Abstract
THE Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries points out that, as a result of the prolonged drought, the breeding places of the water-snail which is responsible for the early stages of development of the liver fluke, which causes ‘liver rot’ of cattle and sheep, have been considerably reduced, large areas of wet land having dried and only small wet patches and pools left. An opportunity is thus afforded for taking decisive measures for the eradication of the liver fluke from the farm. It is recommended that the remaining haunts of the snail should be dressed with a mixture of finely powdered bluestone and dry sand, in the proportion of 1 to 4, at the rate of one-quarter to one-half hundredweight to the acre. A second dressing should be applied, if possible, after an interval of three weeks, animals being kept away from the treated ground until after rain has fallen. A further measure is to treat all adult sheep with carbon tetrachloride or with extract of male fern, which will expel any mature flukes the animals may be carrying. Further particulars are given in Leaflet No. 89, which may be obtained free of charge from the Ministry, 10 Whitehall Place, S.W.I.
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Liver Rot and the Drought. Nature 134, 175 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134175b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134175b0