452 



THE AOBICULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



perimental facts, well to understand, I 

 leave it over to every farmer to act ac- 

 cordingly, and carry it into practice as he 

 likes. I would further suggest that 

 farmers give their attention to any par- 



ticular insect observed in a horsesickness 

 country, and contribute the experience 

 they might derive from the foregoing 

 conclusions. 



Quarter'Eifiim 



By H. WaTkins-Pitchford, F.R.C.V.S., P.V.S. 



THE advance of the season brings before 

 us the recurring necessity of taking 

 steps against this fatal stock disease, 

 which probably destroys more lives 

 throughout a year of average mortality 

 than other stock diseases combined. 



Experience points to the fact that a 

 bi-annual inoculation say in August and 

 January) will give more uniformly suc- 

 cessful results than where dependence is 

 placed upon a single spring or summer 

 operation. 



The degrees of susceptibility to this 

 disease are, as in most diseases, varying, 

 and the immunity acquired in highly 

 susceptible animals seems barely sufficient 

 to ensure freedom from risk for twelve 

 months. 



It is encouraging to note the advantage 

 which is being taken of the quarter-evil 

 preparation by the Natal farmer. Since 

 its issue from the Laboratory, more than 

 15,500 doses have been sent out, and 

 during the present year alone a greater 

 number of doses has been issued than 

 during the whole of last year (6,855 as 

 against 6,665 last year). 



No casualties have been reported, and 

 but few cases of death have subsequently 

 occurred among inoculated ^tock. 



These deaths, few as they have been, 

 may possibly have been due to the ex- 

 cessive susceptibility as spoken of above, 

 or as is more possible, they may have 

 occurred through slight inadvertence in 

 the simple process of inoculation. It 

 must 1)6 continually borne in mind in 

 inoculating, that the syringe must be 

 shaken immediately before every injec- 

 tion which is made, as the tendency of 

 the preparation to precipitate or sink 

 rapidly often results in one animal re- 

 ceiving a small dose of water only, while 

 the next receives a double dose. In this 

 way most of the deaths occurring amongst 

 stock supposed to have been inoculated 

 may be accounted for. 



I would urge all farmers who have not 

 yet taken this simple and safe precaution 

 to inoculate at once before the season be- 

 comes more advanced. The saving of 

 even a single beast will more than repay 

 the slight expense and trouble incurred, 

 especially at the present price of young 

 stock. 



Grass Seed for Disiribuiionm 



A FURTHER consignment of fifty 

 pounds of pasjjahim dilatalum has 

 been received, and is availalde, on 

 ai)plication, for free distribution in small 

 quantities. 



Fifty pounds of Dantlinnia smni- 

 annularis has also been received, and is 



similarly available for distribution. This 

 is one of the indigenous grasses of New 

 Zealand. The following is extracted from 

 an Annual Report of the New Zealand 

 Department of Agriculture : — " Dan- 

 thonia scmi-annularis, and its varieties, 

 are justly claiming great attention, the 



