NOTES ON OSTEO-MALAOIA (BONE-CHEWING). 



Diagnosis. 



The disease must be differentiated from another markedly coastal com- 

 plaint, which, like osteo-malacia, is frequently referred to as "rickets," 

 namely, poisoning by "Burrawang" (Macrozamia sp.). 



The nature of the country, the presence of the plant, the absence of the 

 " bene-chewing " habit, and the freedom of the animal from fractures will 

 be useful in deciding which complaint is present. Rachitis is excluded by 

 the question of age, as, so long as the calves are on the bucket, i.e., receiving 

 skim-milk, they do not develop osteo-malacia. 



Treatment 



As has already been noted, great benefit may be obtained, especially if the 

 animals are noted in the early stages, by removing them to non-affected 

 country. As this is not often practicable, however, recourse must be had to 

 artificial means of supplying the required constituents of the feed, and the 

 course most readily adopted in cases where the cattle are being fed apart 

 from their grazing is to mix 1 to 2 ounces of bone-meal in the feed daily. 

 Where grazing alone is resorted to, the bone-meal may be placed in small 

 boxes, suitably protected from the weather, and the cattle allowed to lick it 

 at will ; if salt is also required by the cattle it may be mixed with it, but this 

 is not essential. Bone-meal given in this way has been found of great 

 benefit in many instances. 



The addition of bran to the feed has also been noted to act beneficially, 

 and much good has resulted on other occasions by partly feeding on maize 

 or lucerne or oaten hay grown outside the affected areas. 



Preventive treatment can only lie in the direction of providing more 

 artificial feed for the cattle, by growing crops with the use of artificial 

 manures, and where possible liming .and manuring the pastures, though, as 

 Dr. Jensen points out, the last measure is sometimes superfluous. 



THE OSTEO-MALACIA SOILS OF THE SOUTH COAST DISTRICTS. 



H. I. JENSEN, D.Sc., Government Geologist, Northern Territory; late of the 

 Chemist's Branch, Department of Agriculture, N.S.W. 



On the South Coast osteo-malacia is very prevalent in many localities, as at 

 Sassafras and in various parts of the Moruya and Bega districts. It is 

 generally most acute where the soils exhibit a marked deficiency in lime, and 

 when one portion of a district is affected and another unaffected, a notable 

 difference usually exists in the lime content of the soils of the two localities. 



For a considerable time the matter has been under investigation in this 

 Branch, and upwards of sixty soils have been analysed in connection' with 

 the bone-ehewing disease, or osteo-malacia. Prior to this investigation 



