Improved Vehicles Wanted for Carrying Livestock.
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TT is well known that the motor lorry has .practically revolutionized livestock transport. Apart from the saving of time and expense, it would be hardly possible to estimate the advantage over any other method due to the absence of fatigue in livestock conveyed to market or elsewhere by. motor: The rack-sided lorry is the type of vehicle used for ordinary livestock transport, a better design being employed for show purposes and the transport of valuable stock generally. Experience seems to be teaching us, however, that if livestock are to be sent to market in fast motor lorries, the open rack-sided vehicle is by no means the• best for use in winter. The transport to market in a fast open lorry of a cow that has been kept under warm conditions indoors often results in a chill, especially during the period of newly calved cows.
The matter is most important. In-milk cows are all valuable animals, and it is as much to the interest of the vendor as to the purchaser that the animals be able to fulfil the purposes for which they are sold. Much loss is sustained throughout the country in consequence of chills and pneumonia resulting from carelessness in handling such cows during transport.
Branches of the National Farmers' Union in different parts of the country have had the matter under consideration, members .being advised to take greater care. An example of this was seen at Shrewsbury recently, when the secretary of the branch called attention to the necessity of newly calved cows being covered during transportation to market. The matter had arisen because in some instances cows had been brought to the market on a cold morning in a fast open lorry without covering, and in the opinion of . some people this almost amounted to cruelty. It is said that certain cows brought in in such a way had died from pneumonia. Many farmers •rug the animals, but this " rug " often comprises nothing more than a bag or two, which is entirely ineffective in keeping the animals sufficiently warm.
What is wanted is a properly covered cattletruck with good ventilation or use in winter, the bap being removable for service during the summer. It ought to be possible to make a structure of this kind, not elaborate, but strong enough for the purpose and comparatively inexpensive.