796 



THE 



AGRICULTURAl JOURNAL. 



scluine. He liad, therefore, gone to the 

 trouble uith Mr. Richards of riding round to 

 farmers to exphxin the thing. He found 

 they all wanted to keep the concern in the 

 Creamery, and he could tell them that there 

 were plenty willing, did not the company do 

 so, to take the thing over as a pri\ate con- 

 cern. Five thousand pounds had been pro- 

 mised should the latter occur. 



Mr. Richards then moved that it be an in- 

 struction to the new Bjard that they c ill u;i 

 the necessary capital to push forward a 

 scheme on the lines sug2:rstcd. 



In reply to Mr. Bartholemew, the Cliairiii m 

 said that the old Board thought that, witli t'le 

 issuing of the reserve ca])ital, the scheme 

 could be carried out. The balnice wouhl, of 

 course, have to be financed. The estimated 

 cost of the buil'ling would be £L5 000. mik n -. 

 with the jn'ice of the land, a total of €18,000. 

 And when they knew what they did about 

 contractors, they need not be surprised if th.e 

 building cost £20,000. 



Mr. Alexander asked if the interest would 

 still be 7 per cent., and the surplus profits still 

 go the suppliers. 



The Chairman : Yes; but the articles of 

 association could be amended. 



The motion, which was seconded by Mr. 

 Blaker, was carried. 



Mr. Lloyd now proposed, and Dr. Brewitt 

 seconded, "that the directors be granted £1 

 Is. a meeting for their services last year. 

 This was agreed to. 



Mr. Hyslop said before they parted he 

 thought the meeting should tender its hearty 

 thanks to Mr. Richards' for his services in the 

 interests of the Creamery. 



Mr. Richards replied that he had spent, 

 while managing director of the company, two 

 of the happiest years of his life, and he asked 

 for nothing more than what he had seen that 

 day. 



With the usual vote of thanks to the Chair- 

 man, the meeting closed. 



Veterinary Deuarimentai Report for January, 



1902. 



ABSTRACTS 

 Minister op Agriculture — 

 Sir, — 1 beg to forward my monthly re- 

 port for January. 



Ltingsickness. — This disease is still pre- 

 valent in Klip River County and in Zulu- 

 land. Twenty-three fresh outbreaks have 

 occurred in each of these districts. In 

 the rest of Natal eight fresh cases are 

 reported, two of which have unfortu- 

 nately been imported from Australia. I 

 refer to Mr. Baynes' cattle, and the Gov- 

 ernment heifers in the Veterinary Com- 

 pound, Durban. Upon arrival, these 

 animals showed no suspicious signs of 

 disease; and were, of course, permitted 

 to land. It will be understood that to 

 insure against the introduction of lung- 

 sickness at the Port (or other such dis- 

 eases with a long incubation period), a 

 system of quarantining all ani- 

 mals arriving would have to 

 be adopted. It is probable, how- 

 ever, that the disadvantage of such a sys- 

 tem (interference with trade, expense to 

 importers, etc.), would outweigh the ad- 

 vantages, and it would be an almost use- 

 less meeasure while diseased stock still 

 continues to be introduced over our in- 

 land borders. One can jjlace no reliance 



M REPORTS. 



on death returns of animals dying on 

 voyage in most cases; and frequently the 

 cause of death is decided without post 

 mortem examination. 



Srah. — Five fresh cases have occurred 

 in Klip River County; the disease now 

 appears on the decrease here, and the 

 movements of loot sheep appear to have 

 stopped. Several large flocks have been 

 removed from the district by the Cold 

 Storage Company. 



Zululand is now free from this dis- 

 ease. 



In the rest of Natal, eight fresh cases 

 are reported, five of which are in the 

 Ixopo District (Sub-Inspector Hancock). 



Sheep owners should now make an 

 effort to clean their flocks before winter 

 sets in, as the scab insect has a much 

 better time and chance of spreading when 

 the sheep lose condition, strength, etc., 

 in the winter months, chiefly from the 

 fact that the natural fat of 'the sheep's 

 wool is not so plentiful or is wanting 

 during this period. The fat retards the 

 spread of the scab insect in destroying 

 many of them by suffocation, etc. 



Rinderpest. — This disease has spread 

 slowly during the month. Four fresh 



