224 



TEE AaBIGULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



should be inclined to put all cattle 

 through the process every year. Of 

 course, the question of expense has to be 

 considered, but perhaps the outlay would 

 be justified by the feeling of satisfaction 

 that everything possible had been done 

 to secure the protection of the cattle. At 

 places other than those on or near direct 

 routes, inoculation may, I think, be safely 

 deferred until the appearance of ticks 

 at some place with which they are in com- 

 munication ; but matters should be m 

 trim so that inoculation may be at once 

 proceeded with should occasion arise, i.e., 

 salted stock should be at hand. 



The foregoing conclusions concerning 

 inoculation may be briefly summarised in 

 the following terms : — 



1. The question of inoculation need only 

 be considered at the present time by 

 stockowners in districts to or through 

 which cattle pass from districts actu- 

 ally or possil)ly tick-infested. 



2. In such districts owners whose cattle 

 are situated on or near direct routes, 

 would be taking the safe course in in- 

 oculating at once, but should inocu- 

 late again on close approach of the 

 ticks. Owners, whose cattle are well 

 outside direct routes, need not inocu- 

 late at present, but should maintain a 

 sufficient number of properly salted 

 cattle to enable them to immediately 

 inoculate their whole herd should the 

 ticks appear at any place in direct 

 communication with them. 



3. As it is above all things necessary to 

 make sure of the suitability of the 

 blood used for inoculation, it may be 

 advantageous to establish convenient 

 centres at which a supply of suitable 

 cattle can be constantly maintained 

 under the supervision of competent in- 

 dividuals. 



4. The question of erecting dips is not a 

 matter of urgencv at the present time, 

 except at the border crossing-places 

 where they should be erected and 

 systematically used for the cleansing 

 of travelling stock of all kinds. 

 Finally, I may pomt out that the fore- 



o-oino- conclusions do not differ in any 

 essential respect from those arrived at 



in my previous report : — "We should 

 energetically maintain our border de- 

 fences, and we should set about rendering 

 our internal position as secure as possible 

 by inoculation and reinoculation of our 

 cattle. The young stock should be in- 

 oculated at once, and the old stock later 

 on, if necessary." If I now extend the 

 operation so as to include all cattle it 

 is from a conviction that with reasonable 

 care the operation is harmless, and, there- 

 fore, may be practised upon all. Never- 

 theless, I still regard the inoculation ot 

 all cattle, and of beasts destined for early 

 slaughter, as a matter which may be left 

 to the discretion of the owner ; hence, 1 

 may fairly say that the above-quoted re- 

 commendations express my views at the 

 present time as adequately as when they 

 were written twelve months ago. 



In the Farmers and Fruit Growers\Gmde (m 

 P,l Hon^ cage 51, Mr. Guthrie explains how to 

 clnv^rt'sCall quantities of boneynto super 

 r,V.osnha'e and that is probably the best ana 

 Lost economical way of treating them But to 

 cirrv out the process involves some little ditti- 

 ^nUv esVecially to persons unaccustomed to 

 hanJie strfE liklsulph^uric arid. An easy meth^^^^ 



I' *^^t"t!in'^ a lay^e^r of si/ inches 'ofTnet 

 SarayeTcftthrrLcLs deep of quicklime 



^ome hot, and at the end of about three months 

 thThe^p win slice down I'^e cheej and th^ 

 material in the shape of a substantial tertil.ser^ 

 can be applied to th'e land, where a great variety 

 of crops will readily assimilate it. 



4 pnlonial correspondent of the Times writes 

 urging that he War Office BhouM buy more 

 horse! in Australia. He suggests that the hardy 

 and compfct stock horse of 15 ban'^,%or 15 h^2 

 in used on the cattle ranches, are ]ust the stamp 

 reaufred for compaigning ; tbey do not know 

 tampering means, and are used to doing 

 their Shty mifes a day without being any the 

 *wo;se."'ln'Queensland, he Jreeders wou d 

 he content to accept from £12 to iiO per neau 

 for four year.olds; but what these horses would 

 CO t after the journey .down to Br^bane and 

 transDort to the Caoe is another thing, ine 

 Sme writer thinks that the Army buyers who 

 ha"e purchased horses in Australia for South 

 Mrica made a mistake in their choice ; they 

 ^ve preference to the big, upstanding and 

 showy horse, which is good to look at, but too 

 oft for bush work; and, therefore too soft to 

 withstand the hardships of campaignmg. 



