13
although several had severe typical attacks of the dis-
ease. The weather throughout June was excessively
hot.
(b) Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.— Fifty-seven deaths occurred from this
disease, the largest number for several years. Nearly all
the deaths were amongst calves about four months old and
occurred during a severe epidemic of the disease in Septem-
ber. The disease began early in the month at Babran where
the cows are usually kept during the rains in thorn Kraals,
and at first cases occurred singly at intervals in the endemic
form of the disease usual here. The usually effective mea-
sures of segregation proving ineffective; serum was tele-
graphed for, and 297 animals were inoculated. The serum
had the effect of at once stopping the outbreak, but in the
meantime the disease had become epidemic and deaths oc-
curred daily in numbers till all in contact had been inocu-
lated.
While waiting for serum some of the various treatments
which have recently been recommended for the disease
were tried, notably Pot. permanganate by the
mouth, and injunctions of iodine dissolved in Pot.
iodine. One animal recovered after iodine injections,
the remaining treated animals all died. One animal
recovered without any treatment at all, and so far as
the experience of this outbreak goes to show no useful
medicinal treatment for the disease in the field has yet
been discovered.
It is to be hoped that the Imperial Bacteriological
Laboratory will eventually be able to elaborate a
vaccine for this disease, producing an immunity long
enough to tide animals ever their period of maximum
susceptibility. There is no doubt that calves are far
more susceptible to this disease than mature animals.
The above two outbreaks involved the Veterinary Staff
of the Farm in much extra work at a very trying time of
year. The affected animals in both cases were isolated
at a distance of over 5 miles from headquarters.
Seven hundred and thirty-six animals were inoculated
and without a single accident. No one not conversant
with the difficulty of rounding up and catching wild
stock like that on this Farm, can realise how credit-
able a result this is.
(c) Black Quarter was responsible for 7 deaths only, considerably
less than the average of recent years. All young stock are
inoculated against this disease at the time of weaning with
a vaccine issued by the Imperial Bacteriological Laboratory.
(d) Foot and Mouth Disease occurred twice, as usual in the autumn
and early spring. Except amongst imported merino sheep,
the outbreaks were mild and of little consequence. Coming
at the end of the hot weather and rains before the imported
sheep had had time to pick up condition, the autumn out-
break was very severe amongst them. Most of them appear-
ed to have no power of resistance at all, but just laid down
and died on the first onset of symptoms.
(e) Strangles occurred in a mild form only and caused very little
trouble.
(f) Navel Ill.—Precautionary measures proved very effective in
reducing losses from this disease.
(g) Sheep Scab which was discovered early in the cold weather, is,
as far as this Farm is concerned, a new disease.