i)BC, 1, l^OS.] 
Siopplement to the '^Tropical Agriculturist J' 
437 
On his previous tour Mr. Compere left Perth 
in October, 1902, and returned in August, 1903, 
after visiting Sydney, Manilla, the Phillipines, 
China, Japan, California, the United States, 
England, Spain, France, and Italy. 
Since then another prolonged tour was under- 
taken, and Mr. Compere, having come from India, 
was on his way back to Australia, In Ceylon, 
where he spent two days, our visitor found much 
to interest and occupy bim in the Government 
Stock Garden, (established in connection with the 
School Garden scheme), and was able to secure a 
number of specimens of fruit flies and other 
insects damaging the crops being raised there. 
Mr. Compere will no doubt make reference to such 
work as he accomplished in Colombo in his 
report on his present tour, and we shall look 
forward to the publication of this report in the 
pages of our "exchange," the Journal of the 
Department of Agriculture, Western Australia. 
Mr. Compere's visit was full of interest to us, as he 
had so much to say regarding the latest develop- 
ments in his interesting work, which he enters 
into with a zest and enthusiasm that is not often 
met with even in a scientific expert, can-ying 
out every detail with his own hand, however 
unpleasant and trying the circumstances. 
♦ 
VETERTNAEY NOTES. 
Dr. R. A. Stoute, Veterinary Surgeon to the 
Government of Barbados, has contributed the 
following suggestions for improving the breed of 
Zebu cattle in respect to their qualities as beef- 
producing animals : — 
There are three characteristics possessed by 
Zebu cattle which it would be well to develop in 
any beef breed. 
(1.) Smallness of bone in proportion to size. 
(2.) Immunity from ticks. 
(3.) Power of obtaining nourishment from 
hard, coarse fodder. 
(4.) Great foroging power. 
Were I asked the best means of producing these 
charocteristics, or at least which I considered the 
best means, I would suggest the following : — 
Obtain as nearly perfect a bull as possible 
from the breed decided on, (persumably Short 
horn, Hereford or Polled, Red or Black), select 
some pure-bred Zebu cows, as nearly approaching 
the build of a beef breed as possible. Cross these 
with the bull decided on. Castrate all bull calves 
and divide the heifers into three lots of four 
calves each. One lot of about four calves I 
would keep at pasture day and night ; lot No. 2, 
I would keep at pasture during the day, and pen 
or tether at night ; lot No. 3, I would keep always 
tied. Keep a record of weights taken about every 
month, and froni these different lots only breed 
from those that had developed well, and had the 
three characteristics wanted, accompanied by 
form of father. Breed these to same bull, as the 
idea of in-and-in breeding has lost the dread it 
once had. In fact some breeders maintain this is 
the best way to reach a point of excellence. 
Treat calves from these in the same manner in 
wJiicU the mother^ were treated, Agaia breed to 
the same bull and continue until yf Zebu and 7r 
pure breed has been reached. From the last lot 
of calves I would keep a few of the best marked 
as brood bulls. 
Mr. Thomas Newberry, M.R.C.V.S., writing to 
the October number of the Veterinary Journal 
says with reference to Pasteur's Vaccine for the 
prevention of "Blackleg" that he used the 
"Blacklegine'' in the worst affected districts 
during the present year, and (to quote his own 
words) " in each case where animals on the farm 
were already dead or dying, I vaccinated what 
apparently remained healthy, and in every 
instance the operation secured immunity from 
attack, and 'greater evil' was seen no more." 
It is stated on the authority of Professor 
Nocard that the Magana of South Africa and the 
Surra of India are identical and due to the 
presence of a parasite (trypanosoma) in the blood. 
In Africa the disease is propogated by the tsetse 
fly, while in India the agent would appear to be 
the tabanus tropicus. The recent outbreak in 
Mauritius is said to have been due chiefly to 
to Stomoxys nigra. 
M. Nocard's last public utterance was in support 
of the movement to establish classes for Veterinary 
Surgeons also in the school of Tropical Medicine 
at Liverpool, and it is satisfactory to be able to 
state that the movement has now taken prac- 
tical shape, and the Prospectus and Course of 
Instruction have already been published. Those 
who doubt the utility of such a measure should 
read Professor Nocard's speech on the occasion 
referred to. 
We have received a copy of Bulletin No. 2 of 
the Department of Agriculture of the Transvaal 
entitled : " Some Diseases of the Horse in South 
Africa." The author of this number is Dr. Thieler, 
the Government Veterinary Bacteriologist who 
ably deals with the various forms of diseases and 
their treatment. 
Mr. William Hutchison, late Stock Inspector in 
tiueensland, who writes to theSeptember number of 
the Gape AgriculturalJournal is a strong advocate 
of " Spaying ", the prejudice against which he 
attributes to the losses resulting from unskillful 
operating. Reading Mr. Hutchison's letter, a 
summary of which we give below, we are inclined 
to recommend that something might bedone to test 
the value of spaying among the Government 
Dairy Stock. We do not know whether the 
operation has ever been performed on cattle in 
the Island, though we have heard of a Ceylonese 
who returned to the Island after spending some 
years in Australia, as thoroughly qualified and 
able to show how it is done. 
One of the chief advantages of spaying cows not 
up to dairy requirements is, says Mr. Hutchison, in 
the direction of raising the standard aS. production, 
as the cows can be kept in milk to the end of 
the season without the trouble of getting into 
calf again, and if sold will bring much higher 
