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GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



[Dec. 1896- 



although not ministerially represented, sent Departmental officers 

 to confer with those of the other Colonies. The Conference was 

 convened to consider means for preventing the spread of a 

 disease known as tick fever, which exists in Queensland, and 

 has been reported to exist in Western Australia. After full 

 consideration of the information placed before them the Con- 

 ference came to the conclusion that the disease is caused by 

 ticks, and is identical with what is known as the Texas fever 

 in America; that although the authorities there have given 

 very careful consideration by means of exhaustive experiments 

 and otherwise, no satisfactory method of eradication or remedy 

 has yet been discovered ; that the want of definite knowledge 

 points to the necessity of the various Governments jointly 

 undertaking the expense of continuing experiments in the 

 Colony of Queensland as to the nature of the disease, and 

 taking the most effectual measures to combat it. Several 

 recommendations are made to this effect. 



The Conference was of opinion that, until the investigations 

 above referred to were completed by the experts, it was desirable 

 that measures should be taken to arrest, as far as possible, the 

 spread of the disease. It was acknowledged that the Govern- 

 ment of the Colony of Queensland had already, since the dis- 

 covery of the baneful effects of this plague, done all that was 

 possible (both by legislative and administrative action) to 

 prevent the spread of the disease, and to discover a remedy for 

 it ; but the Conference felt it was incumbent upon all the 

 Colonies to take further precautions to prevent the evils 

 spreading beyond its present limits. With a view to giving 

 effect to this recommendation the representatives of New South 

 Wales, Victoria, and South Australia expressed a wish that, in 

 the interests of Australia generally, the Government of Queens- 

 land would see its way to extend the prohibitory line to a point 

 well in advance of any known ticks, and, after full considera- 

 tion, the representative of Queensland agreed to recommend his. 

 Government to also absolutely prohibit the movements of cattle 

 from the central or suspected zone southwards pending further 

 information and results, and until experience should have been 

 gained of the progress of the disease during the spring and 

 summer months of this and next year, 



As there is a possibility of the disease being carried to other 

 Colonies by hides, there has been some question as to whether 

 dry-salting or immersion in brine is the more effectual way of 

 destroying the ticks upon them. The Conference came to the 

 conclusion that dry salting, if properly performed, is absolutely 

 safe, and they concurred in recommending that hides dry-salted 

 should be allowed to be imported into the various Colonies, if 

 accompanied by a certificate from an inspector in Queensland to 

 the effect that the process of dry-salting there had been properly 

 performed. 



