778 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



VETERINARY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. 



With the arrival of spring the work in this Division generally increases, 

 and continues to do so as the summer proceeds. The number of smears sent in 

 for diagonsis shows a steep rise. This increase in the number of deaths must 

 be attributed — apart from the ordinary di.seases which exact their toll all the 

 year round — in tlie first place, to poisonoufi plants which spring up with the 

 young vegetation. Farmers should be on the look-out for this, and keep their 

 animals away from those camps where Giftblaar and other poisonous plants 

 abound. The symptoms which these plant poisons produce are not very 

 characteristic; death generally comes on quickly, and treatment will, as a riile, 

 be too late. The post-mortem is practically negative. Death is usually vaguely 

 ascribed to Gall-sickness. The blood-smears show no changes at ail. 



Anthrax and Blnckqunrter are still very frequent. There is no doub,t that 

 the former disease is gradually spreading over South Africa, and that it will 

 continue to do so as long as there are farmers who i-efuse to co-operate with the 

 Government authorities in their efforts to stamp out the disease. As long as 

 farmers refuse to report all cases of Anthrax immediately and to comply with 

 the regulations of the Veterinary Division, the disease will continue. Inocula- 

 tion alone will not remove it, valuable though this measure may be in pro- 

 tecting individual aninuils. Experiments are being carried out in this Division 

 to improve the present method of inoculation. 



Blackquartcr (Qiuirter Evil, Sponsziekte) has been a cause of complaint for 

 some time. It woukl appear that a particularly virulent form of the disease 

 has been prevalent this year. The strain of Blackquartcr bacteria that was used 

 to produce oiir vaccine does not seem to have been strong enough in all cases 

 to protect animals against the natural infection on the veld. More potent 

 strains are now being collected from various parts of the country, and it is 

 hoped that the vaccine to be issued in future will give general satisfaction. 

 Experiments are also being carried out with a view to substituting a liquid 

 vaccine for the powder now in use. One point in regard to Blackquartei- 

 is often lost sight of by farmers, and that is that when the disease breaks out 

 the animals should at all costs be removed from the infected camp, otherwise 

 the inoculation cannot be expected to yield good results. 



Blue-tongue can be expected at any time now that the rains have set in. 

 The Division has been very busy preparing vaccine, and there are more than a 

 million doses on hand ready for issue. 



Horse-sickness will also soon make its appearance. Farmers are continually 

 asking us to do the inoculation for them at the laboratory. They are perfectly 

 willing to face the risks attached to the inoculation, and say they would rather 

 have two salted horses than three susceptible ones. It is hoped that it will 

 be possible to do this on a small scale in the near future. The greatest difficulty 

 to be overcome is stable accommodation. A stable is being erected for the 

 purpose, and, when completed, a beginning will be made with the inoculation. 



The issue of liedwater vaccine has been causing the Division some trouble. 

 There are at present only six heifers providing practically the whole of South 

 Africa with vaccine. An order for ten more imported heifers was placed over 

 fifteen months ago, but so far it has been impossible to procure suitable animals. 

 It is hoped, however, that the difficulty will soon be overcome. Most farmers 

 are aware that the Redwater and Gall-sickness vaccine will not keep for more 

 than a few days. It is absolutely imperative, therefore, to obtain the vaccine 

 in the quickest way possible and to inoculate immediately oa arrival. Hence 

 it is very advisable to order the vaccine from the nearest Research Laboratory 

 (Onderstepoort, Pietermaritzburg, or Grahamstown). 



'The Wire-worm Remedy issued by this Division seems to give general satis- 

 faction. Most of the complaints about worms in sheep that reach us now 

 refer to the nodular worm disease. A considerable amount of experimental 

 work is being carried out on this parasite at the present time, but no very 

 successful method of treatment has yet been found. In the meantime preventive 

 measures have to be resorted to. An article on this subject by Sir Arnold 

 Theiler will appear in the Journal in due course. 



