The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-21

grub, when Matched from the egg,
crawls up the nostrils and lodges in the
sinuses OF the head, where it remains,
feeding upon the mucus secreted by
the membranes until the following
spring. One can well imagine what
serious affection this must be to the
sheep--to have worms crawling about
in the head. While they are not often
the cause of death, yet they remain in
the head all winter, only to crawl down
the nostrils in the spring, and on the
earth, to be transformed into flies again.
The animals certainly cannot pros
per under this condition as they other
wise would. There seems to be no
remedy for grub in the head. The sim
uses are so deep and winding that it is
impossible to reach the grubs with any
insecticide. Efforts to benefit the ami
mails as regard grub in the head must
be in the line of prevention. If no
eggs are deposited on the nostrils, there
will be no grubs in the head. If sheep
can have access to thick woods, or to
a brush lot where there is sufficient
shade, the gadhy will trouble very
little.
The most comfortable prevention is
to have sheep-house of light material
made on runners, so that it can be
moved from place to place or field to
field. This is inclosed all about except
passage at each end, which seems to
create draft of air through it. 1t is
always cool and dark. Sheep always
seek this when these flies are abroad,
and only feed nights and mornings,
when flies are quiescent. 1t is sure
preventive to keep their noses daubed
with tar, but this soon wears off and
has to be renewed about once week,
involving more trouble than the aver
age fockmaster is willing to take.
When kept sheep had way Of tar
ring their noses which seemed effect
ual. l had long log in the pasture
filed with two-inch suger-holes bored
in its upper surface, about three inches
deep. Into these holes two or two and
one-half inches of salt was put and the
edges of the holes were kept smeared
with tar. The sheep would have salt,
and in getting it they had to daub their
noses enough to keep the gadfy away.
When these flies bother, sheep run
with their noses to the ground, but
never saw mine do this when had a
log in operation. 1t is not good shep-
herd who will permit this fly to bother.
There are several other kinds of flies
which trouble sheep under certain con-
ditions, and these conditions are when
the animals are wounded or become
filthy from diarrhea. These flies de-
post their eggs in the wounds or filth,
and they hatch into maggots within
twenty-four hours. If the wound or
filth be extensive, the maggots will
soon end the animals life unless they
are destroyed. These flies are wonder
fully prolific. The ovaries of a single
specimen of the species sarcophaga
carnaria have been found to contain
10000 eggs. AS these eggs hatch so
soon when deposited in suitable hatch
ing conditions, one need not wonder
where all the maggots come from"
An application of pine tar or kerosene
will destroy the maggots. Flocks
should be seen and counted often, be-
cause when sheep gets maggoty it is
very apt to retire to some corner by
itself and "give up the ghost" Sheep
never try to do anything to relieve
themselves of this difficulty. -Cor. Man
chester Union.