Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1889-06-20
THE TEXAS FLY.
IT'S kAVAGES IN cum MBERLAND
COUNTY WIDE SPREAD.
Farmers ana Dairymen Whose
Herds Suffer From the Dread
full Pests.

The fly is a small brownish black ia
sect, about half the size of the we'll
known small black ''dog fly" 1t at
tack 4 the cattle at the base of the
horns, at the root of the tail, and upon
the back where the cattle cannot dis
lodge it. They are persistant and
tenacious pests, gathering in cluster
upon the animals attacked; like the
black flies upon dogs ears, they bore
away at the cattle until the poor
beasts are nearly distracted.
1t is thought by some that they
puncture the base of the horns of the
cattle and deposit therein their eggs
or larvae and these are what eat away
the horn. Numbers of COWS can be
seen with their horns all honey-combed
and many of the horns have fallen off.
Monday a special reporter of the
PIONEER visited Hopawell and Stow
Creek townships to endeavor to learn
more about the insect and it's ravages.
They first made their appearance
this year among the cattle in the vicin-
ity of Harmersville, in Salem county;
they then appeared in Canton and be-
low, in Stathem's Neck and along the
marshes; among the cattle of Richard
Bacon and his neighbors. At Green
wich they torment the herd of Charles
Ewing, and several of his cattle have
their horns eaten away at the base
where the pests bury themselves. B.
F. Maui, of Greenwich, had COW
whose horns dropped off from being
bored by the flies. VIM. Tice, Jr., of
Roadstown, sold a COW whose horns
had fallen off from the same cause.
Joseph H. Fogg, John Garrison and
Freeholder B. b. Elwell, of Stoe Creek
Township, state the flies are hard on
their herds, though Mr.. Elwell does
not observe them so troublesome to
his as to those of his neighbors. Sam
uel Tomlinson reports the pests very
annoying to his stock, causing them
to worry and lose flesh.
Milkman David Elwell notices them
among his cattle.
Theodore Ware say they torture his
cattle until they are beside themselves,
and Joseph Fox has noticed them on
his.
Robert M. Allen and Charles E.
Bowen, large dairyman above Shiloh,
find them torturing their herds.
Mr.. Nelson, of Shiloh, finds them
among his cattle, and 7. Herman, of
Roadstown, among his.
They have advanced as far toward
Bridgeton as the farm of VIM. Fogg,
on the turnpike, this side of Shiloh.
AS yet the farmers have found no eff
fective means of fighting the pest; pine
tar and grease, coal tar, coal oil, stur-
geon oil, and white lead are used, but
seemingly with little effect. Some tie
up the horns of the cattle with cloths,
still the creatures find their way to a
tender spot. The pests appeared in
this section of the State and in Glou-
cester County last year.
Specimens have been captured and
placed in glass bottles, and they would
be in there but short time, before
they would deposit their eggs on the
sides of the bottle. About Shiloh, in
addition to their flies, the farmers
have had to contend with the rose
bugs, which have come like clouds of
locusts this year. These have eaten
up the cherries, the grapes and are
now devouring what few peaches there
are on the trees which have escaped
the frosts. Of grapes and cherries the
crops will be nothing. The potato
bugs-or Colorado beetle-are reported
not SO bad this year as they were last
year. 1t may be owing to the fact
that there are not so many early pota-
toes growing in that locality. These
bugs turned their attention to the
tomato plants, when they could not
find sufficient potato plants, and some
of the tomato fields suffered pretty
badly.
Ed. Matlack, says there will be no
peaches this year to speak of, and ex-
aminations of the orchards shows that
Mr.. Matlack is about right, what few
peaches escaped the frosts of a cold
spring, and the late high winds, are
now being stung by an insect. and the
young peach is filled with larvae
The wheat fields are ripening up,
but the farmers will find that they will
thresh a good deal of straw this year
for what wheat they get. The old
couplet goes;-
cold and dry for wheat and rye.
Wet and warm for oats and corn"
1t has been too wet for wheat; the
wheat heads are only two-thirds filled,
observation showing one-third of the
grains blighted.