372 Influence of Mines upon Land ami Livestock 



{b) Effects upon arable land crops. 



When affected land is under the plough it seems to do even worse 

 than when in grass. In fields of roots and of cereal crops it is a common 

 thing for one to see absolutely bare patches which when the fields are in 

 grass would be covered by some type of vegetation. The seeds of cereals, 

 etc., germinate satisfactorily, and the seedlings flourish for a time. 

 Then the plants turn a reddish colour and subsequently remain in a 

 stunted condition or perish altogether. When such land is afterwards 

 put down to grass, the herbage for the seed hay, though always free 

 from clovers, is often fairly satisfactory as far as the grasses are con- 

 cerned, but in the second, or at most the third year the land is overrun 

 with bent once more. See Photographs " P," "Q," "R," "S" and "T." 



Influence of Mine Refuse upon Animals. 



Practically all classes of farm stock are liable to suffer when grazing 

 on affected land or when fed with crops raised on poisoned areas. 

 Sheep, horses and poultry suffer most, the effects upon cattle being as 

 a rule less pronounced. 



Sheep grazing on affected areas often abort and even the lambs 

 which survive do not thrive well. The ewes begin to waste away when 

 three years old and, consequently, have to be disposed of although under 

 favourable conditions they would have been kept for another year. 



Horses, when affected, at first seem to get into good condition but 

 later suffer from diarrhoea, then follows a stiffness of the limbs and 

 paralysis, and, what is most characteristic of all, they ultimately 

 become " broken- winded." The experience of many farmers tends to 

 indicate that horses reared on affected land suffer most and often die 

 before they are three, or at most four, years old, whereas adult horses 

 brought in from unaffected farms seem more capable of resisting the 

 effects. 



Complaints regarding injury to cattle are made only in a few isolated 

 districts, at least as far as fatal effects have been reported. However, 

 even in districts where cattle do not die from the effects there seems to 

 be a consensus of opinion that they do not thrive as well when they have 

 access to poisoned soils; they are also often found to exhibit indications 

 of the effects when forced to take more than the usual amount of exercise. 

 For instance, when they are walked to a fair they seem to get into an 

 exhausted state and lag behind after proceeding a few miles. 



Poultry seem to be very sensitive to the influence of mine refuse. 

 When they have access to mine heaps, polluted brooks or contaminated 



