290 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Oct., 1922. 



The Wire-worm of Sheep. 



Wliile the o-ieater portion of the Karroo is generally free of the 

 ^vire-worm of sheep, there are large areas of grass country in tlie 

 Union in which sheep farming is practised where the worm is 

 l)revalent. From this cause losses hotli direct and indirect are 

 incurred, in the latter case owing to the low condition of the sheep, 

 induced hy the presence of worms, leaving it an easy victim to drought 

 or any other untoward happening. Lambs and young sheep are most 

 prone to affection, but it is the adult sheep which, seemingly healthy, 

 harbour the worms for a long time and in their droppings scatter eggs 

 to infect tlie veld, and thereafter the rest of the Hock, that are a 

 serious souice of danger. Fortunately, a remedy exists ^or the evil, 

 and how it is to be applied is told in a review, published in this issue 

 of the Jounuil, by the Division of Veterinary Education and Eesearch, 

 on the life-history of the wire-M'orm. There are six stages in the 

 development of the wire-worm, and in order to deal with it effecluall.x 

 farmers should be acquainted with the life-cycle of tlie worm. In 

 tick eradication, stock collect the ticks, are dipped regularly, and the 

 ticks thus destroyed, and after a year or two of dipping the farm 

 becomes clean — with wire-worm, the sheep collect the larvae which 

 are destroyed by dosing : if systematically carried out dosing will 

 rapidly rediu-e the wire-worms to negligible numbers. An infected 

 pasture may remain infected for at least a year, and all sheep on it 

 during this time are liable to infection; moveover, a living sheej) 

 spreads the infection so long as adult wire-worms are present in the 

 stomach. In order to suppress the pest therefore, the wire-worms 

 must be killed in the stomach of the sheep by using the wire-worm 

 remedy supplied by the Division of Veterinary Education and 

 Research, and by the systematic application of the remedy, as ex- 

 plained in the review referred to, the farm will eventually be cleared 

 of mature larvae which would otherwise enter the stomach of the 

 sheep, the source of infection on the veld tlnis disappearing. 



Advertising the Union's Products. 



Thousands of visitors thronged the Royal Agricultural Show at 

 Cambridge, Engdand, last July, and great interest was disi)layed in 

 the exhibit there of South African produce arranged by the Trade 

 Commissioner. Many inquiries were made regarding the various 

 articles, and numerous questions relating to farming, etc., in South 

 Africa were dealt with. The articles on view covered a wide field 

 and fuinished an excellent advertisement of the riches of the I^nion. 

 In reporting on the show, Mr. Canhani, the Trade Commissioner, 

 states that experience has demonstrated the most useful advertising 

 medium of these displays, wliich invariably result in many inquiries 

 as to where supplies are obtainable. On the present occasion it was 

 arranged with one of the largest produce firms in Cambridge to stock 

 supplies of South African jam, canned fruit, oranges, grape fruit, 

 naartjes, butter, cheese, and bacon during the period of the show Avith 

 satisfactory results. The Press very favourably commented on the 

 exhibit, and altogetlier this year's Royal Show helped to widen oversea 

 appreciation of Souili African ])roducc, 



