Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Anticoagulants For The Control Of Rats And Mice, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LATELY there have been many requests for information on suitable poisons to use in baiting rats and mice.

Most enquirers have stated that they "tried a certain brand of bait" and found that the rats only "ate it up and kept coming back for more."

This article on Warfarin—as a rat and mouse poison—is presented to clear up some of the problems of rodent poisoning.

Marker Dyes In Antibiotics, K Needham, N. Ingleton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

'For some years the presence of penicillin in milk has been a serious problem for the dairy industry.

When cows are treated for mastitis with antibiotics some residue finds its way into the milk.

Unless the milk from treated cows is withheld for at least 72 hours after treatment this residue enters the bulk milk supply.

Wallaby Control In The Kimberleys, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

EXPERIMENTS aimed at controlling sandy wallabies along the Fitzroy River frontage were started in 1952 by officers of the Agriculture Protection Board.

This work was undertaken in response to requests for assistance from some of the station owners and managers between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing.

List Of Registered Stock Foods : 1963-64, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

All foods for stock sold in Western Australia are required by the Feeding Stuffs Act, 1928-1951, to be registered annually with the Department of Agriculture.

A list of stock foods which have now been registered with the Department of Agriculture for the current registration year appears here.

Rabbit Fumigation, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Not all poisons act by absorption from the alimentary tract or through the skin, the fumigants are a big group of poisons used in pest control which act on the animal after being absorbed through the lungs.

FUMIGATION as it is now used in Western Australia is not always an economical way of treating whole farm properties. It should only be used on its own in areas where it is impossible to use other more permanent methods such as warren destruction.

Selenium And Sheep Health : A Review Of White Muscle Disease Investigations In W.A, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SELENIUM, the latest trace element to be investigated in medicine, biology and agriculture, has been found to be essential in the prevention of a wide variety of animal diseases in various parts of the world.

Vermin Control Research In Western Australia 1952-1962, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Ten years ago this month the Agriculture Protection Board of Western Australia began setting up a section within its Vermin Control Branch to tackle some of the scientific aspects of vertebrate pest control.

C. D. Gooding, B.Sc. (Agric), reviews the first 10 years of vermin control research work in Western Australia.

Bordeaux Mixture, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BORDEAUX mixture is still proving a most effective spray against many serious plant diseases in this State despite the increasing use of the newer organic fungicides.

When properly made and applied it adheres to the plants with great tenacity and strongly resists the weathering action by rain.

Bare Patch And Poor Emergence Of Cereals : Factors Under Investigation. 1. Seed Treatment And Moisture Content, S C. Chambers

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

UNDER the relatively dry climatic conditions of Western Australia, over-dosages of organic mercury dusts had no apparent ill-effects upon wheat emergence, irrespective of the initial moisture content of the seed.

However, seedling counts were significantly less, with seed of a high moisture content.

Chemical Poisoning In Animals. 1. Arsenic, H D. Seddon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ARSENIC is poisonous to all animals and to man in quite small amounts and exposure to poisoning is often a result of human carelessness.

It is present in many chemical dips used for control of insect parasites on stock, and in agricultural fruit sprays and weed killers whose relative cheapness makes their use economical.

However, their potential danger and the economic loss they may cause are a disadvantage.

Dingo And Fox Baits, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Vermin Control Section of the Agriculture Protection Board has devised an effective method of preparing poison for impregnating dingo and fox baits. The method is recommended where it is not convenient to use commercial 1/2 grain strychnine tablets.

Control Of The Emu, C D. Gooding, J. L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Vermin research officers C. D. GOODING and J. L LONG give the latest recommendations for control of the emu, based on a series of observations and poisoning experiments in the northern wheatbelt.

Drugs For Worm Control. 1. Sheep Drenching Trials With Mk 360, M R. Gardiner, J. Craig

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DRENCHING sheep with drugs designed to eliminate parasites has become an established practice in the higher rainfall districts of Western Australia.

has been tested in many trials, and their is little doubt that drenching sheep clinically affected with worms—the so-called "tactical" drench—is valuable and necessary.

However, there is usually less general acceptance of the value of "strategic" drenching— the prevention of clinical parasitism by giving the drug at certain specific times, pre-determined by a knowledge of the numerical rise and fall of the various parasites within the animal body.

Castor Beans : Ricinus Communis Linn, T Pavy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MANY people have seen the wild castor oil plants around the metropolitan area, growing in rubbish dumps, and waste lands.

But they have not realised that the demand for castor oil has been increasing over the last 15 years.

Although one of its main uses is in the lubrication of jet engines, it is also used in plastics, special low temperature lubricants, hydraulic fluids, paints, varnishes, textiles and pharmaceutics.

Poisoning Rabbits From The Air, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AERIAL baiting gives spectacular kills of rabbits in country which cannot be effectively treated by conventional means, and has been widely adopted in New Zealand and other States in Australia.

Here Mr. Gooding reports on developments in aerial baiting in Victoria, and suggests practical applications in Western Australia.

An Improved Method Of Utilising Strychine In The Preparation Of Dingo And Fox Baits, L A. Harrison

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT present dingo and fox baits are made from fat or other material attractive to the animal to be poisoned, into which is inserted either alkaloid or soluble strychnine.

Hoary Cress (Cardaria Draba (L.) Desv.), G R W Meadly

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

HOARY CRESS, known also as Hoary Pepperwort or White Weed, is a perennial plant native to t h e Mediterranean region and Western Asia.

It has spread as a weed to northern Europe including Britain, as well as to other temperate countries among which are North America, New Zealand and Australia.

Pickled Wheat Is Safe For Sheep : Feeding Trial, J Craig, H. P. Dwyer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FARMERS are often left with a surplus of pickled grain from seed wheat supplies. Many would like to feed this to their stock, but do not do so because they think there may be a risk of poisoning.

This trial was designed to investigate the effects of feeding such grain to sheep.

A Grazing Management Trial For The Control Of Lupinosis In Sheep, H G. Neil, C. M. Ralph, A. W. Hogstrom

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A "WASTING" disease of sheep grazing on lupin stands, usually accompanied by heavy mortality, has become a serious problem in coastal areas between Perth and Geraldton in the past ten years.

Vermin Symposium Report : Wanted : A New Approach To Rabbit Control, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE main reason why rabbits have not increased as rapidly as their amazing capabilities might have led people to expect has been a series of years not suitable for full breeding.

This has been more important than myxomatosis and "1080". This was one of the thoughts taken away by those who attended the rabbit control symposium held in Perth recently.

Toxic Annuals In Horticulture, Robert Dunlop Royce

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE number of poisonous shrubs and trees that are grown in gardens is very great, and several of these species have been discussed in detail.

It is probable that few people realise just how many of the commonest garden plants are in some way or under some circumstances, likely to contain a toxic principle.

Furthermore, this is not confined to the longer lived plants, but it applies equally to the annual plants, both summer growing and winter growing.

Insect Pests : Aphides, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE members of the aphis family are remarkable creatures both in structure and habits.

They are practically world-wide in their distribution and despite their small size and apparent fragility they thrive under a wide variety of conditions and are among the most prolific breeders in the animal kingdom

Wild Dog Control In The North-West, R J. Fraser

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BECAUSE of its sparsely-settled condition, the North-West of Western Australia is almost an ideal breeding-ground and hunting-ground for wild dogs.

Even the best of the pastoral country is but thinly populated and there are large areas of rugged country which is seldom traversed by white men.

Spraying Guide For The Control Of Pests And Diseases Of Fruit Trees, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE following guide for the spraying of fruit trees has been prepared as a ready reference for fruit growers and as a seasonal reminder of control measures necessary to deal with orchard pests and diseases.

The charts have been kept as brief as possible consistent with supplying details of recommended materials, concentrations and time of application, and growers should comsult Departmental leaflets or Departmental officers for more detailed information.

Bracken Poisoning In Cattle, P B. Lewis

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE ingestion of bracken fern causes the death of numbers of young cattle in the South-West of Western Australia every year.

Early experimental work in the United Kingdom demonstrated that bracken contained an anti-Vitamin Bl factor called thiaminase which was thought to be the cause of the poisoning, but later work indicated that a bone marrow poisoning, not yet chemically identified, was responsible.

There Is No Mystery About 1080, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DESPITE the widespread publicity given to sodium fluoroacetate or "1080" and its general use throughout agricultural areas, there appear to be many misconceptions regarding the poison itself, its control, dangers and precautions and also the method of application. I will mention several of the questions often asked and give the answers.

Feeding Pickled Wheat To Pigs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

INQUIRIES are frequently received from farmers asking whether it is safe to feed pickled wheat to pigs, and if so, the quantities which would be suggested.

Until very recently there was no experimental information on the safety or possible dangers of these wheat pickling agents, but feeding trials completed last year at the Animal Health and Nutrition Laboratory, Nedlands, have provided some of the answers to these questions.

Rats And Mice And Their Control, C D. Gooding, J. L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BEFORE colonisation by the white man, Australia contained over 50 species of rats and mice.

Although several of these native species have been known to breed to plague proportions they are normally slower breeders than the introduced species.

Once settlement had been established on our shores it was only a matter of time before the introduction of more of these pests, occurred probably from the British Isles.

The Success Of The Rabbit 'Killer' Trials, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SUCCESS well beyond what was anticipated has been achieved in a two year trial of a modified version of the rabbit "killer" method.

In the "killer" method, trained officers are employed to kill rabbits instead of to inspect and supervise the activities of farmers and, in fact, these officers do all the actual work of destruction.

This system was advocated by the W.A. Royal Commission which reported on Vermin Control in this State in 1944, and it was used successfully in New Zealand.

These trials were applied only to poisoning and not to overall destruction measures. The main object was …

Insects And Mites Found Attacking Cereal Crops In Western Australia, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most important factors influencing Western Australian agriculture in the last 20 years has been the development of permanent pastures together with the associated practice of ley farming.

Although the increased use of pasture plants, and particularly subterranean clover, has increased the general fertility of many areas it has also accentuated various problems, including those relating to insect control.

Summer fallow was a strong deterrent to such pests as the red-legged earth mite, the lucerne flea, and webworm and these and several other creatures have shown a tendency to increase under new farming methods.