ioDec, 1909.] Af/sivers to Correspondents. 807 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Staff of tlie Depaitment has been organized to a laiue extent for the purpose of g-iving- information 

 to farmers. (Questions in every branch of ai-riculture are gladly answered. Write a short letter, fjiving as 

 full particulars as possible, of your local condit'ons, and state precisely what it is that you want to know. 

 All inipiiries must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer. 



In,ji-ky to Make. — P.E. states th;it five months ago a young dranght mare of 

 his had her chest badly torn, a ])ortion oF the bone becoming detached Although the 

 wound has healed, the chest is much swollen, a hard himp lias formed, and it i.s 

 iinpossilile to work her. 



Anxirer. — The swelling on the chest is caused l)y the detached bone not having 

 been removed before allowing the wound to heal. If the abscess formed has not already 

 broken, it will be ad\isalile to open it up freeh', extract the piece of bone, and 

 thoroughly drain the cavity, washing out twice daily with a 2 per cent, solution of 

 lysol. The mare will probably go sound after the wound has healed. 



Black Sweat in Ferkkts.~.J. W. writes: — "A rabbit trapper in my district has 

 recently lost nineteen out of twenty ferrets from a disease which he terms ' Black 

 Sweat.' The first .symjjtoms are redness and swelling of the eyelids, accompanied by 

 mucous discharge. The animal becomes sluggish, and the fur is harsh and ' staring.' 

 The intiammation extends to the mouth and nose, and the whole head appears 

 saturated with a dark foul-smelling sweat. Death occurs in from a few hours to 

 three or four days," 



Aii><ire): — Black Sweat in ferrets is a septic disease, the exact cause of which is at 

 present unknown, and requires investigation for further elucidation, and to prove its 

 amenaliility to ti-eatment. To prevent the spread of the disease, isolation of the 

 .affected animals and extreme cleanline-'S in and disinfection of the hutches are 

 imperative. 



Redwater IX Cattle. — C.P.N, inquires as to the cau.se of red water in cattle. He 

 .also desires to know whether a newly-calved cow should ))e allowed to eat her 

 "cleanings." On one occasion, he buried a cow's cleanings a mile aMay from the 

 ])lace of calving, but the cow dug them u[) and ate them. 



Au>nrer. — (1) Redwater in cattle is a dietetic disease usually caused Vjy rough 

 innutritions feed. The best treatment to adopt is to give a drench composed of 

 Epsom salts, 1 lb.; powdered ginger, 1 oz. : nitrate of potash, h, oz. ; to be given in a 

 tpuirt of water. A liberal supjjly of good nourishing diet is important. (2) Certainly 

 not ; apart from the al5Sorj)tion oi putrefactive material, it is likely to cause acute 

 in(h'gestion. 



Dropsical Swelling. — (1. W. states that several mares by the sariie sire in his 

 •district are swollen behind as if they were about to foal, ^¥hen they are heated, the 

 .swelling appears to extend further, and the bottom of the womb hangs down 6 or 8 

 inches lower, presenting a very disagreeable sight. 



Anairer. — The cases mentioned appear to lie dropsical, with prolapsed conditions of 

 the po.sterioi' portion of the fcal pas.sage, and not the womb itself. If the mares are 

 in foal, this condition is probably due to disturbed circulation in the part from 

 pressure of the })regnant womb, in which case it would be inadvisable to do more than 

 wash and gently massage the part with .salad oil by pressing upwards towards the lips of 

 the passage. This should l)e carried out twice daily until the mares foal. If the 

 prolapse persists after foaling, the whole mass should be washed with a 2 per cent. 

 :solution of lysol, and gradually returned by hand pressure into the passage, and the 

 lips closed with two deeply -inserted tape stitches. 



IxDKiESTioN IN FiLLY. — W.T. writes : — " Could you tell me m hat is wrong with my 

 filly. If she has a feed of cliaff with a little bran in it liefore she starts work, and 

 .another at midflay, she gets bad and lies down, Ijut does not struggle or roll much. 

 The legs are stretched out, and occasionally the head is turned to the flank.'' 



Awiwer. — The trouble with your filly is cau.sed by indigestion, and is possibly 

 • due to irregular casting of the temporary teeth An examination of the mouth should 

 V)e made, antl all irregularities corrected. The filly will then be benefited by a course 

 ■of the following powders in the food twice a day for about a fortnight — suljjhate of 

 magnc-ia. 1 oz. ; oi-carl>onate of sorlii, J, o/, : powdered ginger and gentian, 2 drams 

 each. 



Cow's Milk for Foal of Dkad Mare.- -J. K. M. asks how to prepare cow's milk 

 foi' foal of a deafl naare. 



An^wr. — The proper wa\' to prepare average cow's milR to rear the foal of a dead 

 mare is by mixing two quarts of fresh cow's milk with one of lukewarm water, to 

 which is added 1 tablespoonful of brown sugar. The sugar is preferable to 

 molasses. 



