The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-06-12

easy condition. The real worry and
harm come when the flies are feeding
ON the stock. They bite quite like the
mosquito pierce the flesh by the use of
fine lancet and then suck the blood
through the tube or sheath. A small
amount of irritating saliva is secreted
in the operation, and this causes conges-
ton around the wound and probably
more pain than the piercing While In
the act of biting, the flies bury them
selves in the hair, with the wings re-
manning spread, as shown in the cut.
This is very characteristic of the fly. 1t
enables them to rise out of danger very
quickly should the tail or head be
thrown in that direction, but they are
back and at work again as quickly as
they left. When numerous, the effect
upon thin skinned stock is to set them
almost frantic, while others may not
mind it nearly as much. The tendency
upon all, however, is to reduce them in
flesh, and with dairy cows to also de-
crease the flow of milk. 1t is said that
the flies confine their attacks solely to
horned cattle. If this is So it is quite
point in favor of dehorning.
The creature lays its eggs in fresh
manure. When the cow empties her
bowels, the fly instantly darts from her
TANKS and udder upon the fresh dung,
deposits its eggs and returns to the
cows body.
AS many as 800 eggs have been found
in single dropping. The eggs hatch in
about "a hours and grow into yellowish
white footless larvae three-eighths of an
inch in length, tapering gradually to a
pointed head They then shrink into
red brown barrellike pupe and later ap-
pear as a fly, completing the cycle of
life in from 10 to II days. In this way
it is estimated there will be at least
eight generations through a season.
With such rapid reproduction it is easy
to account for the sudden appearance of
such great numbers Horn flies suddenly
appear in swarms and feed with the
wings spread, and it is thus they may
be recognized.
So far preventives or repellents have
been found to be preferable to substances
that will kill the flies. Greasy sub
stances of almost any kind prove to be
the best preventives DIR. Riley says,
"a number of experiments were tried
in the field with the result that train
oil alone, and train oil with little sui
phur or carbolic acid added, will keep
the flies away for five or six days, while
with a small proportion of carbolic acid
it will have a healing effect upon sores
which may have formed. Train oil or
fish oil seems to be more lasting in its
effects than any other of the substances
used.
* o. Dust" is recommended highly
by Professor Smith doc. cit.) for killing
the flies by keeping the cattle well dust
ed with it.
The most certain means of destruction
is to kill the flies in the early stage.
This can be accomplished by throwing
a shovelful of lime or land plaster upon
each dropping made by the stock. They
will be found most common in shady
places that the cattle frequent, and by
treating them in this way once in two
or three days while the dung is yet
fresh the fly will be destroyed in large
numbers while still in its infancy.
Prospects are that if we can stay the
fly off for few years it will then not
trouble us so seriously. The following
from Professor Smith is encouraging:
For the past two or three years the
horn fly has been no more troublesome
in this state New Jersey, where it first
appeared) than the ordinary COW fly,
Stomoxys calcitrans. 1t is in new local
tiles that it seems to be most trouble
some, becoming gradually less abundant
after the third or fourth year. "