What is Mud Fever?   Mud fever has many names including cracked heels, scratches, rain rot, greasy heel, mud rash, and dew poisoning.  It is a common condition, usually affecting horses lower limbs; especially the back legs, and particularly if they are white. Mud Fever is characterized by inflammation of the skin, and the appearance of crusty scabs, formed from oozing serum. This is caused by the invasion of a bacterium called dermatophilus congolensis, which penetrates the skin following either damage, or softening through exposure to the wet or mud. The bacterium thrives in wet muddy conditions, and our increasingly mild and wet winters are escalating the prevalence of this troublesome condition. When the same condition occurs on the upper body, it is also referred to as Rain Rot, or Rain Scald. Prevention Preventing Mud Fever in the first place, is certainly preferable for your horse, however mud fever can at times be extremely difficult to prevent.  Some horses will always be more susceptible to mud fever than others, and wet muddy fields exacerbate the problem. If your horse is susceptible to mud fever, you should protect its legs from the wet and mud as much as possible, and apply a barrier. You should also check the legs regularly, and at first signs of soreness, weeping or scabs, treat immediately with an effective mud fever cream, to prevent the condition worsening, and clear up the problem. Treatment Mud Fever can be a very persistent condition, and difficult to treat. There are several important stages to successfully treating mud fever: The skin must be protected from further contact with the wet or mud, whilst the condition is being treated.  All the scabs must be removed, so that the treatment can reach the skin. The infection must then be treated with a product that attacks the bacteria. Once the bacteria has been destroyed, the affected area must continue to be protected whilst new skin and hair grows. The Onion: a prehistoric delight   The onion is one of the most versatile and popular vegetable grown.  Onions were domesticated by man before recorded history. It is likely that they were first cultivated in Middle Asia and regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Since that time onions have been developed and grown all over the world. Onions belong to the genus Allium and they are related to garlic, chives and leeks. The strong flavour of onions is due to sulfur compounds. The volatile material that brings tears to the eyes.  This compound is also responsible for the distinctive flavour of onions.  Once the onion is cut, the compound is released and more cuts result in a stronger flavour and more tears. Planting onion sets is the simplest method since the success rate is always high and it takes less time to obtain an edible onion.  Sets will produce green bunching onions or early mature bulb crops.  For green bunching onions place the sets about 2 cm deep and 2-5 cm apart in rows  30-45 cm apart. Green bunching onions may be harvested at any time once they are pencil thick.  A bulb type onion begins to mature once the neck tissue starts to soften, the tops fall over, and the roots start to die.  The bulb rapidly increases in size at this point since food is being transferred from the leaves to the bulb.  Onions are fully ripe once the tops are surivelled and dead and the outer skin of the bulb is dry and rustles.  Harvest the onions once the tops have fallen over but before the foliage has completely dried.  Pull the onions out of the ground and leave them to dry for about 1 week. If rain threatens spread them out on newspapers in a sheltered location. Curing should then follow in a warm dry location this will take 10 to 14 days.  After this they can be stored or eaten Visit any of our Co-op Country Garden Centers and pick up your favorite gardening fact sheets . We have lots to pick from perennials, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, herbs, bulbs, seeds, pest control, lawn care, theme gardening, ponds, hedges, soil amendments, climbers & vines, to birds & butterflies, and they  are “Free”