit time. Having 

 had some practice in this matter, and knowing the cause of 

 death and the cure, I will tell it you for the benefit of my 

 brother-farmers. It is caused by a feverish milk from the ewe. 

 The cure is 1 cz. of salts to each ewe, and good keeping. If a 

 single death happens after this, another ounce per ewe must he 

 given. I have proved it. To keep well, without cooling the 

 blood of the ewe, is certain death to an increased number of 

 lambs. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



Woohton, Blelchley Station, May Mth. W. Smith. 



